Combined effects of global change pressures on animal-mediated pollination

González‐Varo, Juan P.; Biesmeijer, Jacobus C.; Bommarco, Riccardo; Potts, Simon G.; Schweiger, Oliver; Smith, Henrik G.; Steffan‐Dewenter, Ingolf; Szentgyörgyi, Hajnalka; Woyciechowski, Michał; Vilà, Montserrat

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2013.05.008

Cited by 345 publications

(264 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…It is plausible that several factors acting in synergy serve to amplify pressures on pollinators (González‐Varo et al . 2013), or that a range of different factors may produce similar levels of stress at the colony level (Bryden et al . 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sting in the spit: widespread cross‐infection of multipleRNAviruses across wild and managed bees

McMahon

Fürst

Caspar

et al. 2015

Journal of Animal Ecology

241

285

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Summary Declining populations of bee pollinators are a cause of concern, with major repercussions for biodiversity loss and food security. RNA viruses associated with honeybees represent a potential threat to other insect pollinators, but the extent of this threat is poorly understood.This study aims to attain a detailed understanding of the current and ongoing risk of emerging infectious disease (EID) transmission between managed and wild pollinator species across a wide range of RNA viruses.Within a structured large‐scale national survey across 26 independent sites, we quantify the prevalence and pathogen loads of multiple RNA viruses in co‐occurring managed honeybee (Apis mellifera) and wild bumblebee (Bombus spp.) populations. We then construct models that compare virus prevalence between wild and managed pollinators.Multiple RNA viruses associated with honeybees are widespread in sympatric wild bumblebee populations. Virus prevalence in honeybees is a significant predictor of virus prevalence in bumblebees, but we remain cautious in speculating over the principle direction of pathogen transmission. We demonstrate species‐specific differences in prevalence, indicating significant variation in disease susceptibility or tolerance. Pathogen loads within individual bumblebees may be high and in the case of at least one RNA virus, prevalence is higher in wild bumblebees than in managed honeybee populations.Our findings indicate widespread transmission of RNA viruses between managed and wild bee pollinators, pointing to an interconnected network of potential disease pressures within and among pollinator species. In the context of the biodiversity crisis, our study emphasizes the importance of targeting a wide range of pathogens and defining host associations when considering potential drivers of population decline.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sting in the spit: widespread cross‐infection of multipleRNAviruses across wild and managed bees

McMahon

Fürst

Caspar

et al. 2015

Journal of Animal Ecology

241

285

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Multiple causes are currently contributing to decreased health and vigour of pollinators, making them more vulnerable to that "last straw" that may push populations over a given threshold [82,94].…”

Section: Searching For a Smoking Gun For Pollinator Declinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

5 Key Challenges and Solutions for Governing Complex Adaptive (Food) Systems

et al. 2017

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Abstract:There is increasing recognition in academic circles of the importance of adaptive governance for the sustainability of social-ecological systems, but little examination of specific implications for the 34% of land-use where human activities are pervasive but potentially commensurate with functioning ecosystems: agricultural production systems. In this paper, we argue for the need to view food systems and agro-ecosystems as multi-scalar complex adaptive systems and identify five key challenging characteristics of such systems: multi-causality; cumulative impacts; regime shifts; teleconnections and mismatch of scales. These characteristics are necessary features of multi-scalar adaptive systems, and apply equally to social and natural subsystems. We discuss the implications of these characteristics for agricultural production systems and consider how governance can rise to these challenges. We present five case studies that highlight these issues: pollinator declines; payments for ecosystem services; pest control and pesticide resistance; downstream aquatic systems in Tasman Bay, New Zealand; and riparian buffers in Puget Sound, USA. From these case studies we derive recommendations for managing agricultural systems, both specific and general. Ultimately, adaptive governance of agro-ecosystems will likely hinge upon three paradigm shifts: viewing farmers and ranchers not only as food producers but also as land and water managers; seeking not yield maximization but rather resilient management of food ecosystems; and critically, as it transcends the production-system literature, engaging broad audiences not only as consumers but also citizens.

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“…Multiple anthropogenic drivers have been identified (Goulson, Nicholls, Botías, & Rotheray, 2015), with land‐use change and the associated loss of habitat proposed as one of the most critical threats (Potts et al., 2015). Strong negative effects of landscape alteration on bee and wasp species richness and composition have been documented (Senapathi et al., 2015), with habitat‐ and food‐specialist pollinator taxa particularly vulnerable (González‐Varo et al., 2013). However, the impacts of land‐use on different aspects of pollinator ecology and on different pollinator taxa can be complex, with effects varying depending on pollinators’ dietary and dispersal strategies (Steffan‐Dewenter, Münzenberg, Bürger, Thies, & Tscharntke, 2002; Winfree, Aguilar, Vázquez, Lebuhn, & Aizen, 2009) and the type and magnitude of the land‐use change in question (Cariveau & Winfree, 2015; Senapathi, Goddard, Kunin, & Baldock, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A land classification protocol for pollinator ecology research: An urbanization case study

Samuelson

Leadbeater

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Land‐use change is one of the most important drivers of widespread declines in pollinator populations. Comprehensive quantitative methods for land classification are critical to understanding these effects, but co‐option of existing human‐focussed land classifications is often inappropriate for pollinator research. Here, we present a flexible GIS‐based land classification protocol for pollinator research using a bottom‐up approach driven by reference to pollinator ecology, with urbanization as a case study. Our multistep method involves manually generating land cover maps at multiple biologically relevant radii surrounding study sites using GIS, with a focus on identifying land cover types that have a specific relevance to pollinators. This is followed by a three‐step refinement process using statistical tools: (i) definition of land‐use categories, (ii) principal components analysis on the categories, and (iii) cluster analysis to generate a categorical land‐use variable for use in subsequent analysis. Model selection is then used to determine the appropriate spatial scale for analysis. We demonstrate an application of our protocol using a case study of 38 sites across a gradient of urbanization in South‐East England. In our case study, the land classification generated a categorical land‐use variable at each of four radii based on the clustering of sites with different degrees of urbanization, open land, and flower‐rich habitat. Studies of land‐use effects on pollinators have historically employed a wide array of land classification techniques from descriptive and qualitative to complex and quantitative. We suggest that land‐use studies in pollinator ecology should broadly adopt GIS‐based multistep land classification techniques to enable robust analysis and aid comparative research. Our protocol offers a customizable approach that combines specific relevance to pollinator research with the potential for application to a wide range of ecological questions, including agroecological studies of pest control.

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Combined effects of global change pressures on animal-mediated pollination

Cited by 345 publications

References 69 publications

A sting in the spit: widespread cross‐infection of multipleRNAviruses across wild and managed bees

A sting in the spit: widespread cross‐infection of multipleRNAviruses across wild and managed bees

5 Key Challenges and Solutions for Governing Complex Adaptive (Food) Systems

A land classification protocol for pollinator ecology research: An urbanization case study

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