Variability in ecosystem service measurement: a pollination service case study

Abstract

Research quantifying ecosystem services (ES) – collectively, the benefits that society obtains from ecosystems –is rapidly increasing. Despite the seemingly straightforward definition, a wide variety of methods are used to measure ES. This methodological variability has largely been ignored, and standard protocols to select measures that capture ES provision have yet to be established. Furthermore, most published papers do not include explicit definitions of individual ES. We surveyed the literature on pollination ES to assess the range of measurement approaches, focusing on three essential steps: (1) definition of the ES, (2) identification of components contributing to ES delivery, and (3) selection of metrics to represent these components. We found considerable variation in how pollination as an ES – a relatively well‐defined service – is measured. We discuss potential causes of this variability and provide suggestions to address this issue. Consistency in ES measurement, or a clear explanation of selected definitions and metrics, is critical to facilitate comparisons among studies and inform ecosystem management.

Ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies misunderstood without landscape history

“…Because different indicators can lead to different outcomes for ES evaluations (Liss et al 2013), we focused on combining biophysical attributes into comparable production functions applicable in both sets of high-resolution air photos, which also helped to maintain consistency among any service measured over time (Table 1). Capacity for "orchard" and "forage production" were mapped on an areal basis and normalized based on their relative area per reach.…”

Pollination services are mediated by bee functional diversity and landscape context

“…We adopt a "production function" approach (Tallis & Pollasky 2009) to trace a mathematical relationship between pollination services and bee FDis (Laliberté & Legendre 2010), as well as landscape metrics and environmental covariates. We identify the pollination service point of delivery in apples at the incidence of seed and fruit set (see Liss et al 2013). These measures are the most direct results of pollination (Dennis 2003) that benefit orchardists without being confounded by local management decisions that influence crop yield (Dale & Polasky 2007).…”

Where is the value in valuing pollination ecosystem services to agriculture?

“…Given that wild pollinator declines may lead to a growing dependence of agriculture on honey bee colony rentals, the interests of beekeeping firms might be rationally aligned with landscape practices that increase yields at the expense of wild pollination services. This may mean that the proliferation of methodologies proposed to measure pollination ecosystem services (Liss et al, 2013) may be motivated by more than simply the idiosyncrasies of researchers; they may reflect conflicting interests among pollinator service providers.…”