Influences and Impacts

Pollinators may not be at the top or bottom of the trophic pyramid, but they are the foundation for plant reproduction. Their diminishing populations will result in less biodiversity at a local level and across the globe.

Human Interference (1, 7)

  • Pollination deficit

  • Yield instability

  • Decreased honey production

  • Food system resilience

  • Wild fruit availability

  • Managed pollinators (ex. bee farms)

The effects of habitat degradation/ fragmentation and land management are resulting in skewed food production in the agricultural realm. This leads to rapidly decreasing biodiversity ,and will eventually result in more uniform habitat formations, which in turn decreases the specialization of organisms.

Do not pick flowers!

Natural Results (1, 6)

  • Without pollinators, most plants are unable to reproduce. Those plants that reproduce asexually, are still able to reproduce but are susceptible to mutations and sterilization gave the lack of any interbreeding.

    • Decrease in biodiversity at local level

  • The collapse of facultative interaction (an organism can come and go from one organism, where both organisms benefit)

    • Insects receive nectar from the plant, and while it's doing so, it collects pollen that is distributed to other plants as it goes about collecting more nectar. This allows the plant to receive different gametes from another individual and increases the gene pool of the population.

Consequences of Decline (1)

  • Decrease in flower sprouting (gradual decrease of seed and fruit production)

  • Some crops only depend on bees, so the production of fruit can skew and result in less agricultural diversity

  • The beekeeping industry is slowly declining (as a result of CCD among other factors)

  • Self-compatible flowering plants suffer from inbreeding

  • Decreased nutritional benefit in crops/fruit