Wild Pollinators Enhance Fruit Set of Crops Regardless of Honey Bee Abundance
METADATA ONLY
Loading...
Author / Creator
Date
2013-03
Publication Type
Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
Citations
Altmetric
METADATA ONLY
Data
Rights / License
Abstract
The diversity and abundance of wild insect pollinators have declined in many agricultural landscapes. Whether such declines reduce crop yields, or are mitigated by managed pollinators such as honey bees, is unclear. We found universally positive associations of fruit set with flower visitation by wild insects in 41 crop systems worldwide. In contrast, fruit set increased significantly with flower visitation by honey bees in only 14% of the systems surveyed. Overall, wild insects pollinated crops more effectively; an increase in wild insect visitation enhanced fruit set by twice as much as an equivalent increase in honey bee visitation. Visitation by wild insects and honey bees promoted fruit set independently, so pollination by managed honey bees supplemented, rather than substituted for, pollination by wild insects. Our results suggest that new practices for integrated management of both honey bees and diverse wild insect assemblages will enhance global crop yields.
Permanent link
Publication status
published
External links
Editor
Book title
Journal / series
Volume
339 (6127)
Pages / Article No.
1608 - 1611
Publisher
Science
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Organisational unit
03723 - Ghazoul, Jaboury / Ghazoul, Jaboury
Notes
Received 14 September 2012, Accepted 5 February 2013, Published online 28 February 2013.