不同农业景观背景下传粉昆虫群落的分布差异

农业景观中的自然、半自然生境等非农生境可为传粉昆虫提供丰富的食物来源、栖息地、繁殖地、避难所等,对维持生物多样性的稳定起着不可替代的作用。以巩义典型的山地-丘陵-河川混杂的复杂景观和民权的平原农业简单景观为研究区,分析不同景观背景下传粉昆虫群落的物种组成及其在不同生境中的分布特征。结果表明:(1)巩义研究区内累计捕获传粉昆虫18582头,民权研究区内累计捕获传粉昆虫18518头,优势传粉昆虫功能群为双翅目、膜翅目、鞘翅目和鳞翅目等;(2)景观复杂度更高的巩义研究区的传粉昆虫多样性、丰富度以及均匀度均显著高于民权研究区;存在大面积农田斑块的平原景观中则有更多的优势传粉昆虫个体;(3)农田斑块中具有更高的物种丰富度,但林地物种的多样性和均匀度则相对稍高些。农田斑块在作物花期能有效的提高传粉者种群密度,但林地等自然、半自然生境对于维持传粉者多样性和食物缺乏期种群的稳定具有重要作用。因此在未来为确保农业景观中传粉者的多样性与传粉服务的稳定,一方面要关注自然、半自然生境的作用,同时也要考虑不同景观背景下异质性特征对不同生物类群的影响差异。     

北京昌平区景观复杂度和局地管理对苹果园传粉蜂多样性的影响

传粉蜂为作物生产和粮食安全提供重要的生态系统服务。随着农业经济的不断发展,土地利用强度加剧,大量自然或半自然生境已经转变为农业用地。景观均质化和集约化管理导致野生蜂多样性下降,从而威胁到农业可持续生产。本研究以北京市昌平区苹果园为对象,探究景观复杂度(半自然生境比例)、局地管理强度(地表开花植物多样性和土壤全氮)及其交互作用对传粉蜂多样性的影响。结果表明: 共捕获传粉蜂8642头,其中人工蜂5125头,野生蜂分属5科14属49种3517头。传粉蜂多样性对景观复杂度和局地管理强度响应的最优尺度在500 m。样点半径500 m范围内,总传粉蜂和野生蜂多度随周围半自然生境增加均呈显著上升趋势。景观复杂度与开花植物多样性的交互作用对总传粉蜂和野生蜂物种丰富度有显著影响。当景观复杂度较低时(≤29.9%),总传粉蜂和野生蜂物种丰富度与开花植物多样性呈显著正相关;而当景观复杂度较高时(>29.9%),总传粉蜂和野生蜂物种丰富度与开花植物多样性呈显著负相关。此外,人工蜂多度随果园内局地开花植物多样性和土壤全氮增加呈显著升高趋势。土壤全氮与开花植物多样性的交互作用对人工蜂多度有显著影响。当土壤全氮含量较低时(≤1.9 g·kg^-1),人工蜂多度与开花植物多样性呈显著正相关;而当土壤全氮含量较高时(>1.9 g·kg^-1),人工蜂多度与开花植物多样性呈显著负相关。农业景观中半自然生境比例的增加有利于提高野生蜂多度,而地表开花植物多样性可以促进传粉蜂多样性,但是受到景观尺度(半自然生境比例)和局地尺度(氮肥施用)的影响。因此,农业景观中野生蜂多样性的维持需要综合考虑多尺度因素来制定保护策略。尽可能保留更高比例的耕地仍然是生产的长期需求,而保持中等景观复杂度,增加地表开花植物多样性,减少氮肥施用量将是促进苹果园传粉蜂多样性的有效方式。     

大蜜蜂的生物学特性、面临威胁与保护策略

昆虫传粉在维持植物的有性繁殖、物种形成及生态系统稳定中扮演着重要角色, 而野生传粉昆虫为生态系统提供了巨大的传粉服务功能。大蜜蜂(Apis dorsata)为亚洲特有的一种野生传粉昆虫, 是热带地区多种植物和农作物的有效传粉者, 在保障热带生物多样性及作物产量中有不可或缺的作用。但受全球气候变化、人类活动和生境恶化等因素的影响, 其种群数量日益减少, 开展大蜜蜂种质资源保护势在必行。本文综述了大蜜蜂筑巢、迁飞和传粉服务功能, 分析了人为猎取蜂巢, 栖息生境遭受破坏, 杀虫剂和除草剂滥用, 昆虫、螨类和病原物侵染, 气候变化等威胁种群的因素, 以期从强化大蜜蜂基础研究和保护、推动生态农业发展、建立适合大蜜蜂迁飞生态廊道、加强检验检疫及科学合理利用大蜜蜂种质资源等方面制定相应的保护措施。     

传粉者友好型城市：现状与展望

传粉者是全球生物多样性资源的重要组成部分，它们在提供重要生态服务的同时，也依赖生态系统中的食物和筑巢资源实现自身生长和繁殖。在全球传粉动物多样性呈下降趋势之际，城市生态系统因具有丰富的花资源和高异质性的栖息地，已成为传粉者的庇护所。综述了城市环境中传粉动物的多样性现状以及影响传粉者多样性的主要因素，最后讨论了保护城市传粉者多样性所需采取的措施，旨在为建设传粉者友好型城市和维护生态平衡提供参考依据。     

黄河中下游农业景观中景观简化对传粉昆虫多样性的影响——以巩义市为例

在农业景观中,传粉昆虫的生存繁衍与半自然生境的面积大小有关。集约化生产方式使半自然生境比例逐渐减少,农田比例不断增加,随着景观简化梯度的变化(农田比例逐渐增大),传粉昆虫群落多样性将会发生怎样的变化?选择黄河中下游典型农区巩义市为研究区域,采用诱捕盘法(Pan traps)进行农田、林地的传粉昆虫取样,以21个样点作为景观简化梯度(农田比例范围5%—86%)的呈现,基于每个样点的传粉昆虫多度和丰富度变化来探究景观简化对传粉昆虫多样性的影响。结果显示:区内累计捕获传粉昆虫39660头,优势类群包括双翅目(Diptera)、膜翅目(Hymenoptera)、鞘翅目(Coleoptera)等。采用逐步回归分析及线性拟合后发现景观简化程度与传粉昆虫多度和丰富度呈显著负相关(P0.05);景观简化对传粉昆虫类群间的影响也是有差异的,其中对鞘翅目多度的影响最为密切(R~2=0.27),同时对膜翅目和双翅目也有较大影响(R~2=0.14、R~2=0.11),景观简化与鳞翅目多度呈正相关;随景观简化的程度加深,农田生境中膜翅目多度呈显著下降趋势(P0.05),而林地中膜翅目多度变化不明显。在未来的景观规划中,应着重考虑传粉昆虫中鞘翅目类群的栖息地变化及食物资源状况。依据研究结果建议林地生境中应注重保护现有的自然植被群落,在人工林中可以种植一定面积的蜜粉源植物;农田生境内对杂草群落、半自然生境斑块进行合理规划的基础上,还可以种植线性景观植物作为传粉昆虫的食物源。     

黄河中下游农业景观异质性对传粉昆虫多样性的多尺度效应——以巩义市为例

农业景观中非农生物所提供的服务是生态系统保持稳定的基础,随着农业集约化程度的加强,生物多样性的持续丧失是现代农业发展最突出的表现形式之一.本文以黄河中下游典型农业区巩义市为研究区,根据其典型的地貌特征(山地-丘陵-河川)来探究地貌类型、景观和生境3种尺度上景观异质性对传粉昆虫多样性的影响.本研究使用诱捕盘法(pan traps)获取传粉昆虫,采用多因素方差分析多尺度上农业景观异质性对传粉昆虫多样性的影响.结果表明: 共捕获传粉昆虫67012头,分属7个目、86个科.其中,优势类群为食蚜蝇科、花蝇科;常见类群为果蝇科、丽蝇科、蜂虻科、头蝇科、花萤科、瘿蜂科、胡蜂科、小蜂科、切叶蜂科、蜜蜂科.地貌类型对传粉昆虫多样性的影响最为显著(P<0.001),表明丘陵和山地地区为传粉昆虫的蜜源地;其次是生境尺度(P<0.05),但景观尺度和尺度间的交互作用的影响不显著.丘陵和山地地区的景观异质性对传粉昆虫多样性的影响为本地区不同地貌类型的景观规划和生物多样性保护提供了理论支持.     

探讨监测传粉者的方法

种子植物的有性生殖依赖于花粉传递, 传粉者是花粉传递的媒介。传粉者为野生植物和农作物提供的传粉服务, 是我们绿色星球最重要的生态过程之一, 在维持生物多样性和农作物生产方面具有重要作用。农业集约化、生境破碎、全球气候变暖等因素加剧了传粉者衰减和灭绝的风险, 对生态系统的功能和农业生产造成了不利影响。为了维系植物与传粉者生态互作关系的稳定性, 人们建立了一系列从局部地区到国际、由普通民众到科研人员参与的传粉者监测项目, 以期掌握传粉生态系统的状况和发展趋势, 为自然和农业生态系统的健康提供预警和反馈。本文强调了监测传粉者的首要前提条件, 即正确区分传粉者和访花者; 总结了监测传粉者的直接和间接方法, 包括群落水平的直接观察监测, 以及利用关联数据进行间接推断与调查; 介绍了具有潜力的由大众参与的公众监测项目。针对7种常见传粉者类群, 讨论了可行的适用于各类群的监测方法, 为监测拓展到更多的传粉者类群提供了可能。期望能为生物多样性的保护、传粉者动态的精准监测提供建议与参考。     

荒山绿化对野生新疆郁金香传粉昆虫多样性的影响

为探究荒山绿化模式下对野生新疆郁金香Tulipa sinkiangensis传粉昆虫多样性的影响,选取乌鲁木齐市雅玛里克山设置长期绿化区、短期绿化区和自然生境3个环境梯度,采取样线和样方调查等方法进行新疆郁金香传粉昆虫多样性的研究。共收集传粉昆虫共316头,隶属17科23属36种,优势种为黑腹膝芒寄蝇Gonia picea。不同绿化梯度下物种丰富度指数相似,但随着荒山绿化进程的推进传粉昆虫多样性指数、均匀度指数呈下降趋势,自然生境最高(2.719;0.941),长期绿化区最低(1.299±0.311;0.553±0.076)。长期绿化区和短期绿化区之间物种组成极不相似;长期绿化区和自然生境以及短期绿化区和自然生境之间物种组成均为中等不相似。同时发现,树木胸径对传粉昆虫多样性具有显著负面影响(P=0.047)。研究表明,未来荒山绿化工程应提高生态异质性,避免大片纯林的单一种植模式。     

人工引入传粉者对油茶丰产的意义及潜在的生物安全

动物传粉在全球生态系统中提供重要服务,全球农业生产对动物传粉服务的需求稳定增长。油茶是我国特有的重要木本油料植物,栽培历史悠久,由于严格自交不亲和而高度依赖动物传粉。基于我国油茶产业发展的新形势,从资源分配和花粉限制等生态因素系统分析了油茶产量受限制的原因,提出油茶的传粉者限制效果等同于花粉限制效果,人工引入潜在的高效传粉者是解除油茶资源限制措施和传粉生态限制措施之间冲突、提高油茶产量的有效途径。论述了人工引入传粉者传粉服务的优势和挑战。对人工引入传粉者,特别是外来传粉者所面临的潜在风险和控制途径进行了梳理,提出从传粉生态服务解决油茶产量和质量问题的新思路。全文旨在为人工引入传粉者在油茶丰产中的作用提供理论与科学依据,以期促进油茶产业健康有序发展。     

IPBES框架下的全球传粉评估及我国对策

作为重要的生态系统服务之一, 传粉与粮食生产和食品安全密切相关。传粉者的下降直接影响人类的福祉, 因此近年来受到全球各界的广泛关注。基于此, 生物多样性和生态系统服务政府间科学-政策平台(Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES)将“传粉者、传粉和粮食生产评估”列为2014-2018年工作方案中最优先开展的快速评估。其“决策者摘要”已在IPBES第四届全体会议上获得通过。本文以IPBES框架为背景, 介绍了该评估专题的由来和评估报告的主要内容。IPBES评估报告强调了传粉和传粉者在生态系统中的重要价值, 分析了传粉和传粉者的现状与濒危趋势, 通过案例详细介绍了全球传粉者面临的威胁、驱动因素和缓解措施等。本文同时探讨了该评估与其他进程的关系及可能产生的影响, IPBES不仅是千年生态系统评估(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment)的后续, 它同时应各国政府和7个生物多样性相关公约的评估请求, 对实现《2011-2020生物多样性战略计划》和《生物多样性爱知目标》具有重要意义。作为科学和政策的桥梁, IPBES通过科学层面的评估分析, 将为决策者提供工具和方法。通过深入分析这次评估的经验教训以及我国存在的问题, 我们提出以下建议: (1)开展传粉者本底调查, 评估传粉服务的价值; (2)建立传粉监测体系; (3)深入开展致危因素分析, 制定并开展传粉者保护和恢复行动; (4)促进耕作模式优化, 加强政策支持; (5)扩大宣传, 提高公众 参与。     

Forests are critically important to global pollinator diversity and enhance pollination in adjacent crops

Although the importance of natural habitats to pollinator diversity is widely recognized, the value of forests to pollinating insects has been largely overlooked in many parts of the world. In this review, we (i) establish the importance of forests to global pollinator diversity, (ii) explore the relationship between forest cover and pollinator diversity in mixed-use landscapes, and (iii) highlight the contributions of forest-associated pollinators to pollination in adjacent crops. The literature shows unambiguously that native forests support a large number of forest-dependent species and are thus critically important to global pollinator diversity. Many pollinator taxa require or benefit greatly from resources that are restricted to forests, such as floral resources provided by forest plants (including wind-pollinated trees), dead wood for nesting, tree resins, and various non-floral sugar sources (e.g. honeydew). Although landscape-scale studies generally support the conclusion that forests enhance pollinator diversity, findings are often complicated by spatial scale, focal taxa, landscape context, temporal context, forest type, disturbance history, and external stressors. While some forest loss can be beneficial to pollinators by enhancing habitat complementarity, too much can result in the near-elimination of forest-associated species. There is strong evidence from studies of multiple crop types that forest cover can substantially increase yields in adjacent habitats, at least within the foraging ranges of the pollinators involved. The literature also suggests that forests may have enhanced importance to pollinators in the future given their role in mitigating the negative effects of pesticides and climate change. Many questions remain about the amount and configuration of forest cover required to promote the diversity of forest-associated pollinators and their services within forests and in neighbouring habitats. However, it is clear from the current body of knowledge that any effort to preserve native woody habitats, including the protection of individual trees, will benefit pollinating insects and help maintain the critical services they provide.     

Native bees buffer the negative impact of climate warming on honey bee pollination of watermelon crops

If climate change affects pollinator‐dependent crop production, this will have important implications for global food security because insect pollinators contribute to production for 75% of the leading global food crops. We investigate whether climate warming could result in indirect impacts upon crop pollination services via an overlooked mechanism, namely temperature‐induced shifts in the diurnal activity patterns of pollinators. Using a large data set on bee pollination of watermelon crops, we predict how pollination services might change under various climate change scenarios. Our results show that under the most extreme IPCC scenario (A1F1), pollination services by managed honey bees are expected to decline by 14.5%, whereas pollination services provided by most native, wild taxa are predicted to increase, resulting in an estimated aggregate change in pollination services of +4.5% by 2099. We demonstrate the importance of native biodiversity in buffering the impacts of climate change, because crop pollination services would decline more steeply without the native, wild pollinators. More generally, our study provides an important example of how biodiversity can stabilize ecosystem services against environmental change.     

Bird and insect pollinators differ in specialization and potential pollination services along disturbance and resource gradients

Combined studies of the communities and interaction networks of bird and insect pollinators are rare, especially along environmental gradients. Here, we determined how disturbance by fire and variation in sugar resources shape pollinator communities and interactions between plants and their pollinating insects and birds. We recorded insect and bird visits to 21 Protea species across 21 study sites and for 2 years in Fynbos ecosystems in the Western Cape, South Africa. We recorded morphological traits of all pollinator species (41 insect and nine bird species). For each site, we obtained estimates of the time since the last fire (range: 2–25 calendar years) and the Protea nectar sugar amount per hectare (range: 74–62 000 g/ha). We tested how post-fire age and sugar amount influence the total interaction frequency, species richness and functional diversity of pollinator communities, as well as pollinator specialization (the effective number of plant partners) and potential pollination services (pollination service index) of insects and birds. We found little variation in the total interaction frequency, species richness and functional diversity of insect and bird pollinator communities, but insect species richness increased with post-fire age. Pollinator specialization and potential pollination services of insects and birds varied differently along the environmental gradients. Bird pollinators visited fewer Protea species at sites with high sugar amount, while there was no such trend for insects. Potential pollination services of insect pollinators to Protea species decreased with increasing post-fire age and resource amounts, whereas potential pollination services of birds remained constant along the environmental gradients. Despite little changes in pollinator communities, our analyses reveal that insect and bird pollinators differ in their specialization on Protea species and show distinct responses to disturbance and resource gradients. Our comparative study of bird and insect pollinators demonstrates that birds may be able to provide more stable pollination services than insects.     

Do we realize the full impact of pollinator loss on other ecosystem services and the challenges for any restoration in terrestrial areas?

Pollinators are key agents for ecosystems and humankind concerning biodiversity, agriculture, climate change adaptation, and all other ecosystem services. Particularly in industrialized countries pollinator diversity is in decline. The bulk of research is on entomological or plant‐pollinator network related topics, but the broad range of impacts of pollinator loss on coupled human and natural systems is not yet studied. As 87% of all flowering plants depend on pollinators, they are basic for all ecosystem services to some extent. Therefore, pollinator loss might cause simultaneous degradation of ecosystem services inducing counterproductive human responses and interlinked poverty spirals. The interaction of climate change, a main risk factor for pollinators, and unadvised human responses to pollinator decline are rarely studied. Tipping points of pollinator loss are not yet identified. Can counterproductive human responses to pollinator deficiency upscale pollinator decline toward a pollinator‐loss syndrome in the course of climate change? The article argues for research on the impacts of pollinator loss on other ecosystem services, useful and counterproductive human strategies on pollinator‐loss induced degradation, and the integration of pollinator protection into all terrestrial restoration efforts.     

Landscape effects on crop pollination services: are there general patterns?

Pollination by bees and other animals increases the size, quality, or stability of harvests for 70% of leading global crops. Because native species pollinate many of these crops effectively, conserving habitats for wild pollinators within agricultural landscapes can help maintain pollination services. Using hierarchical Bayesian techniques, we synthesize the results of 23 studies – representing 16 crops on five continents – to estimate the general relationship between pollination services and distance from natural or semi-natural habitats. We find strong exponential declines in both pollinator richness and native visitation rate. Visitation rate declines more steeply, dropping to half of its maximum at 0.6 km from natural habitat, compared to 1.5 km for richness. Evidence of general decline in fruit and seed set – variables that directly affect yields – is less clear. Visitation rate drops more steeply in tropical compared with temperate regions, and slightly more steeply for social compared with solitary bees. Tropical crops pollinated primarily by social bees may therefore be most susceptible to pollination failure from habitat loss. Quantifying these general relationships can help predict consequences of land use change on pollinator communities and crop productivity, and can inform landscape conservation efforts that balance the needs of native species and people.     

Combining virtual and in-place field crews to model pollinator species shift in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Insect pollinators (bees and butterflies) face global challenges as climate change impacts species occurrence (or extinction) within managed and protected areas. While species decline is predicted for invertebrate species, especially in sensitive ecosystems such as high alpine systems, little is known about species responses to climate change. This study seeks to understand the impact of climate change on pollinators in high elevation ecosystems, specifically within Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. These parks are connected protected areas in the United States that act as a large reservoir for conserving species, including pollinators. Students performing research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic were divided into two virtual teams (bug team and climate team) to assess historic climate data, natural history collections and plant/pollinator data from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Each team was tasked with addressing the larger question of climate change impacts on pollinators within protected areas while also gaining interpersonal, collaborative learning skills through their experience. This paper highlights two case studies tied to pollinator decline. The first assesses citizen science and natural history collection databases to predict and field test species occurrence within the parks. The second identifies suitable habitats for species occurrence locations. Lastly, this paper emphasizes the learning outcomes students had from virtual and hybrid field settings and offers suggestions for applications towards field-based research efforts.     

Global agricultural productivity is threatened by increasing pollinator dependence without a parallel increase in crop diversification

The global increase in the proportion of land cultivated with pollinator‐dependent crops implies increased reliance on pollination services. Yet agricultural practices themselves can profoundly affect pollinator supply and pollination. Extensive monocultures are associated with a limited pollinator supply and reduced pollination, whereas agricultural diversification can enhance both. Therefore, areas where agricultural diversity has increased, or at least been maintained, may better sustain high and more stable productivity of pollinator‐dependent crops. Given that >80% of all crops depend, to varying extents, on insect pollination, a global increase in agricultural pollinator dependence over recent decades might have led to a concomitant increase in agricultural diversification. We evaluated whether an increase in the area of pollinator‐dependent crops has indeed been associated with an increase in agricultural diversity, measured here as crop diversity, at the global, regional, and country scales for the period 1961–2016. Globally, results show a relatively weak and decelerating rise in agricultural diversity over time that was largely decoupled from the strong and continually increasing trend in agricultural dependency on pollinators. At regional and country levels, there was no consistent relationship between temporal changes in pollinator dependence and crop diversification. Instead, our results show heterogeneous responses in which increasing pollinator dependence for some countries and regions has been associated with either an increase or a decrease in agricultural diversity. Particularly worrisome is a rapid expansion of pollinator‐dependent oilseed crops in several countries of the Americas and Asia that has resulted in a decrease in agricultural diversity. In these regions, reliance on pollinators is increasing, yet agricultural practices that undermine pollination services are expanding. Our analysis has thereby identified world regions of particular concern where environmentally damaging practices associated with large‐scale, industrial agriculture threaten key ecosystem services that underlie productivity, in addition to other benefits provided by biodiversity.     

The effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination: A meta-analysis

Urbanization is increasing worldwide, with major impacts on biodiversity, species interactions and ecosystem functioning. Pollination is an ecosystem function vital for terrestrial ecosystems and food security; however, the processes underlying the patterns of pollinator diversity and the ecosystem services they provide in cities have seldom been quantified. Here, we perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of 133 studies examining the effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination. Our results confirm the widespread negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator richness and abundance, with Lepidoptera being the most affected group. Furthermore, pollinator responses were found to be trait-specific, with below-ground nesting and solitary Hymenoptera, and spring flyers more severely affected by urbanization. Meanwhile, cities promote non-native pollinators, which may exacerbate conservation risks to native species. Surprisingly, despite the negative effects of urbanization on pollinator diversity, pollination service measured as seed set is enhanced in non-tropical cities likely due to abundant generalists and managed pollinators therein. We emphasize that the richness of local flowering plants could mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator diversity. Overall, the results demonstrate the varying magnitudes of multiple moderators on urban pollinators and pollination services and could help guide conservation actions for biodiversity and ecosystem function for a sustainable future.     

Climate‐driven spatial mismatches between British orchards and their pollinators: increased risks of pollination deficits

Understanding how climate change can affect crop‐pollinator systems helps predict potential geographical mismatches between a crop and its pollinators, and therefore identify areas vulnerable to loss of pollination services. We examined the distribution of orchard species (apples, pears, plums and other top fruits) and their pollinators in Great Britain, for present and future climatic conditions projected for 2050 under the SRES A1B Emissions Scenario. We used a relative index of pollinator availability as a proxy for pollination service. At present, there is a large spatial overlap between orchards and their pollinators, but predictions for 2050 revealed that the most suitable areas for orchards corresponded to low pollinator availability. However, we found that pollinator availability may persist in areas currently used for fruit production, which are predicted to provide suboptimal environmental suitability for orchard species in the future. Our results may be used to identify mitigation options to safeguard orchard production against the risk of pollination failure in Great Britain over the next 50 years; for instance, choosing fruit tree varieties that are adapted to future climatic conditions, or boosting wild pollinators through improving landscape resources. Our approach can be readily applied to other regions and crop systems, and expanded to include different climatic scenarios.