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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jun 2022Despite recent advances in understanding the role of biodiversity in ecosystem-service provision, the links between the health of ecosystem-service providers and human... (Review)
Review
Despite recent advances in understanding the role of biodiversity in ecosystem-service provision, the links between the health of ecosystem-service providers and human health remain more uncertain. During the past decade, an increasing number of studies have argued for the positive impacts of healthy pollinator communities (defined as functionally and genetically diverse species assemblages that are sustained over time) on human health. Here, we begin with a systematic review of these impacts, finding only two studies that concomitantly quantified aspects of pollinator health and human health. Next, we identify relevant research relating to four pathways linking pollinator health and human health: nutrition, medicine provisioning, mental health and environmental quality. These benefits are obtained through improved pollination of nutritious crops and an estimated approximately 28 000 animal-pollinated medicinal plants; the provisioning of pollinator-derived products such as honey; the maintenance of green spaces and biocultural landscapes that improve mental health; and cleaner air, water and food resulting from pollinator-centred initiatives to reduce agrochemical use. We suggest that pollinator diversity could be a proxy for the benefits that landscapes provide to human health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Crops, Agricultural; Ecosystem; Humans; Pollination
PubMed: 35491592
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0158 -
Environmental Research Oct 2023Synthetic pesticides (e.g. herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) are used widely in agriculture to protect crops from pests, weeds and disease. However, their use... (Review)
Review
Synthetic pesticides (e.g. herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) are used widely in agriculture to protect crops from pests, weeds and disease. However, their use also comes with a range of environmental concerns. One key concern is the effect of insecticides on non-target organisms such as bees, who provide pollination services for crops and wild plants. This systematic literature review quantifies the existing research on bees and insecticides broadly, and then focuses more specifically on non-neonicotinoid insecticides and non-honeybees. We find that articles on honeybees (Apis sp.) and insecticides account for 80% of all research, with all other bees combined making up 20%. Neonicotinoids were studied in 34% of articles across all bees and were the most widely studied insecticide class for non-honeybees overall, with almost three times as many studies than the second most studied class. Of non-neonicotinoid insecticide classes and non-honeybees, the most studied were pyrethroids and organophosphates followed by carbamates, and the most widely represented bee taxa were bumblebees (Bombus), followed by leaf-cutter bees (Megachile) and mason bees (Osmia). Research has taken place across several countries, with the highest numbers of articles from Brazil and the US, and with notable gaps from countries in Asia, Africa and Oceania. Mortality was the most studied effect type, while sub-lethal effects such as on behaviour were less studied. Few studies tested how the effect of insecticides were influenced by multiple pressures, such as climate change and co-occurring pesticides (cocktail effects). As anthropogenic pressures do not occur in isolation, we suggest that future research also addresses these knowledge gaps. Given the changing global patterns in insecticide use, and the increasing inclusion of both non-honeybees and sub-lethal effects in pesticide risk assessment, there is a need for expanding research beyond its current state to ensure a strong scientific evidence base for the development of risk assessment and associated policy.
Topics: Bees; Animals; Insecticides; Neonicotinoids; Pesticides; Pyrethrins; Fungicides, Industrial; Crops, Agricultural
PubMed: 37454798
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116612 -
PloS One 2019Bees and the pollination services they deliver are beneficial to both food crop production, and for reproduction of many wild plant species. Bee decline has stimulated...
Bees and the pollination services they deliver are beneficial to both food crop production, and for reproduction of many wild plant species. Bee decline has stimulated widespread interest in assessing hazards and risks to bees from the environment in which they live. While there is increasing knowledge on how the use of broad-spectrum insecticides in agricultural systems may impact bees, little is known about effects of other pesticides (or plant protection products; PPPs) such as herbicides and fungicides, which are used more widely than insecticides at a global scale. We adopted a systematic approach to review existing research on the potential impacts of fungicides and herbicides on bees, with the aim of identifying research approaches and determining knowledge gaps. While acknowledging that herbicide use can affect forage availability for bees, this review focussed on the potential impacts these compounds could have directly on bees themselves. We found that most studies have been carried out in Europe and the USA, and investigated effects on honeybees. Furthermore, certain effects, such as those on mortality, are well represented in the literature in comparison to others, such as sub-lethal effects. More studies have been carried out in the lab than in the field, and the impacts of oral exposure to herbicides and fungicides have been investigated more frequently than contact exposure. We suggest a number of areas for further research to improve the knowledge base on potential effects. This will allow better assessment of risks to bees from herbicides and fungicides, which is important to inform future management decisions around the sustainable use of PPPs.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Fungicides, Industrial; Herbicides; Life Cycle Stages; Research; Species Specificity
PubMed: 31821341
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225743 -
PeerJ 2020Plant reproduction is influenced by the net outcome of plant-herbivore and plant-pollinator interactions. While both herbivore impacts and pollinator impacts on plant...
BACKGROUND
Plant reproduction is influenced by the net outcome of plant-herbivore and plant-pollinator interactions. While both herbivore impacts and pollinator impacts on plant reproduction have been widely studied, few studies examine them in concert.
METHODOLOGY
Here, we review the contemporary literature that examines the net outcomes of herbivory and pollination on plant reproduction and the impacts of herbivores on pollination through damage to shared host plants using systematic review tools. The direct or indirect effects of herbivores on floral tissue and reported mechanisms were compiled including the taxonomic breadth of herbivores, plants and pollinators.
RESULTS
A total of 4,304 studies were examined producing 59 relevant studies for synthesis that reported both pollinator and herbivore measures. A total of 49% of studies examined the impact of direct damage to floral tissue through partial florivory while 36% of studies also examined the impact of vegetative damage on pollination through folivory, root herbivory, and stem damage. Only three studies examined the effects of both direct and indirect damage to pollination outcomes within the same study.
CONCLUSIONS
It is not unreasonable to assume that plants often sustain simultaneous forms of damage to different tissues and that the net effects can be assessed through differences in reproductive output. Further research that controls for other relative drivers of reproductive output but examines more than one pathway of damage simultaneously will inform our understanding of the mechanistic relevance of herbivore impacts on pollination and also highlight interactions between herbivores and pollinators through plants. It is clear that herbivory can impact plant fitness through pollination; however, the relative importance of direct and indirect damage to floral tissue on plant reproduction is still largely unknown.
PubMed: 32551190
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9049 -
Veterinary Medicine and Science Jul 2023Honey bees and honeycomb bees are very valuable for wild flowering plants and economically important crops due to their role as pollinators. However, these insects... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Honey bees and honeycomb bees are very valuable for wild flowering plants and economically important crops due to their role as pollinators. However, these insects confront many disease threats (viruses, parasites, bacteria and fungi) and large pesticide concentrations in the environment. Varroa destructor is the most prevalent disease that has had the most negative effects on the fitness and survival of different honey bees (Apis mellifera and A. cerana). Moreover, honey bees are social insects and this ectoparasite can be easily transmitted within and across bee colonies.
OBJECTIVE
This review aims to provide a survey of the diversity and distribution of important bee infections and possible management and treatment options, so that honey bee colony health can be maintained.
METHODS
We used PRISMA guidelines throughout article selection, published between January 1960 and December 2020. PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Ovid databases were searched.
RESULTS
We have collected 132 articles and retained 106 articles for this study. The data obtained revealed that V. destructor and Nosema spp. were found to be the major pathogens of honey bees worldwide. The impact of these infections can result in the incapacity of forager bees to fly, disorientation, paralysis, and death of many individuals in the colony. We find that both hygienic and chemical pest management strategies must be implemented to prevent, reduce the parasite loads and transmission of pathogens. The use of an effective miticide (fluvalinate-tau, coumaphos and amitraz) now seems to be an essential and common practice required to minimise the impact of Varroa mites and other pathogens on bee colonies. New, alternative biofriendly control methods, are on the rise, and could be critical for maintaining honey bee hive health and improving honey productivity.
CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that critical health control methods be adopted globally and that an international monitoring system be implemented to determine honey bee colony safety, regularly identify parasite prevalence, as well as potential risk factors, so that the impact of pathogens on bee health can be recognised and quantified on a global scale.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Nosema; Pesticides; Varroidae; Animal Diseases
PubMed: 37335585
DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1194 -
Insects Jun 2021The impact of elevated CO (eCO) on plant-pollinator interactions is poorly understood. This study provides the first systematic review of this topic and identifies...
The impact of elevated CO (eCO) on plant-pollinator interactions is poorly understood. This study provides the first systematic review of this topic and identifies important knowledge gaps. In addition, we present field data assessing the impact of eCO (150 ppm above ambient) on bluebell ()-pollinator interactions within a mature, deciduous woodland system. Since 1956, only 71 primary papers have investigated eCO effects on flowering time, floral traits and pollination, with a mere 3 studies measuring the impact on pollination interactions. Our field experiment documented flowering phenology, flower visitation and seed production, as well as the abundance and phenology of dominant insect pollinators. We show that first and mid-point flowering occurred 6 days earlier under eCO, but with no change in flowering duration. Syrphid flies and bumble bees were the dominant flower visitors, with peak activity recorded during mid- and late-flowering periods. Whilst no significant difference was recorded in total visitation or seed set between eCO and ambient treatments, there were clear patterns of earlier flowering under eCO accompanied by lower pollinator activity during this period. This has implications for potential loss of synchrony in pollination systems under future climate scenarios, with associated long-term impacts on abundance and diversity.
PubMed: 34206033
DOI: 10.3390/insects12060512 -
The Science of the Total Environment Nov 2022Global food production, food supply chains and food security are increasingly stressed by human population growth and loss of arable land, becoming more vulnerable to... (Review)
Review
Global food production, food supply chains and food security are increasingly stressed by human population growth and loss of arable land, becoming more vulnerable to anthropogenic and environmental perturbations. Numerous mutualistic and antagonistic species are interconnected with the cultivation of crops and livestock and these can be challenging to identify on the large scales of food production systems. Accurate identifications to capture this diversity and rapid scalable monitoring are necessary to identify emerging threats (i.e. pests and pathogens), inform on ecosystem health (i.e. soil and pollinator diversity), and provide evidence for new management practices (i.e. fertiliser and pesticide applications). Increasingly, environmental DNA (eDNA) is providing rapid and accurate classifications for specific organisms and entire species assemblages in substrates ranging from soil to air. Here, we aim to discuss how eDNA is being used for monitoring of agricultural ecosystems, what current limitations exist, and how these could be managed to expand applications into the future. In a systematic review we identify that eDNA-based monitoring in food production systems accounts for only 4 % of all eDNA studies. We found that the majority of these eDNA studies target soil and plant substrates (60 %), predominantly to identify microbes and insects (60 %) and are biased towards Europe (42 %). While eDNA-based monitoring studies are uncommon in many of the world's food production systems, the trend is most pronounced in emerging economies often where food security is most at risk. We suggest that the biggest limitations to eDNA for agriculture are false negatives resulting from DNA degradation and assay biases, as well as incomplete databases and the interpretation of abundance data. These require in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches to carefully design, test and apply eDNA monitoring for reliable and accurate taxonomic identifications. We explore future opportunities for eDNA research which could further develop this useful tool for food production system monitoring in both emerging and developed economies, hopefully improving monitoring, and ultimately food security.
Topics: Agriculture; Biodiversity; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; DNA, Environmental; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Fertilizers; Humans; Pesticides; Soil
PubMed: 35882340
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157556 -
The Science of the Total Environment Sep 2023In this paper, a systematic review approach was used to evaluate how environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been applied in agroforestry in the context of food... (Review)
Review
In this paper, a systematic review approach was used to evaluate how environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been applied in agroforestry in the context of food systems. This review was used as the basis for discussing methodological issues in the LCA framework for agroforestry systems (AFS) and relevant environmental outcomes in the agroforestry literature. A total of 32 LCAs in 17 countries identified in four databases and spanning a decade form the basis for this paper. Studies were selected based on pre-defined inclusion criteria and followed established guidelines and a review protocol. Qualitative data were extracted and categorized into multiple themes. Results were quantitatively synthesized for the four phases of the LCA for each individual agroforestry practice (i.e., based on its structural composition). Results showed that around half of the selected studies are located in tropical climates, the rest being in temperate climates, predominantly in Southern Europe. Studies primarily used a mass functional unit and rarely included post-farm gate system boundaries. Almost half of the studies account for multifunctionality, and most allocation methods were based on physical properties. Climate change had the greatest coverage from all impact categories with some variations within milk, meat, and crop production systems. Methodological issues were related to limited system boundaries, few impact categories, and differing functional units and multifunctionality approaches. The identified effects of AFS on biodiversity, climate change mitigation, water, soil, pollination, and pest and disease were only partially documented or not analyzed in the LCA studies or the LCA framework. Gaps in knowledge and limitations of the present review were discussed. Further methodological improvements remain necessary to determine the net environmental effects of food products resulting from individual AFS, especially within the area of multifunctionality, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity.
Topics: Animals; Environment; Soil; Farms; Europe; Life Cycle Stages
PubMed: 37207768
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164094 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2022spp. are cacti with high ecological, economic and conservation interest in semiarid environments, particularly in Mexico. We conducted a systematic search of the... (Review)
Review
spp. are cacti with high ecological, economic and conservation interest in semiarid environments, particularly in Mexico. We conducted a systematic search of the existing peer-reviewed literature about the state of knowledge of pollination ecology on these plants. We documented the most studied species worldwide with an emphasis on Mexico. We found that only 15% of species described have been investigated so far, and studies were mainly focused on comprehension of the biology of a single species. Despite the economic and cultural importance of , there is a significant lack of knowledge about the flower-visiting insects and their taxonomic identity. We provide a checklist of the insect species associated with spp. Through a circular network, we visualize the complex flower-visiting insect relationship, and we detected a set of key species constituting the generalist core of the networks constructed. Since pollination is crucial for crop production, a better understanding of ecological interactions would inform management measures to strengthen biodiversity and agriculture sustainability as well as productivity in arid and marginal lands. Further research on pollination ecology is needed to improve the conservation status of the insects associated with species.
PubMed: 35009134
DOI: 10.3390/plants11010131 -
Journal of Economic Entomology Apr 2021Buzz-pollinated plants require visitation from vibration producing bee species to elicit full pollen release. Several important food crops are buzz-pollinated including... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Buzz-pollinated plants require visitation from vibration producing bee species to elicit full pollen release. Several important food crops are buzz-pollinated including tomato, eggplant, kiwi, and blueberry. Although more than half of all bee species can buzz pollinate, the most commonly deployed supplemental pollinator, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae; honey bees), cannot produce vibrations to remove pollen. Here, we provide a list of buzz-pollinated food crops and discuss the extent to which they rely on pollination by vibration-producing bees. We then use the most commonly cultivated of these crops, the tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae), as a case study to investigate the effect of different pollination treatments on aspects of fruit quality. Following a systematic review of the literature, we statistically analyzed 71 experiments from 24 studies across different geopolitical regions and conducted a meta-analysis on a subset of 21 of these experiments. Our results show that both supplemental pollination by buzz-pollinating bees and open pollination by assemblages of bees, which include buzz pollinators, significantly increase tomato fruit weight compared to a no-pollination control. In contrast, auxin treatment, artificial mechanical vibrations, or supplemental pollination by non-buzz-pollinating bees (including Apis spp.), do not significantly increase fruit weight. Finally, we compare strategies for providing bee pollination in tomato cultivation around the globe and highlight how using buzz-pollinating bees might improve tomato yield, particularly in some geographic regions. We conclude that employing native, wild buzz pollinators can deliver important economic benefits with reduced environmental risks and increased advantages for both developed and emerging economies.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Blueberry Plants; Crops, Agricultural; Solanum lycopersicum; Pollen; Pollination
PubMed: 33615362
DOI: 10.1093/jee/toab009