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Loss of pollinators: evidences, causes and consequences

Loss of pollinators: evidences, causes and consequences

Over the past few years discussions on the pollinator crisis have increased and campaigns to save bees have multiplied. However, these campaigns have not always been evidence-based. During the last years, also research on this topic has substantially increased and our knowledge about the causes and consequences of the current loss of pollinators has reached an important maturity. This monograph reviews the importance of pollinators, their main threats and what consequences the decline of their populations can have for ecosystems. In addition, given the enormous diversity of pollinators, and especially bees, in the Iberian Peninsula, it is particularly important to deal with this issue from an Iberian perspective. The climatic, geographical and socio-cultural peculiarities of this region make it often difficult to extrapolate results obtained in temperate zones of northern Europe or the United States, two areas overrepresented in terms of research. More precisely, in this monograph the natural history of pollinators in Spain has been reviewed, revealing the clear lack of knowledge about the status of pollinator populations. Additionally, several causes of the decline of pollinators are identified, of which some show interactions, being the main cause probably habitat loss. Finally, the consequences of pollinator loss on the functioning of ecosystems are reviewed, not only for agricultural production, but also for wild flora, both from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. informacion[at]ebd.csic.es: Bartomeus & Bosch (2018) Eds. Monográfico Pérdida de polinizadores: evidencias, causas y consecuencias. Ecosistemas 27(2) Doi 10.7818/ECOS.2018.27-2


https://www.revistaecosistemas.net/index.php/ecosistemas/issue/view/55