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

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorAizen, Marcelo A.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorAguiar, Sebastianen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBiesmeijer, Jacobus C.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorGaribaldi, Lucas A.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorInouye, David W.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorJung, Chuleuien_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMartins, Dino J.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMedel, Rodrigoen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMorales, Carolina L.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorNgo, Hienen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorPauw, Antonen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorPaxton, Robert J.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSaez, Agustínen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSeymour, Colleen L.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2021-10-28T14:06:42Z
dc.date.available2021-10-28T14:06:42Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.descriptionCITATION: Aizen, M. A., et al. 2019. Global agricultural productivity is threatened by increasing pollinator dependence without a parallel increase in crop diversification. Global Change Biology, 25(10):3516-3527, doi:10.1111/gcb.14736.
dc.descriptionThe original publication is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
dc.description.abstractThe 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.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14736
dc.description.versionPublisher's version
dc.format.extent12 pages : illustrations (some color), mapsen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationAizen, M. A., et al. 2019. Global agricultural productivity is threatened by increasing pollinator dependence without a parallel increase in crop diversification. Global Change Biology, 25(10):3516-3527, doi:10.1111/gcb.14736
dc.identifier.issn1365-2486 (online)
dc.identifier.issn1354-1013 (print)
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.1111/gcb.14736
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123330
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherWiley
dc.rights.holderAuthors retain copyright
dc.subjectAgricultural productivityen_ZA
dc.subjectPollinatorsen_ZA
dc.subjectCrop diversityen_ZA
dc.subjectCrops -- Effect of pollution onen_ZA
dc.subjectPollinator‐dependent cropsen_ZA
dc.subjectBiodiversity -- Effect of climatic changes onen_ZA
dc.subjectOilseedsen_ZA
dc.titleGlobal agricultural productivity is threatened by increasing pollinator dependence without a parallel increase in crop diversificationen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
aizen_global_2019.pdf
Size:
3.98 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download article
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Research Articles (Botany and Zoology)