Global effects of land-use intensity on local pollinator biodiversity

Joseph Millard (), Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Robyn Kinnersley, Robin Freeman, Richard D. Gregory, Opeyemi Adedoja, Sabrina Gavini, Esther Kioko, Michael Kuhlmann, Jeff Ollerton, Zong-Xin Ren and Tim Newbold
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Joseph Millard: University College London
Charlotte L. Outhwaite: University College London
Robyn Kinnersley: University College London
Robin Freeman: Zoological Society of London
Richard D. Gregory: University College London
Opeyemi Adedoja: Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Sabrina Gavini: INIBIOMA, CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Esther Kioko: National Museums of Kenya (NMK)
Michael Kuhlmann: Kiel University
Jeff Ollerton: University of Northampton
Zong-Xin Ren: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tim Newbold: University College London

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Pollinating species are in decline globally, with land use an important driver. However, most of the evidence on which these claims are made is patchy, based on studies with low taxonomic and geographic representativeness. Here, we model the effect of land-use type and intensity on global pollinator biodiversity, using a local-scale database covering 303 studies, 12,170 sites, and 4502 pollinating species. Relative to a primary vegetation baseline, we show that low levels of intensity can have beneficial effects on pollinator biodiversity. Within most anthropogenic land-use types however, increasing intensity is associated with significant reductions, particularly in urban (43% richness and 62% abundance reduction compared to the least intensive urban sites), and pasture (75% abundance reduction) areas. We further show that on cropland, the strongly negative response to intensity is restricted to tropical areas, and that the direction and magnitude of response differs among taxonomic groups. Our findings confirm widespread effects of land-use intensity on pollinators, most significantly in the tropics, where land use is predicted to change rapidly.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-23228-3

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23228-3

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