Loss of pollinator diversity consistently reduces reproductive success for wild and cultivated plants

Abstract

Pollination is a crucial ecosystem service, yet pollinator species diversity is declining as a result of factors such as climate change, habitat loss and agricultural intensification. While previous studies have often examined the extreme scenario of complete pollinator removal, showing negative impacts on plant reproductive success, we take a more realistic approach by focusing on the effects of decreasing pollinator diversity. Our global meta-analysis reveals a notable negative impact of reduced pollinator species diversity on plant reproductive success measures, such as seed set, fruit set and fruit weight. Notably, this effect varies across plant families, impacting both self-incompatible and self-compatible species. We also find that wild plant species suffer more than cultivated ones. Furthermore, the loss of invertebrate, nocturnal and wild pollinators has a more substantial impact than the loss of vertebrate, diurnal or managed pollinators. Overall, our findings consistently underscore the positive role of biodiversity in maintaining ecosystem functioning, highlighting the urgency of mitigating factors that lead to the decline in pollinator species diversity. A meta-analysis finds that decreasing diversity of pollinator species has a negative affect on multiple measures of plant reproductive success, with wild plant species affected more than cultivated species, and loss of invertebrate, nocturnal and wild pollinators being particularly problematic.