Parallel Declines in Pollinators and
Insect-Pollinated Plants in Britain and the Netherlands
J. C. Biesmeijer,1*
S. P. M. Roberts,2 M. Reemer,3
R. Ohlemüller,4 M. Edwards,5
T. Peeters,3,6 A. P. Schaffers,7
S. G. Potts,2 R. Kleukers,3
C. D. Thomas,4 J. Settele,8
W. E. Kunin1
Despite widespread concern about declines in
pollination services, little is known about the patterns of
change in most pollinator assemblages. By studying bee and
hoverfly assemblages in Britain and the Netherlands, we found
evidence of declines (pre-versus post-1980) in local bee
diversity in both countries; however, divergent trends were
observed in hoverflies. Depending on the assemblage and
location, pollinator declines were most frequent in habitat
and flower specialists, in univoltine species, and/or in
nonmigrants. In conjunction with this evidence, outcrossing
plant species that are reliant on the declining pollinators
have themselves declined relative to other plant species. Taken
together, these findings strongly suggest a causal connection
between local extinctions of functionally linked plant and
pollinator species.
1 Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology
and Earth and Biosphere Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
2 Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, University of Reading, Reading,
RG6 6AR, UK.
3 European Invertebrate Survey–Netherlands/National Museum of Natural
History Naturalis, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands.
4 Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5YW, UK.
5 Lea-side, Carron Lane, Midhurst, GU29 9LB, West Sussex, UK.
6 Department of Animal Ecology, Bargerveen Foundation, Radboud University of
Nijmegen, Postbox 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, Netherlands.
7 Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology Group, Wageningen University and
Research Centre, Bornesteeg 69, 6708 PD Wageningen, Netherlands.
8 Umweltforschungszentrum–Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle,
Community Ecology (Biozönoseforschung), Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120
Halle, Germany.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail: j.c.biesmeijer@leeds.ac.uk
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The paper is published in SCIENCE
magazine
Published 21 July 2006, Science 313, 351 (2006).
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