Detecting Insect Pollinator Declines on Regional and Global Scales. Issue 1 (12th December 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lebuhn, Gretchen; Droege, Sam; Connor, Edward F.; Gemmill‐Herren, Barbara; Potts, Simon G.; Minckley, Robert L.; Griswold, Terry; Jean, Robert; Kula, Emanuel; Roubik, David W.; Cane, Jim; Wright, Karen W.; Frankie, Gordon; Parker, Frank
• Is Part Of: Conservation biology. Volume 27:Issue 1(2013:Feb.)
• Page Start: 113
• Page End: 120
• Publication Date: 2012-12-12
• Subjects: Conservation biology -- Periodicals; 333.9516
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01962.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0888-8892

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Recently there has been considerable concern about declines in bee communities in agricultural and natural habitats. The value of pollination to agriculture, provided primarily by bees, is &gt;$200 billion/year worldwide, and in natural ecosystems it is thought to be even greater. However, no monitoring program exists to accurately detect declines in abundance of insect pollinators; thus, it is difficult to quantify the status of bee communities or estimate the extent of declines. We used data from 11 multiyear studies of bee communities to devise a program to monitor pollinators at regional, national, or international scales. In these studies, 7 different methods for sampling bees were used and bees were sampled on 3 different continents. We estimated that a monitoring program with 200–250 sampling locations each sampled twice over 5 years would provide sufficient power to detect small (2–5%) annual declines in the number of species and in total abundance and would cost U.S.$2, 000, 000. To detect declines as small as 1% annually over the same period would require &gt;300 sampling locations. Given the role of pollinators in food security and ecosystem function, we recommend establishment of integrated regional and international monitoring programs to detect changes in pollinator communities.</p> <p>Detección de Declinaciones de Insectos Polinizadores a Escalas Regional y Global</p> </abstract>