Scarcity of ecosystem services : an experimental manipulation of declining pollination rates and its economic consequences for agriculture
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Authors
Sandhu, Harpinder
Waterhouse, B.R.
Boyer, Stephane
Wratten, S.D.
Waterhouse, B.R.
Boyer, Stephane
Wratten, S.D.
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Grantor
Date
2016-07-05
Supervisors
Type
Journal Article
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
Brassica
pollination scarcity
seed production
pollination rate
economic value
insect pollinators
food security
pollination scarcity
seed production
pollination rate
economic value
insect pollinators
food security
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Sandhu, H., Waterhouse, B., Boyer, S., & Wratten, S. D. (2016). Scarcity of ecosystem services: an experimental manipulation of declining pollination rates and its economic consequences for agriculture. PeerJ, 4, pp.e2099. doi:10.7717/peerj.2099
Abstract
Ecosystem services (ES) such as pollination are vital for the continuous supply of food to a growing human population, but the decline in populations of insect pollinators worldwide poses a threat to food and nutritional security. Using a pollinator (honeybee) exclusion approach, we evaluated the impact of pollinator scarcity on production in four brassica fields, two producing hybrid seeds and two producing open-pollinated ones. There was a clear reduction in seed yield as pollination rates declined. Open-pollinated crops produced significantly higher yields than did the hybrid ones at all pollination rates. The hybrid crops required at least 0.50 of background pollination rates to achieve maximum yield, whereas in open-pollinated crops, 0.25 pollination rates were necessary for maximum yield. The total estimated economic value of pollination services provided by honeybees to the agricultural industry in New Zealand is NZD $1.96 billion annually. This study indicates that loss of pollination services can result in significant declines in production and have serious implications for the market economy in New Zealand. Depending on the extent of honeybee population decline, and assuming that results in declining pollination services, the estimated economic loss to New Zealand agriculture could be in the range of NZD $295–728 million annually.
Publisher
PeerJ
Permanent link
Link to ePress publication
DOI
DOI 10.7717/peerj.2099
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Authors
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Copyright
2016 Sandhu et al.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 New Zealand
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 New Zealand