Shifts in Flowering Phases of Plants Due to Reduced Insect Density

Das Forscherteam nutzte das iDiv Ecotron, in dessen künstlichen Ökosystemen identische klimatische Situationen simuliert und per Kamera beobachtet werden können. Foto: iDiv - It still sounds unlikely today, but declines in insect numbers could well make it a frequent occurrence in the future: fields full of flowers, but not a bee in sight. A research group of the University of Jena and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) has discovered that insects have a decisive influence on the biodiversity and flowering phases of plants. If there is a lack of insects where the plants are growing, their flowering behaviour changes. This can result in the life cycles of the insects and the flowering periods of the plants no longer coinciding. If the insects seek nectar at the wrong time, some plants will no longer be pollinated. Ecosystems are changing around the world, in particular due to global warming and altered land use.