Detecting Insect Pollinator Declines on Regional and Global Scales

• Published in: Conservation biology Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 113 - 120
• Main 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
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2013; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Abejas; Abundance; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; análisis de poder; Apiculture; Apiformes; Apoidea; Applied ecology; Bees; Bees - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation biology; Conservation of Natural Resources; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Cost estimates; Environmental Monitoring; Food crops; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Insect communities; Insect pollination; Insecta; Insecta - physiology; Invertebrates; monitoreo; monitoring; Monitoring costs; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Plant reproduction; Pollen; Pollinating insects; Pollination; Population Density; Population Dynamics; power analysis; Species; Insecta; Regional; monitoring; power analysis; Pollinator; Arthropoda; Apoidea; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Apiformes; Aculeata; Environmental protection; bees
• ISSN: 0888-8892; 1523-1739
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01962.x

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 >$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 >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. Recientemente ha incrementado la preocupación sobre las declinaciones de las comunidades abejas en hábitats agrícolas y naturales. El valor de la polinización para la agricultura, proporcionado principalmente por abejas, es >$200 billones/año en todo el mundo, y se piensa que es aun mayor en ecosistemas naturales. Sin embargo, no existe un programa de monitoreo para detectar, con precisión, declinaciones en la abundancia de insectos polinizadores. Utilizamos datos de 11 estudios multianuales de comunidades de abejas para diseñar un programa de monitoreo de polinizadores a escalas regional, nacional o internacional. En estos estudios, se emplearon 7 métodos diferentes para muestrear abejas y muestrearon abejas en 3 continentes. Estimamos que un programa de monitoreo, con 200-250 localidades muestreadas dos veces a lo largo de 5 años, tendría suficiente poder para detectar declinaciones anuales pequeñas (2-5%) en el número de especies y en la abundancia total y tendría un costo de U.S.$2,000,000. La detección de declinaciones tan pequeñas como 1% anual en el mismo período requeriría de >300 localidades de muestreo. Considerando el papel de los polinizadores en la seguridad alimentaria y en el funcionamiento del ecosistema, recomendamos el establecimiento de programas de monitoreo regionales e internacionales para detectar cambios en las comunidades de polinizadores.