Understanding challenges facing pollinators It a scanning electron micrograph SEM of a pollen basket of a worker honey bee Worker bees go from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen to feed the colony ID: 368931
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Slide1
Aseel Samaro
Understanding
challenges
facing pollinators Slide2Slide3
It a scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a pollen basket of a worker honey bee
Worker bees go from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen to feed the colony
They collect pollen into a basket on their legs; pollen also sticks to tiny hairs that cover its body
The bees pollinate many of the crops that we eat and without them, we would find it hard to find enough food to surviveSlide4
Honey bees used to pollinate 70 per cent of the UK’s insect-pollinated crops
.
Today, it is less than 30 per cent.However, the growth of some crops has risen, suggesting that other insects have been taking the place of honey bees.
Pollinators
must be protected to make sure we don’t lose crops.
Understanding challenges facing pollinators Slide5
Most cereal crops are wind-
pollinated.
However
, insect, bird and bat pollinators are responsible for 35 per cent of global crop pollination, including pollination of:
F
ruitsNutsSeeds
BeansCoffee
O
ilseed rapeOnionsAlmondstomatoes
Important pollinatorsSlide6
Butterflies and bees
are among the most important
pollinators.
Bees collect pollen from plants to make honey.They are usually specially adapted, with a furry body, so they can collect the maximum amount of pollen.
Some of this lands on other plants as they move from plant to plant.Slide7
Name three other crops we rely on insects to pollinate
.
Why are bees so useful as pollinators
?Because they are specially adapted to collect pollen.
If a plant relies on one species of pollinator, what will happen if the pollinator dies out
?
The plant species will die out because it cannot reproduce without transferring pollenSlide8
Since 2005, more than ten million bee colonies have been wiped out by
colony collapse disorder (CCD)
, possibly caused by
pesticides.Bees become weak and confused, and can’t find their way back to the hive.
This
results in a reduction in the size of the colony, a shortage of food for the remaining bees and the inability to reproduce successfully.
Many bees have also shown signs of increased viral disease.
Confused beesSlide9
Pesticides
such as
insecticides
are sprayed on crops to prevent insects and fungi from attacking them. Unfortunately it is not possible to target specific insects, and others may be affected.
Some
contain nicotine, which is thought to cause confusion in the brain of the bee.
Theories about the causes of CCD
include
:Slide10Slide11
2. The
number of wild flowering plants has reduced as more land is used for development and
agriculture
leading to less variety of pollen and a narrower range of nutrients for bees.Slide12
3. Farmers
rent out hives to pollinate
crops.
This can disorientate bees, which find their way around by locating routes back to their hives.Also
, disease can be spread more widely because hives from different locations come into close contact, which would not occur naturally.Slide13
4. Climate
change means that some plants are flowering earlier, before bees can fly.Slide14
5. Bees
are more susceptible to virus attacks because other factors have made them weaker.Slide15
In the USA, bees are the only pollinators of almond
trees.
Farmers
are completely dependent on an active bee population for a good crop.Did you know ?