The role of biodiversity in the functioning of plant-pollinator interactions in semi-natural grasslands

Abstract

The importance of biodiversity for healthy ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services is well recognized and loss of biodiversity is increasingly being recognised as a major driver of ecosystem change. Biodiversity loss may have negative consequences for ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. The pollination of flowering plants by animal pollinators is an important ecosystem function and is essential for the reproduction of many angiosperms. However global declines in insect pollinators, mostly due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss, have led to concerns for the pollination of both wild plant populations and crops. The precise role of biodiversity in the functioning of plant-pollinator interactions in semi-natural habitats is unknown and it is not fully understood how loss of floral resource diversity will affect pollinating insects or how loss of insect diversity will affect pollination services to wild plant communities.