A study published in Functional Ecology on March 14, 2016, shared that the pesticides used to control pest populations are also unintentionally warding off important species. This study focused on the importance of bees in the environment and the ecosystem services they provide. Most people know the general job of bees: to pollinate and help plants and flowers flourish. Many do not know, however, that bees are keystone species in their environments because without them, the pollination process can’t happen as effectively and plants either wither away or are unable to produce a productive crop yield. The study shows how when one group of bees were exposed to pesticides, they took longer to collect pollen and were not as efficient in doing so compared to a control group of bees who were not exposed to pesticides. Nigel Raine, an environmental science professor, states, "Bees rely on learning to locate flowers, track their profitability and work out how best to efficiently extract nectar and pollen...If exposure to low levels of pesticide affects their ability to learn, bees may struggle to collect food and impair the essential pollination services they provide to both crops and wild plants."
This study performed relates to this course because bees play such an important role in our ecosystem, anthropogenic impacts are causing their normal habits to be disturbed and lastly, bees are a keystone species. Without these bees present to pollinate plants and flowers, farmers’ crops may be altered and some animals may no longer have a food source; such as herbivores that eat the plants that were once pollinated by the bees. Once the herbivores have nothing left to eat, they are either forced to migrate or die off which, in turn, alters the whole food chain and different trophic levels.
After reading about this study, I am worried about the bee population and what their changing pollinating patterns will mean for the species around them and the produce available to consumers. I knew that non-ecofriendly pesticides were never going to be helpful to the environment or the creatures living in the infected region, however I did not realize that a non-pest species like bees ingesting these pesticides would have such a detrimental domino effect. One way that we can help the bees is to use natural pesticides such as planting other plants that are known to ward of certain types of pests instead of the harsh, chemical based products that do more damage than good.
Credit: University of Guelph
I think this is a very important topic because it has significant negative impacts on everyone, not just the bees. Bees hold a crucial role in the pollination process and many other species rely on them. It seems that people are unaware of how detrimental the loss or decline of bees would be. The company, "Burt's Bees" is trying to spread awareness in regard to this issue, which is imperative at this point in time. They started a campaign, "BringBackTheBees" and have, "The _ees are disappearing and need your help" written on many of their products. Although this is not a solution, it is a step in the right direction.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this is a really great topic to talk about and relate back to our course material. It's very interesting to see an example of a keystone species that impacts their environment so greatly whereas most of the time, we see them as pests. We also tend to see pesticides as dangerous to consume ourselves, and forget that they affect many other species. To see that they prevent bees from pollinating and alter their ability to find food is very concerning. It really puts into perspective how important every species is in an ecosystem, and that our actions can have devastating consequences.
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to this topic. My uncle keeps bees and he lost several hives this winter. They are such a delicate species that happen to have a substantial affect on the environment. I wish there was a way to get more people to care about the severity of the situation
ReplyDeleteGreat topic that many people can relate to! I think your idea of using natural pesticides is a great solution. Some people may say differently about it because natural pesticides tend to be more pricey, but to see the effects these pesticides have on the environment, it is worth it. As a keystone species, bees are more important to the environment than people may think.
ReplyDeleteThis topic was very interesting, I was unaware of the exact effects that pesticides have on bees. We need to assess all the possible risks of using pesticides before using them in our environment. Bees being a keystone species, they are vital to our environment and we need to protect such species.
ReplyDeleteI remember growing up and not thinking twice about bees and not hearing anything about them either. It seems like all at once everyone began talking about how bees affect the planet. Once you think about it - it makes so much sense that they are a keystone species. They do so much!
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