Behnaz Balmaki, lead author of the study and assistant professor of biology, emphasized the gravity of their findings: “This study is critical because it examines the long-term effects of climate change on interactions between plants and pollinators.” The study specifically examines how Changes in flowering time and extreme weather events affect the availability of critical food sources for pollinating insects.

Details and results

The study was conducted in the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada Mountains, which cover approximately 95% of the US state of Nevada, as well as parts of California, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. This area is particularly suitable for such studies due to the protective barrier the mountains provide against Pacific storms, rain and snow.

The Great Basin region is home to more than 200 species of butterflies, most of which are pollinators. There are pollinators important in agricultureThey help plants form fruits by transferring pollen from flower to flower and fertilizing them.

• The research team set up 19 sampling points across the region and collected a large sample of butterflies to study how pollen is distributed across plants.
• In addition to the newly collected specimens, the team also examined previously collected butterfly specimens obtained between 2000 and 2021 and stored at the University of Nevada Museum of Natural History in Reno.

Analyzing 21 years of historical data, long enough to get a clear picture, the study provides a detailed look at the impact of habitat loss, land fragmentation and changes in plant communities on pollination.
– says Behnaz Balmaki.

• It has been found that climate change has led to a decrease in plant pollen production and a decrease in its diversity.
• This means a reduction in the quantity and quality of food sources for specialized pollinating insects.
• This is followed by loss of biodiversity among insects, resulting in a long-term decline in pollination efficiency.
• Without pollination, the yield of crops consumed by humans decreases.

Without effective pollination, many crops vital to the global food supply could fail.
– concludes the scientist.

The results highlight the need to develop targeted conservation policies to protect pollinators. After all, we’ve known for a while that plants start blooming earlier than 100 years. If this continues, it will lead to the fact that the flowering cycle will not be synchronized with the waking cycle of insects – by the time they fly in search of pollen, the plants may already finish flowering and never bear fruit.