A pollinator crisis can decrease plant abundance despite pollinators being herbivores at the larval stage.

ABSTRACT: Pollinating insects are decreasing worldwide due to various environmental stresses (so-called pollinator crisis), raising concerns that plant productivity could be undermined in natural and agricultural ecosystems. To date, however, few studies have reported a concurrent decline in both pollinators and plants, and little is known about when a "plant crisis" occurs. Here, we propose that anthropogenic environmental stresses on pollinating insects (e.g. climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide usage) can negatively affect herbivorous insects (e.g., pollinator larvae and crop pests) as well, and effects of pollinator declines may be masked by positive effects of herbivore declines. To test the idea, we theoretically investigated plant population dynamics mediated by two insect groups: one

SUBMITTER: Lee YD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11316071 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature