Animal pollination increases stability of crop yield across spatial scales.

ABSTRACT: The benefits of animal pollination to crop yield are well known. In contrast, the effects of animal pollination on the spatial or temporal stability (the opposite of variability) of crop yield remain poorly understood. We use meta-analysis to combine variability information from 215 experimental comparisons between animal-pollinated and wind- or self-pollinated control plants in apple, oilseed rape and faba bean. Animal pollination increased yield stability (by an average of 32% per unit of yield) at between-flower, -plant, -plot and -field scales. Evidence suggests this occurs because yield benefits of animal pollination become progressively constrained closer to the maximum potential yield in a given context, causing clustering. The increase in yield stability with animal pollination is

SUBMITTER: Bishop J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9544623 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature