Things are not going well for plant species in the Netherlands that depend on pollination by insects. According to researchers from Leiden University, there are fewer insects to fertilize the plants. This has major consequences for biodiversity and the availability of food.
“We see that the number of insect-pollinated plant species is decreasing, while the number of wind-pollinated species is increasing. So there are proportionally fewer insect-pollinated plants,” says environmental scientist Kaixuan Pan.
It has been known for some time that things are not going well with insects in the Netherlands. According to Pan, this has an impact on the rest of nature in our country. “75 percent of our crops and 90 percent of wild plants depend on insects.”
If these plants disappear from the landscape, there will also be far fewer seeds and fruits for birds and other animals. Food security for humans is also threatened if these species are lost.
Increased humidity and nitrogen also contribute to the decline of plant species. “If we ensure that less nitrogen ends up in nature, it can help local plants and insects,” says Pan.
The environmental scientist examined 87 years of data for his PhD research. He based his findings on measurements from more than 365,000 locations. His research was published at the beginning of this month in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Tags: Netherlands losing plants depend pollination insects Tech Science
