2023-12-21 11:50:48
MADRID, 21 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Scientists from the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Montpellier, in France, have discovered that Flowering plants growing on farmland increasingly do without pollinating insects.
As it becomes more difficult for them to reproduce in an environment lacking pollinating insects, plants evolve towards self-fertilization, according to the researchers published in the journal ‘New Phytologist’.
By comparing field pansies currently growing in the Paris region with pansies from the same localities resurrected in the laboratory from seeds collected between 1992 and 2001, The research team found that today’s flowers are 10% smaller, produce 20% less nectar, and are less visited by pollinators than their ancestors..
This rapid evolution is thought to be due to the decline of pollinator populations in Europe. In fact, a study carried out in Germany showed that more than 75% of the biomass of flying insects has disappeared from protected areas in the last thirty years.
The study identified a vicious cycle in which The decrease in pollinators leads to less nectar production by flowerswhich in turn could aggravate the decline of these insects.
Therefore, it underlines the importance of applying measures to counteract this phenomenon as soon as possible and thus safeguard the interactions between plants and pollinators, which have existed for millions of years.
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