Impact of distance from forest remnants on pollination in agroecosystems

Abstract

Pollination is an essential ecosystem service for maintaining biodiversity and food production. Recent estimates indicate that pollination by animals benefits approximately 87.5% of known botanical species. The conservation of natural habitats is essential for maintaining environmental resources needed by pollinators, such as floral resources and nesting sites. In this study, we evaluated the effect of distance from forest remnants on pollination and production of agricultural crops through a meta-analysis. The response variables analyzed were pollinator diversity (richness and abundance), visitation rate in agricultural crops, seed production, fruiting rate, and fruit weight. Thirty-nine studies representing 165 cases were reviewed. The effect size was negative for fruiting (-0.41), diversity (-0.98), and richness (-0.86) of pollinators. The results of this meta-analysis indicate that the proximity of agricultural crops to forest remnants has a positive influence on pollinator diversity and richness, resulting in higher fruit set rates and increased fruit weight. These findings reinforce the importance of conserving natural habitats as a strategy to promote ecosystem services essential to agricultural productivity.