2021/01/01 by Eduardo E. Zattara, Marcelo A. Aizen · 24 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Insect and Pesticide Research #Plant and animal studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.12.005
openalex publication_date 2021/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Wild and managed bees are key pollinators, ensuring or enhancing the reproduction of a large fraction of the world's wild flowering plants and the yield of ∼85% of all cultivated crops. Recent reports of wild bee decline and its potential consequences are thus worrisome. However, evidence is mostly based on local or regional studies; the global status of bee decline has not been assessed yet. To fill this gap, we analyzed publicly available worldwide occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility spanning over a century. We found that after the 1990s, the number of collected bee species declines steeply such that approximately 25% fewer species were reported between 2006 and 2015 than before the 1990s. Although these trends must be interpreted cautiously given the heterogeneous nature of the dataset and potential biases in data collection and reporting, results suggest the need for swift actions to avoid further pollinator decline.