@article{fdi:010078521,
  title = {{T}he economic cost of losing native pollinator species for orchard production},
  author = {{P}erez-{M}endez, {N}. and {A}nderson, {G}.{K}.{S}. and {R}equier, {F}abrice and {H}ipolito, {J}. and {A}izen, {M}.{A}. and {M}orales, {C}.{L}. and {G}arcia, {N}. and {G}ennari, {G}.{P}. and {G}aribaldi, {L}.{A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {1. {T}he alarming loss of pollinator diversity world-wide can reduce the productivity of pollinator-dependent crops, which could have economic impacts. {H}owever, it is unclear to what extent the loss of a key native pollinator species affects crop production and farmer's profits.
2. {B}y experimentally manipulating the presence of colonies of a native bumblebee species {B}ombus pauloensis in eight apple orchards in {S}outh {A}rgentina, we evaluated the impact of losing natural populations of a key native pollinator group on (a) crop yield, (b) pollination quality, and (c) farmer's profit. {T}o do so, we performed a factorial experiment of pollinator exclusion (yes/no) and hand pollination (yes/no).
3. {O}ur results showed that biotic pollination increased ripe fruit set by 13% when compared to non-biotic pollination. {A}dditionally, fruit set and the number of fruits per apple tree was reduced by less than a half in those orchards where bumblebees were absent, even when honeybees were present at high densities. {C}onsequently, farmer's profit was 2.4-fold lower in farms lacking bumblebees than in farms hosting both pollinator species. {T}he pollination experiment further suggested that the benefits of bumblebees could be mediated by improved pollen quality rather than quantity.
4. {S}ynthesis and applications. {T}his study highlights the pervasive consequences of losing key pollinator functional groups, such as bumblebees, for apple production and local economies. {A}dopting pollinator-friendly practices such as minimizing the use of synthetic inputs or restoring/maintaining semi-natural habitats at farm and landscape scales, will have the double advantage of promoting biodiversity conservation, and increasing crop productivity and profitability for local farmers. {Y}et because the implementation of these practices can take time to deliver results, the management of native pollinator species can be a provisional complementary strategy to increase economic profitability of apple growers in the short term.},
  keywords = {{ARGENTINE} ; {NEUQUEN} {PROVINCE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {A}pplied {E}cology},
  volume = {57},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {599--608},
  ISSN = {0021-8901},
  year = {2020},
  DOI = {10.1111/1365-2664.13561},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010078521},
}