The document discusses the critical role of pollinators in ecosystems, emphasizing their importance for crop production and biodiversity. It outlines various types of pollinators, their contributions to agriculture, and the economic implications of pollination services, highlighting both natural and managed pollination methods. Additionally, it addresses the causes of pollinator decline and the broader consequences for food security and environmental health.

1. The best way to find yourself is to loose
yourself in the service of others,
We have to work for a cause, not for applause
Service to man is service to god but the service
of pollinators is more than that because
Good
after
noon

2. IARI, Ph.D Scholar
Division of Entomology
New Delhi-110012
Welcome
EcosystemServices ProvidedBy Pollinators AndTheir Crisis
Credit seminar on

3. Contents
Introduction
History
Ecosystem services
Pollinators and their role
Causes for pollinator decline
Case studies
Summary
Conclusion and Future prospects

4. Ecosystem
Ecosystem services
pollinators
Introduction

5. Ecosystem services???
A wide range of conditions and processes through
which natural ecosystems and the species that are part
of them, help sustain and fulfill human life (Daily et al.,
1997)
Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits
that humans freely gain from the natural environment
and from properly-functioning ecosystems.
“The benefits people obtain from ecosystems”

6. Modern history of Ecosystem Services
1970-1980s/ origin and early development
Silent spring by Carson (1962)
“Natural capital” by Schmacher (1973)
“Ecosystem services” by Westman (1977)
“Concept of ES” firstly defined by Ehrlich and Ehrlich
(1981)

13. 
Animals that transfer pollen from the anthers to the stigma of a
flower, enabling the flower to set seed and fruit (fertilization) and,
through cross-fertilization, they play an important role in
maintaining plant diversity
Eg., Bees, flies, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, thrips
Vertebrate pollinators: bats, non-flying mammals (monkey, lemur,
rodents, tree squirrel, coati, olingo and kinkajou) and birds
(humming birds, sunbirds, honeycreepers and parrot)
Two basic types of pollination :
Abiotic pollination and Biotic pollination
 Abiotic pollination
 Anemophily:
 Hydrophily:
Pollinators

14.  Cross pollination aided by
 Bees (Honeybees, bumble bees,orchid bees, etc) - Melittophily
 Hawk moths - Sphingophily
 Small moths - Phalaenophily
 Flies (Syrphid flies) - Myophily
 Butterflies -Psychophily
 Beetles - Cantharophily
 Ants - Myrmecophily
 Wasp - Sphecophily
 Carrion fly - Saprophily
 Bats - Chiropterophily
 Snails and slugs - Melacophily
 Birds - Ornithophily
Biotic pollination

15. Pollinator insects
Allotrophous:visit flowers
but donot play any part
in pollination
Thrips
Ants
Eutrophous:
important role in
pollination
Hemitrophous:visit
flowers & participate in
pollination to some extent
Syrphids
Honey bee
Sphingids

16.  85% are flowering plants
 Crops: Fruits and nuts, Vegetable and Vegetable seed crops,
Oil seed crops & Forage seed crops
 Globally animal pollination supports 2/3rd of crops &
constitute 1/3rd of human diet
 It is estimated that 5-8 per cent of current global crop
production, with an annual market value of US$ 235 billion
- 577 billion (in 2015) worldwide,
(Klein et al., 2007: Nicholson & Ricketts, 2019)
Important:
Quality and Quantity
Seed production and Viability
Genetic diversity
Why pollination is important?

17. (McGregor ,1976 & Buchmann and Nabhan ,1997)

18. Crops benefited by bee pollination in India
Fruits and nuts Almond, apple, apricot, peach,
strawberry, citrus and litchi
Vegetable and Vegetable seed
crops
Cabbage, cauliflower, carrot,
coriander, cucumber, melon,
onion, pumpkin, radish and
turnip
Oil seed crops Sunflower, niger, rape seed,
mustard, safflower, gingelly
Forage seed crops Lucerne, clover
(TNAU, agritech portal)

19. No Pollinator – No plant :
 In order for most plants to make seeds, pollen from one plant must
be transferred to another plant. Butterflies, bees and other insects
often suck sweet nectar from flowers for food and pick up pollen as
they do so.
 Strawberry, apples and oilseed rape – Bees, bumble and solitary
bee
 Symbiosis of Yucca Moths (Tegeticula spp.) & Yucca Plant Trees
 The fig provides a home for the fig wasp and the wasp provides the
pollen that the fruit needs to ripen - Caprification
 Lucern crop - Tripping

20. Pollinators???
Managed pollinators
Apis mellifera Apis cerana indica

21. Honey bee products and their uses

22. Pollinators???...
Wild pollinators
Humming birds Bats
Moths
ButterfliesBumblebeesWild bees (Apis sp.)

23. Different pollinators which play vital role
in pollination
POLLINATORS %CONTRIBUTION
Bees 73%
Flies 19%
Bats 6.5%
Wasps 5%
Beetles 5%
Birds 4%
Butterflies 4%
(Abrol, 2009)

24. Number of genera and species in six families of bees in India.
(Source: Ascher and Pickering, 2010; Gupta, 2010; Saini and Rathor, 2012)

25. Crop/
Commodity
Crop product
value
(crore)
Economic value
of pollination
(crore)
Increase due to
animal
pollination (%)
Cereals 365 793.00 0.00 0.00
Oilseeds 129 143.00 43 993.08 34.07
Fruits 129 030.05 17 142.27 13.29
Vegetables 175 777.81 1 9498.20 11.09
Fibers 73 917.05 17 290.66 23.39
Condiments and
spices
39 684.57 10 121.19 25.47
Pulses 67 574.00 1 236.13 1.83
(Modified from Chaudhary and Chand, 2017)
Economic value of animal pollination
services to Indian agriculture

26. Role of pollinators beyond agriculture
Pollinators enhance the reproduction and genetic
diversity of 80% of the plant species.
>50% plant species - self-incompatible or dioecious
Eg: mangroves which is an obligate out breeder
(Mukherjee et al., 2014)

27.  China: Hand pollination in China (Maoxian county in Hengduan
Mountains of China) – e.g. apples and pears.
 Provides employment & income generating opportunities to many
people during apple flowering season.
 Expensive, time consuming and highly unsustainable option for
crop pollination due to increasing labour scarcity and costs.
 A large part of farmers’ income is used in managing pollination of
their crop.
 Bee-keepers do not rent out their hives, even during the flowering
season, due to excessive use of pesticides India
 Bees (Apis cerana or A. mellifera) used in India (Himachal Pradesh
in NW Himalayas) for apple pollination: fees for renting bee
colonies Indian rupees 800/- (US$ 16) per colony for two weeks.
(Partap, 98).

28.  A pilot project -- Madhu Sandesh -- initiated by association of
pesticide firms Crop Life India, ICAR and Agriculture
Development Trusts (KVK), Baramati, in November 2015
 The success stories of pomegranate growers and onion seed
producers associated with this project have encouraged many
farmers in Baramati to pollinate their crops using honeybees and
harvest better yield.
 In fact, they are now willing to pay more for honeybee hives.
 Pomegranate grower from Daund village, D D Baravkar, who
has received training under the project, said: "Pomegranate
yields have almost doubled after the crops were pollinated by
bees. Even the quality of fruit has improved to an extent that
there is more demand from exporters."
Honeybee hives in great demand for pollination in Baramati

29.  Four honeybee hives – three acres Anar + half acre onion
 The hive rent was Rs 1,500 for each bee hive. I have decided to
keep more hives but there is not much supply. I am even willing to
pay more for them," he said.
 Baravkar said that he harvested 7.5 tonnes pomegranate on three
acres this year as against 4 tonnes last year. Even the cost on
pesticide spray has come down.
 Another pomegranate farmer Mahesh Bhagat from Korhale Bk
village up to 12 tonnes from 7-8 tonnes from 2.5 acres.

30.  The pilot project started with 250 beehives supplied by Crop
Life India to Baramati KVK to support 150 pomegranate
growers and 34 onion seed producers, Baramati KVK Head
Scientist Syed Ali told PTI.
 "Making available more beehives is not a problem, but the
issue is about providing hands on training to farmers and
helping them to follow good management practices to ensure
beehives are kept in good hygienic conditions. For this, more
extension staff is required," Ali said. At present, only four
young professionals are travelling across 46 villages to help
farmers on beekeeping.

31. Animal pollination plays a vital role as a regulating ecosystem
service in nature: Globally 90 % of wild flowering plants depend
on animal pollination
>3/4th of global food crops rely on animal pollination for yield
and/or quality: Pollinator dependent crops contribute to 35% of
global crop production volume
•Pollinators serve as spiritual symbols in many cultures.
Sacred passages about bees in all the worlds’
major religions highlight their significance
to human societies over millennia.
Value of Pollinators and Pollination

32. Value of honeybee pollination to crop
production
 US agriculture: US$ 14.6 billion (Morse & Calderone
2000)
 Canadian agriculture: CDN 1.2 billion (Winston & Scott
1984)
 EEC agriculture: US$ 3 billion (Williams, 1992)
 New Zealand agriculture: US$ 2.3 billion (Matheson and
Schrader, 1987)
 China agriculture: US$ 0.7 billion. (Partpap, U. 2002)

33. Determination of economic value of
Ecosystem Service
 Direct use value- sales and consumption
 Indirect use value- pollination
 Option value- risk
 Nonuse value

34. Determination of economic value of
pollination
 Economic value (EV)= Production x Price of commodity
 Economic Value of Pollination Service(EVP)= EV x DR
 DR- dependence ratio
 Vulnerability to pollinator decline = EVP/ EV
(Chaudhary and Chand, 2017)
(Gallai et al., 2009)

35. DR- dependence ratio…
Grouping of crops based on dependence on animal
pollination
Groups Range of yield reduction (%) without
flower visitors (pollinators)
Dependence rate
(DR)
Klein et al., 2007 Eilers et al., 2011
(mean value)
Gallai and
Vaissiere, 2009.,
Vaissiere et al.,
2011.
Essential 90-100 95 0.95
Great 40-90 65 0.65
Modest 10-40 25 0.25
Little 0-10 5 0.05
No increase 0 0 0

36. https://agmarknet.gov.in/
Sl
no. Crops
Dependenc
e on animal
pollination
Dependen
ce rate
Product
ion
FGP(Rs
./kg) EV(Rs)
EVP
(Rs)
Vulnerab
ility to
pollinator
decline
1
Rice No increase 0 38480 28.4 1092832 0 0
2 Areca
nut Little 0.05 15890 256.19 4070859 203543 5
3
Okra Modest 0.25 118402 70 8288140 2072035 25
4
Apple Great 0.65 74262 100 7426200 4827030 65
5
Cocoa Essential 0.95 2289 155.8
356626.
2 338794.995
http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC
vulnerability
Rice Arecanut Okra Apples Cocoa

37.  Coffee production 11mha (world)
(Guadarrama et al., 2019)
Ecosystem services by birds and bees in
coffee ecosystem

38. Intensification of coffee cultivation &
its effect on ES
Pollination by bees
Pest control by birds
Worldwide annual losses – US$500 million (Vega et al.,
2017)
 Market volatility
 Climate change
 Pest and diseases
CBB- Hypothenemus hampei
(Guadarrama et al., 2019)

39. Climate and
landscape patterns
Farm management
PollinationPest management
Coffee production
(Guadarrama et al., 2019)

40. Fruit set in relation with pollinators and vertebrates
(Classen et al., 2014)

41. Fruit weight in relation with pollinators and vertebrates
(Classen et al., 2014)

42. Herbivory and pollinator visitation rates in Arabica
coffee with different production systems
(Classen et al., 2014)

43. Khadi and village industries commission
Beekeeping plays a vital role in the livelihoods of the rural
communities in four dynamics;
1. It is an income generating activity;
2. Provides food and medicine - value of honey and other
hive products are invaluable;
3.It supports agricultural activities through cross
pollination and increase in yield of crops
4. It contributes to forest conservation
(No. FBI/Honey Mission /2017 -18)

44. Pollination service- as an industry

45. Honeybee populations in countries
( CBD, 2018)

46. (http://www.fao.org/fa
ostat/en/#data/TP)
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Honey
honey import qty honey import value
honey export qty honey export value
International Trade of Honey

47. •A wealth of observational, empirical and modelling studies
worldwide pointed many drivers have affected, and are affecting,
wild and managed pollinators negatively
•Habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation
•Conventional intensive land management practices
•Climate change
•CCD
Pollinator crisis/decline

49. • Phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a
colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few
nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen
Large-scale losses are not new to the beekeeping industry; since 1869:
May disease, in Colorado
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

50. Observations:
•Colony populations (brood and adult bees)
•Collecting samples of adult bees, wax comb, beebread (stored and processed
pollen)
•Brood to test for known honey bee parasites : varroa mites, Varroa destructor,
tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi and pathogens : bee viruses and Nosema spp.
•Pesticide residues
•Protein content
•Morphological measurements
“Attempt to identify the potential cause(s) of CCD”

51. Materials and Methods
•Florida and California: 13 apiaries owned by 11 different
beekeepers
• Colony strength and sample collection
• Physiological and morphological measures
•Macro-parasite and pathogen quantification
•Pathogen analyses
•Pesticide analyses
•Genetic analyses

52. Results
Colony Strength
•CCD-affected apiaries contained 3.5 times the number of dead
colonies compared to control apiaries
•CCD apiaries contained 3.6 times more weak colonies compared to
control apiaries
Protein and mass, morphometric measurements
•No difference between control and CCD colonies
Disease
•6%of colonies from CCD apiaries had infections of chalkbrood
disease (CB) and 8% had infections of European foulbrood
(VanEngelsdorp, 2009)

53. •55% of CCD colonies were infected with 3 or more viruses as
compared to 28% of control colonies
•34% of CCD colonies were found to be co-infected with both
Nosema species as compared to 13% of control colonies
•CCD colonies were co-infected with a greater number of known
pathogenic organisms (viruses and Nosema species) than control
colonies
• IAPV (Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus) was identified as highly
correlated to CCD
• Co-infection with both Nosema species was 2.6 times greater in
CCD colonies and colonies co-infected with 4 or more viruses were
3.7 times more frequent in CCD colonies

54. EFB (Melissococcus pluton) -
infected larvae
(A)Corn Yellow - CCD-affected
colonies were
(B) Beige yellow – healthy colony
(VanEngelsdorp, 2009)

55. Pesticide prevalence and residue levels
•50 different pesticide residues and their metabolites were found
in the 70 wax samples tested, 20 were found in the 18 pollen
(beebread) samples tested, 5 in the 24 brood sampled tested, and
28 in the 16 adult bees tested (chlorothalonil, amitraz metabolites,
and the coumaphos metabolite, chlorferone)
•No differences in the mean number of pesticides detected in the
wax of colonies, beebread from CCD apiaries compared to
colonies from control apiaries
(VanEngelsdorp, 2009)

56. Conclusion
•No single pathogen or parasite was found with sufficient frequency
to conclude a single organism was involved in CCD, pathogens seem
likely to play a critical (albeit secondary) role
•CCD colonies generally had higher virus loads and were co-infected
with a greater number of disease agents than control colonies.
• Bees in CCD colonies had higher pathogen loads and were co-
infected with more pathogens than control populations
(VanEngelsdorp, 2009)

57. Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Bees
Neonicotinoid Insecticides:
•Introduced in the late 1980s
• Systemic mode of action
•Against sucking, chewing insects
(aphids, beetles, etc)
•Sprays, soil treatments, trunk
injections, or seed coatings
• Can be persistent over time in
plants and soil
• Less toxic to mammals than
some other insecticides

59. Route of exposure to bees

60. Effects on Honey Bees
Acute lethal toxicity:
One dose of ~142+ppb
Chronic lethal toxicity:
Multiple doses of 20+
ppb
Sublethal effects:
Impaired memory,
activity, foraging,
ability to return to the
hive, increased
susceptibility to
pathogens

61. Reducing risk to bees from neonicotinoids
•Avoid application before or during bloom
•Use less toxic neonicotinoids: acetamiprid or thiacloprid
•Avoid treating plants with continuous blooms
•If you must treat, applications at planting had lower residue levels

63. 0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
3000000
3500000
4000000
4500000
5000000
0 20 50 80 100
Production(kg/ha)
%Pollinators decline
Rice Arecanut Okra Apples Cocoa
Crop production trend with decline in pollinators ecosystem service by
pollinators
Crop production trend with decline in pollinators
ecosystem service

64. Crops
%
pollinatio
n
dependen
cy
Productio
n (kg/ha)
with
pollinator
s service
Productio
n (kg/ha)
@ 100
%pollinat
or service
decline
Productio
n (kg/ha)
@ 50%
pollinator
service
decline
Productio
n (kg/ha)
@ 25%
pollinator
service
decline
Productio
n (kg/ha)
@ 0 %
pollinator
service
decline
Rice
0
38480 0 192400 9620 38480
Arecanut
5
15890 794.5 397.25 198.625 15890
Okra
25
118402 29600.5 14800.25 7400.125 118402
Apples
65
74262 48270.3 24135.15 12067.58 74262
Cocoa
95
2289 2174.55 1087.275 543.6375 2289
https://agmarknet.gov.in/
http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC
Impact of pollinators (Pollinators service) decline on crop
production

65. Impacts on bees: UNEP

66. How to protect…..?????
•Three complementary strategies are envisaged for producing more
sustainable agriculture that address several important drivers of
pollinator decline
1. Ecological intensification
2. Strengthening existing diverse farming systems
3. Investing in ecological infrastructure

68. Bee garden @ Division of Entomology, IARI

69. Summary
•Pollinators
•Types of pollination
•Importance of pollinators
•Economic value of pollination
•Pollinators crisis

70. Conclusion
 Animal pollination plays a vital role as a regulating ecosystem
service in nature
 The importance of animal pollination varies substantially among
crops, and therefore among regional crop economies
 Pollinator-dependent food products are important contributors to
healthy human diets and nutrition
 A good quality of life for many people relies on ongoing roles of
pollinators

71. Future Prospects
 Development of new insecticide chemistries safer to
pollinators
Judicious use of pesticides
Creating awareness among people of about
importance of pollinators and its role
Provide a range of locally native flowering plant that
bloom throughout the growing season
Pollinators crisis should be top priority of concern

72. Please save “ME”
If the bee disappeared off the globe then man
would only have four years of life left.
No more bees, no more pollination, no more
plants, no more animals, no more Man.