Our world is experiencing an insect apocalypse. The multitude of insects that live on Earth are facing a global population decline of nearly two percent annually due to a combination of climate change, pesticides, habitat loss and other human-made diseases.
How will vegetation, which often relies on insects for pollination, adapt to this massive change in food chains around the world? French researchers now point to an alternative strategy for survival: turning to self-pollination. Researchers in a new study whose results in New Phytologist Magazine published, found that wildflowers in a meadow in Paris were increasingly adapted to self-fertilization.
to report FuturismFocusing on hybrid field violets, the researchers compared them to hybrid violets grown from seeds from 1992 to 2001. To compare these two populations, in addition to genetic analysis of the population, the researchers also measured the physical traits of the plants and exposed them to bees to see which plant they prefer.
Today’s hybrid violets are less attractive to bees
From their analysis, the researchers concluded that today’s hybrid violets have increased pollination by 27 percent, are smaller, produce less nectar, and are less attractive to bees than the hybrid violets grown from the seeds of their ancestors.
Recent findings may seem great at first glance; because plants can quickly adapt to the presence of less insects; But the researchers refer to this event as a “vicious cycle” in their statement. According to them, the self-fertilization feature could in turn exacerbate the insect decline.
The decline of insects is a terrible thing for many reasons. Insects are the main source of food for many larger animals such as frogs, birds and other animals. They also play a role in the decomposition process; Like how flies and dung beetles process waste.
Important fruits also need insects for pollination, and their genetic breeding to become self-pollinating is a huge scientific step. Most importantly, insects are amazing creatures and play a prominent role in human traditions and culture. Our world would be a poorer place without insects, and that is why preserving and promoting the insect family is a necessary action.
