Rapid land-use/land cover changes (LULCC) have led to habitat loss and fragmentation in the natural forest areas, which are mainly due to the intense and rapid expansion of urban areas and intense agricultural management. These processes are strongly threatening biodiversity maintenance and the ecosystem services provided by them. Among the ecosystem services under threat, pollination has been widely studied since this service is essential to promote food production and, therefore, human well-being. In a scenario of increasing LULCC it is crucial to understand the interplay between these changes, pollination demand by insect-dependent crops and pollinator availability to ensure these ecosystem services meet the increased demand for food production. In this study, we developed a conceptual model to disentangle the relationships between human-nature, especially LULCC, and its consequences, to the delivery of pollination service. We also presented a case study in the Brazilian São Paulo state, where we modeled the effects of predicted LULCC associated to agriculture expansion between the years 2012 and 2030 on pollinator demand by crops and pollinator supply, for fourteen economically important crops. Additionally, we systematized an expert-based Ecosystem Service matrix to estimate the influences of LULCC on the provision of pollination. Our results showed that by 2030, the demand for pollination will increase by 40% on average, while pollinator supply, estimated using suitability values for the different land-use/cover classes, will show, on average, a 3% decrease. Our results highlight the importance of considering the dialogue among stakeholders, governments, institutions, and scientists to find alternatives and strategies to promote pollinator-friendly practices and safeguard the provision of pollination services in a future under LULCC.

One of the main visitors to Fabia bean crops (Vicia faba) in South America is the invasive bumblebee species Bombus terrestris. This is particularly true in Chile, where B. terrestris was first introduced in 1997 and is now common over much of the country. In this study, we evaluated the activity of the principal pollinators of V. faba over two cropping seasons by assessing their visitation rates while distinguishing between legitimate visits, likely to lead to pollination, and nectar robbery. We then determined the net contribution of insect visitation on pod and seed set. We recorded seven species of floral visitors. Most visits (legitimate visits and robbery) were from the honeybee (Apis mellifera), with B. terrestris being the next most common visitor. In the case of B. terrestris, 87.19% of visits were nectar robbery. On average, the same flower perforation was visited 23 times by B. terrestris during the flower's lifespan. In general, the frequency of legitimate visits varied with pollinator identity and year. For B. terrestris, each flower received an average of 0.95 legitimate visits during its entire lifespan. The time spent by B. terrestris visiting flowers for both nectar robbery or pollen collection decreased after the first day of flowering suggesting resource depletion. The number of pods, total seed number, and seed weight were lower where self rather than open pollination. This suggests that open pollination increased reproductive success. We conclude that B. terrestris was likely to contribute relatively little to pollination while at the same time depleting floral resources throughout the flowers’ lifespan.

The research evaluated the impact of three pesticides on Eisenia fetida in the cultivation of Allium cepa (onion) in thedistrict of Lurín, Lima, Peru. The mean lethal dose values (LD50) at 14 days, evasion percentage and food activity were evaluated as well as the exposure ratio of the toxic (TER) and the environmental risk coefficient (RQ) on pesticides zeta-cypermethrin, pendimethalin and profenofos based on ecotoxicological tests with E. fetida. The LD50 values atan exposure time at 14 d for the three pesticides were: zeta cypermethrin>profenofos>pendimethalin. A relationship with the dose of pesticides close to the LD50 was calculated for the evasion and for food activity. TER value for thethree pesticides was calculated which indicated no ecotoxicological impact for E. fetida. However, in the CR value,there were high risk values in the total, where zeta-cypermethrin indicated 92.77% of the environmental risk, whilependimethalin presented the lowest environmental risk with 0.09%. Within Peruvian legislation, these pesticides are still allowed to be used; hence, based on this research, it is suggested that zeta-cypermethrin be evaluated in more detail, because it was the only pesticide that presented a significant CR. In conclusion, zeta-cypermethrin causes an environmental impact on the onion crop in Lurin.

Esta investigación analiza patrones de producción científica, citación y redes de colaboración bajo tres relaciones (investigador/investigador, investigador/centro e investigador/país) de los investigadores más productivos de cuatro centros de investigación marina (CIM) de América Latina durante un período de 20 años (2000-2020) desde una perspectiva bibliométrica. Se utilizó el motor de búsqueda Scopus para los respectivos análisis bibliométricos. En total se identificaron a 57 investigadores que fueron los más productivos entre los cuatro Centros; 5, 7, 14 y 31 para el Centro i~mar, IOUSP, IICYM y CICESE, respectivamente. En dos (i~mar e IICYM) de los cuatro centros, los investigadores (AB) y (OI) registraron el mayor número de publicaciones y fueron también los más citados, sin embargo, este patrón no se cumplió para los investigadores del IOUSP y CICESE. Se encontró que la red de colaboración entre investigadores más productivos está segmentada en ciertos grupos definidos, lo que provoca una falta de cooperación interna entre ellos, especialmente en el Centro i~mar e IOUSP. Además, se evidenció que los investigadores más productivos concentran sus colaboraciones con otros investigadores pertenecientes a universidades, instituciones o centros de su mismo país, y muy escasamente con centros internacionales siendo su cooperación internacional conservadora lo que a su vez demuestra autonomía científica y no requieren en estricto rigor colegas externos para visibilizar sus investigaciones. Esta investigación contribuye con el conocimiento de los centros más productivos y es la base de estudios futuros que sugiere orientar y extender los análisis en la productividad de investigadores con menos publicaciones y citas, así como en el análisis de su red interna de colaboración.