Soybean dependence on biotic pollination decreases with latitude

Cunha, Nicolay Leme da; Chacoff, Natacha P.; Sáez, Agustín; Schmucki, Reto; Galetto, Leonardo; Devoto, Mariano; Carrasco, Julieta; Mazzei, Mariana Paola; Castillo, Silvio Eugenio; Palacios, Tania Paula; Vesprini, José Luis; Agostini, Kayna; Saraiva, Antônio Mauro; Woodcock, Ben A.; Ollerton, Jeff; Aizen, Marcelo A.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2023.108376

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Data and script accessibility. Data and scripts for this publication are available on the Zenodo Repository (Aizen et al 2023): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7863825. S1 and Figures for different crops in different countries.…”

Section: Supplementary Material Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Being a tree crop increases the odds of experiencing yield declines irrespective of pollinator dependence

Aizen

Gleiser

Kitzberger

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Yields are in decline for a number of crops and regions, but the drivers of this process are poorly known. Global decreases in pollinator abundance and diversity have been proposed as a major driver of yield declines in crops that depend on animals, mostly bees, to produce fruits and seeds. Alternatively, widespread tree mortality has been directly and indirectly related to global climate change, which could also explain yield decreases in tree crops. As tree crops are expected to be more dependent on pollinators than other crop types, disentangling the relative influence of growth form and pollinator dependence is relevant to identify the ultimate factors driving yield declines. The incidence of yield decline, estimated as a negative average yield growth rate from 1961 to 2020, was measured in 4270 time series, involving 136 crops and 163 countries and territories. About one-fourth of all time series showed negative average rates of yield growth, a characteristic associated with both high pollinator dependence and a tree growth form. Because pollinator dependence and plant growth form were partially correlated, we disentangled the effect of each of these two predictors using a series of generalized linear mixed models that evaluated direct and indirect associations. Our analyses revealed a stronger association of yield decline with growth form than with pollinator dependence, a relationship that persisted after partialling out the effect of pollinator dependence. In particular, yield declines were more common among tree than herbaceous and shrub crops in all major regions but in Africa, a continent showing a high incidence of yield declines irrespective of growth form. These results suggest that global climate change rather than pollinator decline could already be impacting tree crop productivity.

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Section: Supplementary Material Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Being a tree crop increases the odds of experiencing yield declines irrespective of pollinator dependence

Aizen

Gleiser

Kitzberger

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Soybeans are effective selfers. For decades it has been assumed that they do not benefit from crosspollination or pollinator visits in terms of marketrelevant metrics and, although this is true for cleistogamous varieties, research findings have suggested that this may not apply to all varieties and environmental conditions (e.g., see Garibaldi et al 2021, Cunha et al 2023. Although edamame can automatically self, our results indicate that reproductive output metrics, including fruit weight and number/weight of commercial grade-A fruits, are positively affected by crosspollination and likely insect visitation.…”

Section: Edamame Benefits From Cross-pollinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Its floral morphology is also thought to enforce self-pollination, with a relatively low natural outcrossing rate (i.e., 0.04-6.3%; Ray et al 2003). However, research suggests that soybeans modestly benefit from outcrossing (Klein et al 2007), and that yield dependency on pollinators varies along latitudes (Cunha et al 2023) and varieties (Erickson 1975;Garibaldi et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these studies found that visitation by managed bees was associated with increases in the reproductive output of the crop, including yield, seed-set, and fruit weight (Palmer et al 2001;Garibaldi et al 2021), presumably through the deposition of outcrossed pollen or improved pollen distribution on the stigmatic surface (Blettler et al 2018). Specifically, it was found that in 64% of soybean pollination studies, bee visitation was associated with increased yields (Garibaldi et al 2021), while Cunha et al (2023) identified this contribution to change along latitudinal gradients. Further, a recent study found that enhancing floral diversification through the addition of flower strips adjacent to soybean fields increased seed weight and flower visitations by wild and managed bees (Levenson et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Benefits of Cross-Pollination in Vegetable Soybean Edamame

Evans,

El-Hifnawi,

Hooks

et al. 2023

J Poll Ecol

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Dependence on cross-pollination varies widely among wild and cultivated plant species. Even among crops that are less dependent on outcrossing, such as soybean (Glycine max L.), cross-pollination can improve fruit quality and commercial value. There is a growing body of literature regarding the role of insect pollination in soybean; however, there is a knowledge gap on the intersection between the reproductive system of soybean and its pollination ecology. To address this gap, we first sought to characterize the reproductive system of vegetable soybean (edamame) in terms of benefits and reliance on outcrossing using three traditional experimental pollination scenarios in field conditions: open pollination, automatic selfing (pollinator-exclusion), and hand cross-pollination (controlled crossing). We also tested whether proximity to floral supplements planted on one edge of the field affected its reproductive outputs, and surveyed the floral visitors of the crop. Overall, we found a significant increase in fruit weight among open-pollinated plants compared to those in the automatic selfing treatment, with this effect accentuated with proximity to the flower strip. Despite open pollinated flowers having 30% higher flower abortions rates compared to automatic selfing, the number of developed seeds per fruit was similar among these treatments, with open-pollination having a greater proportion of commercial grade-A fruits. Additionally, grade-A fruits in open-pollination and hand cross-pollination treatments were similar in weight, both of which were significantly heavier than those in the automatic selfing treatment. Although edamame can automatically self, our results suggest that reproductive outputs including fruit weight and number of commercial grade-A fruits are positively affected by cross-pollination and proximity to floral supplements.

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“…For example, cotton and sesame crops showed respectively an increase of 10% and 11% in average productivity when pollinated by bees (Stein et al., 2017). Even in crops known for production without the need for animal pollination (via wind or self‐pollination), such as rapeseed, insect pollination is associated with higher yields directly related to pollinator abundance and diversity (Bartomeus et al., 2014; Cunha et al., 2023; Stanley et al., 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing coffee production: Increased floral visitation and bean quality at plantation edges with wild pollinators and natural vegetation

Pereira Machado,

Baronio,

Soares Novaes

et al. 2024

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Animal pollination is important for more than 75% of agricultural crops, including coffee, whose productivity can increase with adequate pollination. Bees, including many solitary species, are diverse pollinators, with around 85% of them considered more effective than honeybees in pollen transfer. We assessed the coffee plantation and its surrounding vegetation for solitary bee nesting throughout the coffee flowering season and measured their impact on coffee productivity. We installed collection stations with trap nests inside a coffee plantation, on the border and inside the native vegetation in a farm in Diamantina, MG, Brazil. We used 10 weekly monitored replicates at least 1 km apart. We evaluated fruiting by autogamy in relation to natural pollination and used the increase in fruit set from pollinators to calculate the farmer's monetary gain. We recorded bee visits to the exposed flowers during coffee flowering considering both on the edge and inside the coffee plantation. Ripe fruits were dried, counted and weighed. We discovered 132 solitary bee nests outside the plantation, with 54% containing coffee pollen grains, indicating coffee as an essential resource for bees even outside the crop area. More bee visits occurred at the coffee plantation's edge, resulting in increased fruit production, denser fruits, and rounder fruits in that area. Bagged flowers produced consistent seeds in all locations. The farmer could earn an extra US$1736.37 per hectare if the entire area received the same level of pollination contribution from bees as observed at the coffee border. Synthesis and applications. Our study emphasises the key role of pollinators in coffee production and their impact on fruit and seed characteristics. Bee visits were more frequent on border areas, emphasising their reliance on natural nesting sites. Bee‐mediated pollination positively affected fruit traits and self‐pollinated fruits in plantation borders had reduced mass. Solitary bee nesting was primarily observed in native vegetation, underlining its importance for bee populations. Pollen composition in nests varied with proximity to coffee plantations, indicating landscape vegetation influences pollinator foraging. These findings support optimising coffee plantation design by preserving native vegetation to increase coffee yields and conserve biodiversity.

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Soybean dependence on biotic pollination decreases with latitude

Cited by 18 publications

References 62 publications

Being a tree crop increases the odds of experiencing yield declines irrespective of pollinator dependence

Being a tree crop increases the odds of experiencing yield declines irrespective of pollinator dependence

Benefits of Cross-Pollination in Vegetable Soybean Edamame

Optimizing coffee production: Increased floral visitation and bean quality at plantation edges with wild pollinators and natural vegetation

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