pollinator ecosystem services

We are evaluating the role of pollinators in supporting production of agricultural crops, non-agricultural commodities, and linked industrial sectors.

In collaboration with Vikas Khanna (University of Pittsburgh) we calculated and mapped the economic value of pollination services to agricultural crops across the continental United States. Pollinators contributed $34 billion to agriculture. However, several regions have high economic dependence on pollinators but are predicted to have declining populations of wild pollinators.

With Kelli Hoover (Penn State) we evaluated the pollinators of black cherry trees in Pennsylvania. Black cherry is a high value timber crop, but there have been significant declines in regeneration rates in the last ~20 years.  Our studies indicate that adrenid bees may be the most important pollinators of this spring-blooming tree in diverse landscapes.

Figure from Jordan et al, 2021

References:

Jordan, A., Patch, H.M., Grozinger, C.M., and V. Khanna. “Economic Dependence and Vulnerability of United States Agricultural Sector on Insect-Mediated Pollination Service”  Environmental Science and Technology 55(4): 2243-2253 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04786 (2021).

McLaughlin, R., Keller, J., Wagner, E., Biddinger, D., Grozinger, C. and K. Hoover.  “Insect visitors of black cherry (Prunus serotina) (Rosales: Rosaceae) and factors affecting viable seed production” Environmental Entomology (in press).