The decline in insect numbers is triggering a significant shift in the reproductive strategy of plants, according to a study by researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the University of Montpellier.
The study focused on field pansies and revealed a 27% increase in self-pollination rates over recent decades, disrupting millions of years of evolution. The researchers noted smaller and less conspicuous corollas, reduced nectar production, and decreased attractiveness to bumblebees in modern plants, contributing to a decline in insect visits.
They emphasize the need for increased efforts to protect insects from habitat loss and climate change, emphasizing the interconnected impacts on pollinator declines and plant evolution in natural ecosystems.