Bee populations have dramatically declined in recent decades, most likely due to a disappearance of crucial pollinating plants.
Researchers looked at the pollen found on the bodies of 57 different wild bee species that were collected before 1950, and found they had preferred plants for pollination, a press release reported. The researchers found a decline in these favored plants was linked to the drop in bee population.
"Decline of preferred host plants was a main factor associated with bee decline," said the study led by Jeroen Scheper, an environmental specialist at the Alterra Research Institute in the Netherlands.
Bee body size was also a major factor in their ability to thrive because larger bees require more pollen. Other smaller influences in the decline were determined to be diet sensitivity and climate change. The researchers suggest replenishing these preferred plants could help boost back up the bee population. The plants are believed to have largely declined due to an agricultural takeover of their grassland habitats.
Colony collapse disorder is also a major concern in the disappearing bee population. This phenomenon has been linked to human activities such as pesticide application and pollution. The sudden collapse of bee colonies has primarily affected the U.S. and Europe, where bee populations have declined by as much as 90 percent.
Bees are essential for the ecosystem, yellow and black buzzers alone are responsible for the pollination of 80 percent of plants and flowers relied on for human sustenance. They are also responsible for the survival of 70 percent of "fruits, vegetables, oilseeds and pulses, spices, coffee and cocoa" consumed by humans.
President Barack Obama has called for government agencies to work to prevent bee populations by improving their habitat. Some of these actions have included planting flowers along highways and expanding pollinator habitats into conserved areas.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
