7. May 2020
Pollination is better in cities than in the countryside
Two doctoral students working in General Zoology at the Institute of Biology at MLU participated in this study.
Flowering plants are better pollinated in urban than in rural areas. This has now been demonstrated experimentally by a team of scientists led by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Although the scientists found a greater diversity of flying insects in the countryside, more bees in cities resulted in more pollinated flowers of test plants. By far the most industrious pollinators were bumble bees, most likely benefitting from the abundant habitats available in the city. To promote pollination, the researchers recommend to take into greater account the needs of bees when landscape planning – both in cities and in the countryside.
from MLU press release no. 017/2020 on January 29, 2020
About the study: Theodorou et al. Urban areas as hotspots for bees and pollination but not a panacea for all insects. Nature Communications (2019). doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14496-6
