TRACKING CLIMATE-INDUCED SHIFTS IN POLLINATOR BEHAVIOR AND THEIR IMPACTS ON CROP YIELDS

Abstract

The effects of climate change are transforming the behaviours of the pollinators, and this has a domino effect on the amount of the crops that are produced globally.  This study aimed at adopting a mixed-methods approach within the three distinct agro-climatic zones in tracking the shift in pollinators behavior due to the effects of climate change and quantifying the impact of these changes on crops.  The experimental arrangement was the monitoring of the weather (temperature, humidity, and speed of the wind), monitoring of the digital pollinators with the use of the camera systems utilizing YOLOv5, the pollination exclusion plot and the thorough crop yield analysis in Brassica napus.  The analysis revealed that during the hot weather and high winds, the frequency of the visit of pollinators experienced significant reductions and that the pollinators searched differently when it came to getting food during their peak flowering time.  The count of pollinators turned out to be the significant (and positive) predictor of crop yield in regression analysis (β 1 = 0.63, p < 0.001). SEM showed an indirect impact (composition of change in pollinator behavior) of climate change on yields.  Removing pollinators by excluding them in plots even reduced yields by 35 per cent when compared to the open-pollinated plots. This indicates the necessity of pollinators in helping maintain a stable food production in the face of altered environments.  Additionally, the qualitative observation indicated the type of species that shifted away to specialist pollinators in territories where there is warmer weather since they could better handle the heat than generalists.  These findings demonstrate the instability of pollination systems and reiterate the importance of introducing pollinator-friendly practices into climate-resilient planning of agricultural activities as soon as possible.  This paper contributes much more to the ties between behavioral ecology and food security during the period of climate change.