Climate change disrupting synchronization between flowers and bees
By Tom Spears, The Ottawa Citizen
September 7, 2010 OTTAWA — Common plants in eastern Ontario from blueberries to roses to apple trees are already in danger of not being able to pollinate because of a bee shortage, new Canadian research suggests. A long-term University of Toronto study on bees and pollination shows evidence that either a lack of bees, or bees hatching at the wrong time of year, may affect many flowering plants. These range from common farm crops such as tomatoes and berries to flower-garden favourites and wild plants. “There’s a vast array of things that are insect-pollinated, and any of those things are potentially impacted,” said Ottawa naturalist Dan Brunton. “All of these things matter because they are all part of a system” — an ecosystem that draws strength from its many parts. “We don’t know how critical any particular part is.” … “Bee numbers may have declined at our research site, but we suspect that a climate-driven mismatch between the times when flowers open and when bees emerge from hibernation is a more important factor,” Thomson said. Some flowers bloom earlier than they used to and are ready to pollinate when bees are still hibernating. …
