The loss of even one wild bee species can disrupt the reproductive success of certain plants resulting in fewer vegetables, fruits and flowers, say York University researchers who studied how pollinators and plants rely on each other, specifically in Indigenous gardens in the Great Lakes Region.
Canada’s wild pollinators are in decline and without a national pollinator plan, many species could be heading for extinction, like the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee or the American bumblebee, say researchers at York University.
Wild bees living in cities like Toronto are facing increased environmental stressors compared to those in rural and even suburban areas, such as more pathogens and parasites, found researchers at York University.
Researchers from disciplines across York University, including biologists, social scientists and mathematicians, will develop a hive of research when York’s new Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BEEc) becomes an Organized Research Unit (ORU) starting July 1.