More than half of the bat species in the U.S. are listed as endangered, and the numbers of bumblebee bees and butterflies are also declining. Scientists say they are dangerously close to extinction. “All of these animals are important pollinators, without which fruits, vegetables and other plants cannot be pollinated, posing a fundamental threat to the world’s food supply,” CNN said.
About 30% of the food that reaches our tables is thanks to butterflies, bees and bats. With the loss of these essential animals, some of our favorite foods could also disappear from the world’s diet.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the most susceptible foods include apples, melons, cranberries, pumpkin, broccoli, and almonds. Honeybees alone pollinate about 90 commercially grown crops. The disappearance of pollinators would threaten the production of alcohol such as tequila.
“Whether you’re eating foods that directly pollinate or rely on pollinators, everything is intricately linked,” said Miami zoo expert Ron McGill. In other words, people who like fried chicken and pork chops will also eat fruits, vegetables and other pollinator-dependent plants that are being adversely affected by the climate crisis.
Scientists are increasingly concerned about the effects of extreme heat, especially on butterflies. “Butterflies are one of the most sensitive insects regarding temperature changes,” Magill said. Warmer temperatures cause plants to flower earlier and not in time for butterflies to lay their eggs and metamorphose. This means that the flowers that butterflies depend on for food are already blooming. This greatly affects their fertility and viability.
This problem can turn into a cycle in which the butterflies are unable to get the food they need to reproduce and the plants are unable to pollinate. may lose traditional food along their route during natural migration.
Some countries have begun to protect precious animals
Furthermore, a 2019 UN report warns that up to 1 million species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades due to the accelerating climate crisis.
Bees, for example, began showing alarming declines as early as 2006. From April 2020 to April 2021, U.S. beekeepers have lost about 45% of their colonies, according to the Auburn University School of Agriculture. Colony turnover is about 20%. In addition, research has shown that bee-killing parasites are more common in warmer climates. there is.
That is why several countries and even some US states have already taken steps to protect important animal species. California is moving to limit the use of bee-killing pesticides. The decline is gradual, but experts fear the ecosystem will eventually be too big to overcome.
Bats also play an irreplaceable role in food security. A new study estimates that bats eat so many pests that they could save the United States more than $1 billion a year in crop damage and pesticide costs, especially in the corn industry.
Bats, which are similarly affected by the climate crisis as butterflies and bees, are important pollinators. “If there were no bats, there would be no tequila, because only bats pollinate the agave plants that make tequila,” explained McGill. However, a large number of bats died as a result of rising temperatures. Due to the limited cooling mechanism, they often died of heatstroke.
Bats are considered to be not only important pollinators but also major seed dispersers and, like birds, are extremely important to ecosystems.
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