Global meta-analysis shows reduced quality of food crops under inadequate animal pollination

Animal pollination significantly impacts food crop quality, affecting both organoleptic and nutritional traits. A global meta-analysis reveals that pollinators strongly enhance commercially important attributes like appearance and shelf life in fruits and vegetables, but have less impact on nutritional value. Stimulant crops, nuts, and spices show no quality increase with pollination. While weak signals of a pollination deficit exist for organoleptic traits, suggesting potential service decline, the deficit is small and statistically insignificant. Safeguarding pollination services is crucial for maintaining food security.

Elena Gazzea, Péter Batáry, Lorenzo Marini