US EditionClimate Change May Separate Wild Vanilla Plants From Pollinators, Risking Future Supply
- Researchers led by Dr. Charlotte Watteyn reported on July 3 that climate change may reduce habitat overlap between 11 vanilla species and their pollinators by up to 90 percent.
- This finding results from computer simulations projecting habitat changes for vanilla and its bees by 2050 under two environmental scenarios, with some species gaining habitat and others losing it.
- Vanilla species, including Vanilla planifolia, rely on specialized pollinators, making their survival vulnerable to reduced habitat overlap which threatens wild populations and future global vanilla supply.
- The authors highlighted that four species could lose up to 53% of suitable habitat while seven species may expand habitats by up to 140%, but emphasized the urgent need to enhance resilience and conserve genetic diversity.
- The study implies that protecting wild vanilla and pollinators through habitat conservation and climate action is critical to safeguard biodiversity and support smallholder farming dependent on vanilla cultivation.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Climate change will cause the spatial mismatch between sexually deceptive beetle daisy (Gorteria diffusa, Asteraceae) and its pollinator
Climate change is a major driver of biodiversity loss, affecting complex ecological relationships. Plants that rely on animal pollen vectors for reproduction are more sensitive to habitat disturbance, as any change in local pollinator species composition, abundance or foraging behaviour can affect the reproductive success of a plant population. This study used ecological niche modelling to investigate the effects of global warming on the spatial…
Climate change may separate wild vanilla plants from pollinators, risking future supply
Vanilla flavoring is widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The primary source, Vanilla planifolia, however, is vulnerable to diseases, drought, and heat—stressors expected to become more frequent under climate change. Wild Vanilla species offer a genetic reservoir of crop wild relatives ensuring the future of the vanilla crop. Scientists have now examined how climate change could cause mismatches in habitat overlap of wild vanilla…
It’s a flavour that always does well: vanilla. But new research now indicates that we could lose it – due to the climate crisis. Vanilla ice cream, crème brûlée, vanilla custard, madeleines: the true connoisseur probably can’t imagine a world without vanilla flavour. And yet, it can […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .
By 2050, some vanilla plants could lose more than half of their natural habitats – with consequences for pudding, ice cream and other foods.
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