THE PERIL OF SELF-POLLINATION

Study highlights the importance of bumblebees in maintaining plants’ genetic variation

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WITHOUT BUMBLEBEES, a flowering plant that can self-pollinate lost substantial genetic variation within only nine generations, an experimental study recently found.

In the study, a group of "selfing" monkeyflower plants lost 13 to 24 percent of their genetic variation compared to a group that was propagated by bumblebees. This loss could rob the plants of their ability to adapt to environmental challenges. With bee populations on the decline in nature, the findings point to serious issues for wild plants and crops that rely on these pollinators.