@article{507, author = {Powney Gary D. and Carvell Claire and Edwards Mike and Morris Roger K. A. and Roy Helen E. and Woodcock Ben A. and Isaac Nick J. B.}, title = {Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain}, abstract = {Pollination is a critical ecosystem service underpinning the productivity of agricultural systems across the world. Wild insect populations provide a substantial contribution to the productivity of many crops and seed set of wild flowers. However, large-scale evidence on species-specific trends among wild pollinators are lacking. Here we show substantial inter-specific variation in pollinator trends, based on occupancy models for 353 wild bee and hoverfly species in Great Britain between 1980 and 2013. Furthermore, we estimate a net loss of over 2.7 million occupied 1 km2 grid cells across all species. Declines in pollinator evenness suggest that losses were concentrated in rare species. In addition, losses linked to specific habitats were identified, with a 55% decline among species associated with uplands. This contrasts with dominant crop pollinators, which increased by 12%, potentially in response agri-environment measures. The general declines highlight a fundamental deterioration in both wider biodiversity and non-crop pollination services.}, year = {2019}, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {10}, month = {2019/03/26}, isbn = {2041-1723}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08974-9}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-019-08974-9}, }