Pollinators in Fruit and Vegetable Cultivated Ecosystems: Diversity, Climate-Driven Shifts, and Conservation Strategies

Pollination is a crucial and an economically important ecosystem service offered by certain group of insects majorly bees, flies, beetles, butterflies, and moths. Pollinators form an integral component of natural and man-made ecosystems. It is estimated that 35% of the global crop production, comprising 87 of the prominent crops worldwide, is benefited by insect pollination. Though agriculture in general is benefitted to a great extent by insect pollination, the proportion of commercially important crops essentially dependent on entomophily is very high in horticulture including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spices. Besides factors like habitat loss, pesticide, pollution, climate change, etc., are an emerging threat to pollination process by disrupting the evolved synchrony of plant pollinator interactions. Behavioral responses of pollinator insects to overcome higher temperatures significantly reduce pollination process. This chapter presents the pollinator complex of major fruit and vegetable crops, their contribution to yield enhancement, and their vulnerability to climate change and conservation strategies.