Nature is a interesting thing, various species living together on this planet. What many people don't realize is that a lot of species depend upon each other as a food source or for the growth of their food source. But also the production of Oxygen and the uptake of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen. Plants, trees but also algae produce the Oxygen we breath and the Carbon Dioxide we produce is used by the plants, trees and algae to survive. Most species on this planet depend on other species for their survival. And that's what ecology is about, the relation between species and their environment.
Bees and other insects are essential for our survival. They pollinate the crops we use as a food source and are eaten by larger animals at higher levels of the food chain. Eventually at the top of the food chain are the large predators such as large cats, large predatory fish and humans. So a reduction of bee populations and other insects will affect species at higher levels of the food chain. Bees and insects are threatened by shrinking habitats and the use of toxic substances often caused by human activities such as agriculture and industries.
The presence of large apex predators such as large predatory fish is often seen as an indication that their ecosystem is in good condition with a good functioning food chain. Apex predators such as pike depend on the lower levels of the food chain. The pike eats smaller fish, the smaller fish eat water fleas and small crustaceans and the water fleas and small crustaceans eat algae and various forms of plankton. If the algae and plankton species in an ecosystem would disappear by pollution or climate change this will affect the total food chain.
Unfortunately the small species at the lowest part of the food chain are often the most sensitive to pollution and climate change. Growing industry, agriculture and the reduction of rain forests and other natural habitats will result in pollution and in an increasing global temperature. Such factors will affect micro organisms, insects and eventually us. This makes you think if our way of living with large industries, meat consumption and burning fossil fuels is a sustainable situation. Well it isn't, and I think we all have to contribute to keep this planet livable for our selfs and future generations.
Interesting related articles:
Seasonal timings of plants are advancing an average of four times faster than insects, throwing key interactions like pollination out of synch. This is according to new findings from researchers at the University of Oxford and Chinese Academy of Sciences that will be presented at the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting in Belfast.
A team of researchers has recently conducted a meta-analysis of 120 scientific papers, examining the responses of 40 insect types to pollutants like ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter across 19 countries. The investigation revealed that bees and other beneficial insects are more adversely affected by air pollution compared to the impacts of crop-destroying pests such as aphids.