The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Extinctions of aculeate pollinators in Britain and the role of large-scale agricultural changes
Open accessAbstract
Pollinators are fundamental to maintaining both biodiversity and agricultural productivity, but habitat destruction, loss of flower resources, and increased use of pesticides are causing declines in their abundance and diversity. Using historical records, we assessed the rate of extinction of bee and flower-visiting wasp species in Britain from the mid-19th century to the present. The most rapid phase of extinction appears to be related to changes in agricultural policy and practice beginning in the 1920s, before the agricultural intensification prompted by the Second World War, often cited as the most important driver of biodiversity loss in Britain. Slowing of the extinction rate from the 1960s onward may be due to prior loss of the most sensitive species and/or effective conservation programs.
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“Current data suggest an overall pattern of decline in insect diversity and abundance.”
From More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (2017) · cites this paper as [13]
In the citing paper
“Data for other well-studied taxa such as bees [8–14] and moths [15–18] suggest the same trend.”
From More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (2017) · cites this paper as [13]
Citations
Cites
Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers
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How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals?
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Self-citationParallel Declines in Pollinators and Insect-Pollinated Plants in Britain and the Netherlands
Biesmeijer, J. C., Roberts, S. P. M., Reemer, M., Ohlemüller, R., Edwards, M., Peeters, T., Schaffers, A. P., Potts, S. G., Kleukers, R., Thomas, C. D., et al. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1127863 · Cited by 3,189
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Muggeo, V. M. R. (2008) · Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) · Cited by 1,899
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Plant-Pollinator Interactions over 120 Years: Loss of Species, Co-Occurrence, and Function
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Comparative losses of British butterflies, birds, and plants and the global extinction crisis
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“The shift in agricultural practices and urbanisation highlights the decline of local ecosystems, creating nutritional challenges that contribute to bee decline (Carnell et al., 2020; Ollerton et al., 2014).”
Wild, B. S., Gallardo, B., Wild, C., Pluta, P., Frenzel, M., Schweiger, O., Paxton, R. J., Soro, A., & Theodorou, P. (2026) · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · doi:10.1016/j.agee.2026.110665
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“There are concerns regarding observed declines in populations of native bees (Cameron et al., 2011; Kopec & Burd, 2017; Ollerton et al., 2014; Zattara & Aizen, 2021), which prompt the need for examination of the causes.”
Synergistic effects driven by Tropilaelaps mercedesae and chlorantraniliprole on Apis mellifera
Guo, J., Chen, Y., Kang, Y., Wu, T., Liu, L., Gao, J. Q., & Dai, P. (2026) · Apidologie · doi:10.1007/s13592-025-01235-3
“The phenomenon of significant decreases in honey bee populations has been reported in many countries (Ollerton et al. 2014), with parasitic mites and chemical pesticides recognized as two primary threats to colony health (Almasri et al. 2020; Gao et al. 2021).”
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“For instance, Ollerton et al., 38 analyzed historical records to detect shifts in extinction rates of bee and flower–visiting wasp species in Britain, identifying breakpoints in 1928, 1958, 1974, and 1986.”
Ollerton, J. (2026) · doi:10.1093/9780198972877.003.0080
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“…important bee families such as Apidae (Sánchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys 2019; Potts et al. 2010b), Megachilidae (Mathi-asson and Rehan 2020), and Melittidae (Zattara and Aizen 2021), raising serious concerns about the global conservation of many bee groups (Potts et al. 2010a; Ollerton et al. 2014).”
Foraging energetics reveals late‐summer challenges for pollinators across two British cities
Harris, C., Ratnieks, F. L. W., & Balfour, N. J. (2026) · Functional Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2435.70429
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Socio-Economic Perceptions and Stakeholder Potential of Estonian Beekeepers Vary with Operation Size
Liira, J., Kõiva, M., & Kalle, R. (2026) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su182010369
Gregor, M., Lei, W., Ergastolo, A., & Suni, S. S. (2026) · AoB Plants · doi:10.1093/aobpla/plag049
“Habitat loss is of particular concern for pollinators because it can quickly eliminate nesting and food resources (Potts et al. 2010, Ollerton et al. 2014, Scheper et al. 2014, Baude et al. 2016) and also result in longer-term changes in genetic parameters that are important for population…”
Levy, K., Avisar, A., Dayan, T., Aronson, J. C., & Mandelik, Y. (2026) · Ecosphere · doi:10.1002/ecs2.70764
Tocheva, M., Statti, G. A., Kozhuharova, E., & Kozuharova, E. K. (2026) · Diversity · doi:10.3390/d18100633
Lanner, J., Bühler, P., Hellers, L., Kopf, T., Weigand, A. M., Schlick-Steiner, B. C., & Steiner, F. M. (2026) · Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.1002/ece3.74514
“Habitat fragmentation and degradation together with intensive land management have been revealed as the major drivers of agricultural landscape change and explanatory factors for a declining diversity of bees (Winfree et al. 2009; Ollerton et al. 2014; LeBuhn and Vargas Luna 2021).”
Historical trends show more declining than increasing species among European pollinators
Martínez‐Núñez, C., Duchenne, F., Manincor, N. D., Ghisbain, G., Vujić, A., Sentil, A., Miličić, M., Michez, D., & Bartomeus, Í. (2026) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2600774123
Metadata
- Authors
- Ollerton, J., Erenler, H., Edwards, M., & Crockett, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Northampton (GB)
- Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Technology Institute (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Ollerton, Jeff
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2014-12-12
- Volume
- 346
- Issue
- 6215
- Pages
- 1360-1362
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2081986770
- Cited by
- 431
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 46 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 24
- FWCI
- 29.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- public-domain
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NECTAR - Northampton Electronic Collection of Thesis and Research (University of Northampton) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- NECTAR - Northampton Electronic Collection of Thesis and Research (University of Northampton) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Plant and animal studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Keywords
- aculeate wasps, bees, agricultural intensification, agricultural policy change, pesticide use, habitat loss, historical documents, extinction rates, pollinator conservation, Great Britain
- MeSH terms
- Agriculture, Animals, Bees, United Kingdom, Pollen, Population Dynamics, Wasps, Linear Models, Flowers, Biodiversity, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, Extinction, Biological, Pollination
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