ALARM

Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Catrin Westphal, Birgit Meyer

Funding: EU (FP 6)
Duration: Februar 2004 – Januar 2009

Project:
ALARM is an Integrated Project (IP) under the 6th EU Framework programme. It combines the expertise of 54 partners from 27 countries. The general objectives are to assess and forcast large-scale shifts in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The focus is on risks consequent on climate change, environmental chemicals, rates and extent of loss of pollinators and biological invasions including pathogens and the development of ecological and socio-economic risk indicators. 

The Pollination Module with 10 partners (coordinated by Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter) aims to mitigate risks for pollinator diversity and to ensure sustainable pollination services in the future and has the following main objectives: (1) Quantify distribution shifts of key pollinator groups across Europe, (2) Determine the relative importance of drivers of pollinator loss (land use, climate chance, environmental chemicals, invasive species), (3) Measure the economic and biodiversity risks associated with the loss of pollination services in agricultural and natural ecosystems, (4) Promote the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators in natural and agricultural ecosystems, and (5) Develop predictive models for pollinator loss and consequent risks.

Research areas: Germany, Greece, Spain, UK, Poland, Sweden

Habitats: agricultural fields, natural or seminatural habitats

Species groups: bees, syrphid flies

More information: www.alarmproject.net/

Key Publications:

Herrmann, F; Westphal, C; Moritz, RFA; Steffan-Dewenter, I (2007) Genetic diversity and mass resources promote colony size and forager densities of a social bee (Bombus pascuorum) in agricultural landscapes, Molecular Ecology, 16, 1167-1178 

Klein, A-M; Vaissière, BE; Cane, JH; Steffan-Dewenter, I; Cunningham, SA; Kremen, C; Tscharntke, T (2007) Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 274, 303-313 

Westphal, C; Bommarco, R; Carré, G; Lamborn, E; Morison, N; Petanidou, T; Potts, SG; Roberts, SPM; Szentgyörgyi, H; Tscheulin, T; Vaissiére, BE; Woyciechowski, M; Biesmeijer, JC; Kunin, WE; Settele, J; Steffan-Dewenter, I (2008) Measuring bee diversity in different European habitats and biogeographical regions, Ecological Monographs, 78, 653-671

Vilà, M; Bartomeus, I; Dietzsch, AC; Petanidou, T; Steffan-Dewenter, I; Stout, JC; Tscheulin, T (2009) Invasive plant integration into native plant-pollinator networks across Europe, Proceedings of the Royal Society London B, 276, 3887-3893 

Meyer, B; Jauker, F; Steffan-Dewenter, I (2009) Contrasting resource-dependent responses of hoverfly richness and density to landscape structure, Basic and Applied Ecology, 10, 178-186 

Bartomeus, I; Vilà, M; Steffan-Dewenter, I (2010) Combined effects of Impatiens glandulifera invasion and landscape structure on native plant pollination, Journal of Ecology, 98, 440-450