Life can’t function without insects. At least, not for long. They pollinate, break down waste, cycle nutrients, and touch every node in the web of life, filling endless niches across the planet. As global temperatures continue to rise, some of Earth’s most important but overlooked pollinators, the flies, may be at greater risk than previously thought. According to a new study, flies may be more sensitive to climate change than bees. In warming experiments, researchers found bees could tolerate temperatures about 2.3 degrees Celsius higher than flies before losing motor function. “Even though it sounds small, two Celsius degrees can actually be a pretty significant average temperature that can impact foraging, ecology, behaviors, reproduction and so on,” lead author Margarita López-Uribe of Penn State University told Mongabay. Flies are the second most abundant category of pollinators after bees, yet they rarely receive the same attention or conservation focus. North America hosts more than 61,000 fly species alone, making them one of the continent’s most diverse insect groups. They can be found pollinating plants from mountain peaks to seashores, though they are especially crucial in colder, high-altitude regions. “It’s time we gave flies some more recognition for their role as pollinators,” López-Uribe said. A fly on a milkweed plant. Image courtesy of Michelle Borsey via flickr (CC BY 2.0) “When we look at pollinator communities along altitude and latitudinal gradients, flies become more dominant pollinators in colder areas of the planet,” López-Uribe said. Flies’ preference for cooler conditions may help explain…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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