Integrating Bee-Mediated Pollination: Enhancing Crop Yields and Biodiversity in Sustainable Agriculture

Bee-mediated pollination is a fundamental ecological process supporting the reproduction of wild plants, the productivity of many crops, and the stability of agricultural ecosystems. Crop pollination is delivered by diverse communities of managed bees, such as honeybees and bumblebees, and wild bees. The contribution of pollinators to plant reproduction can vary according to crop traits, landscape context, environmental conditions, and seasonal dynamics. Pollination outcomes therefore depend not only on pollinator abundance, but also on the diversity, functional traits, and interactions of pollinator communities. Emerging evidence further shows that pollination outcomes are also shaped by within-crop genetic diversity: pollinator identity, pollen donor genotype, and cultivar identity interact to determine fruit and seed quality, not just yield quantity (Tscharntke et al., 2025). Agricultural intensification, habitat simplification, pesticide exposure, climate change, and other factors are reshaping pollination networks and may reduce their capacity to support reliable ecosystem services. Increasing evidence highlights the need to integrate pollinator ecology, crop production, biodiversity conservation, and landscape management within broader agroecological approaches to achieve resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.This Research Topic aims to address the challenge of maintaining reliable pollination services while simultaneously supporting agricultural productivity, biodiversity conservation, and long-term ecosystem resilience. Although bee-mediated pollination is essential to many agricultural systems, the combined effects of habitat loss, agricultural intensification, pesticide exposure, climate change, and other environmental pressures can disrupt pollination services. This collection seeks to advance an integrated understanding of how pollinator diversity, functional traits, crop characteristics, farming practices, and landscape context interact to shape pollination outcomes. We particularly encourage research that identifies practical and scalable solutions, including agroecological practices, habitat restoration, pollinator-friendly pest management, and landscape-level conservation strategies. By bringing together ecological, agricultural, evolutionary, socioeconomic, and policy perspectives, this Research Topic will promote evidence-based approaches for reconciling food production with pollinator conservation and for strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems.This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Methods, Perspectives, and Policy and Practice Reviews that advance our understanding of bee-mediated pollination in sustainable agriculture. We encourage submissions addressing, but not limited to:- Dynamics between managed and wild pollinators and their impact on yield parameters in crop species (e.g., Brassicaceae).- The role of within-crop genetic diversity — pollen donor identity, cultivar variation, and pollinator-pollen-cultivar interactions — in shaping pollination effectiveness, fruit/seed quality, and crop yield (e.g., Tscharntke et al., 2025).- Landscape management strategies and habitat restoration to support diverse pollinator populations.- Agroecological practices and farming innovations that enhance pollination services under climate change.- Socio-economic frameworks, policy, and pesticide regulation.- Evolutionary and ecological aspects of plant-pollinator mutualisms in agricultural settings.- Public engagement and citizen science.- Contributions may use experimental, observational, modelling, systematic, or interdisciplinary approaches and should provide insights relevant to sustainable agriculture and the long-term resilience of pollination services.Reference cited: Tscharntke, T. (2025). Pollinator, pollen, and cultivar identity drive crop quality. Trends in Plant Science, 30(3), 283–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.10.004 Topic editors: Francisco Rubén Badenes-Pérez, Rachid Sabbahi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84053/integrating-bee-mediated-pollination-enhancing-crop-yields-and-biodiversity-in-sustainable-agriculture