Trophic cascades across ecosystems

Healthy ponds with fish benefit flowering plants with more frequent pollinator visits.

Written by: Tiffany M. Knight1,2, Michael W. McCoy1, Jonathan M. Chase2, Krista A. McCoy1 & Robert D. Holt1

In this eight-pond study on pollinator population, researchers found that keeping ponds healthy creates a mutually beneficial environment for fish, plants, and bees. The plants near healthy ponds had two times more pollen than plants near unhealthy ponds. Pollinator visitation rates on plants were much higher near ponds with fish than plants near fish-free ponds, and most pollinator visitors near ponds with fish consisted of bees, whereas most visitors near fish-free ponds consisted of flies.