Climate change is forcing plants to abandon pollinators

Wildflowers, like most other plants, seem to be suffering from the effects of climate change and the lack of insect pollinators. However, scientists have discovered something very surprising: plants have evolved to do without insects.

Insect pollination is one of the most common forms of plant reproduction worldwide, with more than 80% of flowering species relying on bees or butterflies to fertilise their seeds. However, researchers have recently discovered that some wildflowers growing on farmland have evolved to self-pollinate.

Four populations of field pansies(Viola arvensis) growing near Paris were compared with populations grown in the laboratory from seeds collected between 1992 and 2001.