Impact of Climate Change on Sawfly (Suborder: Symphyta) Polinators in Andalusia Region, Spain

Abstract

Sawflies (Symphyta) are insects widely distributed throughout the world, but mostly abundant and diverse in the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere. In Spain, they are linked to vegetation typical for aquatic environments (e.g. ponds and streams). While many sawfly species are serious pests of horticulture and forestry, all sawflies found in the Andalusia Region are important pollinators. In order to evaluate if climate change affects sawflies in Spain, their present appearance and distribution sampled form 2013 to 2016 was compared with the data collected from 1920s to 1971. The results showed that biological cycle of some Symphyta species was advanced 20–30 days when compared with the dates of their usual presence in 1950–70s. While some species have been frequently found in the same areas as 50 years ago, changes in climate affected vertical displacements to higher altitudes of other studied sawfly species. The most important findings of this study showed that in the 21st century four species (Megalodontes bucephalus, Macrophya militaris, Strongylogaster multifasciata, Dolerus (Poodolerus) puncticollis) were not observed in any location nor sampling area, meaning that these species (important specialized pollinators) disappeared from the Andalusia region.