Polinizadores de huertos urbanos y periurbanos en la ciudad de Morelia (Michoacán, México)

Abstract

Urban gardens are becoming more and more common in cities, as a way to cover some of the food needs and/or as a need to get closer to nature and a healthier life. Pollinators play an important role in the harvest of these gardens, as they are essential for pollination, a process necessary in most plants for the production of fruits and seeds. In this article, we studied the pollinators of seven urban and periurban orchards in the city of Morelia during an annual agricultural cycle (October 2022 to June 2023). Based on a monthly visit to each space, 5-hour censuses were conducted (between 10 am and 15 pm), in which we noted which pollinator species were seen and on which flowers. Despite the fact that, a priori, cities are a relatively hostile environment for these animals, we found a considerable diversity of pollinators that come to visit the flowers in the orchards (an average of 60 different species, including bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles and hummingbirds). We also saw that each plant species attracted different pollinators. If we want to conserve the valuable role of pollinators and protect biodiversity, we can make urban/peri-urban gardens (and city green spaces in general) friendlier to these animals by taking a number of actions such as planting more flower diversity (including wildflowers), and building pollinator hotels. These actions have a double function: we will benefit from the pollination services and we will have more horticultural production and, at the same time, we will contribute to maintain or even increase the diversity of these insects in the city.