Researchers from the University of Murcia are analyzing soil health in a major European project to halt the disappearance of pollinators.
Researchers from the University of Murcia are analyzing soil health in a major European project to halt the disappearance of pollinators.
Researchers from the Animal Phylogeny and Evolution group at the University of Murcia (UMU) are participating in a major European project studying how soil health influences pollinator survival. Their work focuses particularly on underground bees—which make up around 80% of these pollinators—and how soil conditions affect their reproduction and development.
Within the project, called ProPollSoil, the UMU team will be responsible for sampling bees in almond orchards to compare their presence in soils with and without vegetation cover. This international initiative, funded by the Horizon Europe program under the Soil Mission, aims to develop new strategies to protect these insects, which are key to ecosystems.
ProPollSoil will investigate how factors such as pollution, moisture, pH, and soil composition influence pollinator survival. The ultimate goal is to translate these results into concrete actions and agricultural practices that contribute to improving soil fertility.
The project has a budget of €7.7 million and a planned duration of 48 months. Researchers from the University of Murcia (UMU) include Pilar De la Rúa, Vicente Martínez, and Mario González. The study will be conducted in ten strategic areas of Europe, including the Region of Murcia, as well as areas in Greece, France, Norway, Italy, Ireland, and Hungary.
Many pollinators depend on the soil to complete their life cycle. Soil quality is essential for them to build safe nests and survive, which in turn influences plant fertility and the balance of ecosystems.
Furthermore, the project invites the public to collaborate by sending photographs of nests found in the field to the iNaturalist platform. This information will help researchers obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the pollinator situation.