Climate crisis could force wild vanilla plants and pollinating insects apart, threatening global supply
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Jul-2025 00:10 ET (3-Jul-2025 04:10 GMT/UTC)
Many wild Vanilla species are dependent on insects that pollinate them. But what happens if plants and insects are forced into different habitats? Researchers have examined if shifts in species’ geographic ranges could lead to future mismatches. They found that climate change may lead to reduced overlap in suitable habitats for wild vanilla and their pollinators. This could negatively affect the survival chances of these wild species, especially those dependent on specific pollinators, but also threaten the future of the vanilla crop and global vanilla supply.
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