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Anderson DJ, Berson JD, Didham RK, Simmons LW, Evans TA. Dung beetles increase plant growth: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232885. [PMID: 38503337 PMCID: PMC10950467 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The ecosystem services provided by dung beetles are well known and valued. Dung beetles bury dung for feeding and breeding, and it is generally thought that the process of burying dung increases nutrient uptake by plant roots, which promotes plant growth. Many studies have tested the effects of dung beetles on plant growth, but there has been no quantitative synthesis of these studies. Here we use a multi-level meta-analysis to estimate the average effect of dung beetles on plant growth and investigate factors that moderate this effect. We identified 28 publications that investigated dung beetle effects on plant growth. Of these, 24 contained the minimum quantitative data necessary to include in a meta-analysis. Overall, we found that dung beetles increased plant growth by 17%; the 95% CI for possible values for the true increase in plant growth that were most compatible with our data, given our statistical model, ranged from 1% to 35%. We found evidence that the dung beetle-plant growth relationship is influenced by the plant measurement type and the number of beetles accessing the dung. However, beetles did not increase plant growth in all quantitative trials, as individual effect sizes ranged from -72% to 806%, suggesting important context-dependence in the provision of ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Anderson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jacob D. Berson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Raphael K. Didham
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Theodore A. Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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2
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Scheper J, Badenhausser I, Kantelhardt J, Kirchweger S, Bartomeus I, Bretagnolle V, Clough Y, Gross N, Raemakers I, Vilà M, Zaragoza-Trello C, Kleijn D. Biodiversity and pollination benefits trade off against profit in an intensive farming system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212124120. [PMID: 37399410 PMCID: PMC10334771 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212124120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Agricultural expansion and intensification have boosted global food production but have come at the cost of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Biodiversity-friendly farming that boosts ecosystem services, such as pollination and natural pest control, is widely being advocated to maintain and improve agricultural productivity while safeguarding biodiversity. A vast body of evidence showing the agronomic benefits of enhanced ecosystem service delivery represent important incentives to adopt practices enhancing biodiversity. However, the costs of biodiversity-friendly management are rarely taken into account and may represent a major barrier impeding uptake by farmers. Whether and how biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service delivery, and farm profit can go hand in hand is unknown. Here, we quantify the ecological, agronomic, and net economic benefits of biodiversity-friendly farming in an intensive grassland-sunflower system in Southwest France. We found that reducing land-use intensity on agricultural grasslands drastically enhances flower availability and wild bee diversity, including rare species. Biodiversity-friendly management on grasslands furthermore resulted in an up to 17% higher revenue on neighboring sunflower fields through positive effects on pollination service delivery. However, the opportunity costs of reduced grassland forage yields consistently exceeded the economic benefits of enhanced sunflower pollination. Our results highlight that profitability is often a key constraint hampering adoption of biodiversity-based farming and uptake critically depends on society's willingness to pay for associated delivery of public goods such as biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen Scheper
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AAWageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Isabelle Badenhausser
- Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Prairies Plantes Fourragères, Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement, F-86600Lusignan, France
| | - Jochen Kantelhardt
- Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, 1180Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Kirchweger
- Studienzentrum für Internationale Analysen–Schlierbach, Studienzentrum für Internationale Analysen, 4553Schlierbach, Austria
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-41092Sevilla, Spain
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372, Centre national de la recherche scientifique & Université de La Rochelle, F-79360Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research platform « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », 79360Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, 22362Lund, Sweden
| | - Nicolas Gross
- Université Clermont Auvergne, l’Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, VetAgro Sup, Unité Mixte de Recherche 212 Ecosystème Prairial, F-63000Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Ivo Raemakers
- Independent amateur entomologist, 6247CGGronsveld, The Netherlands
| | - Montserrat Vilà
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-41092Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Facultad de Biología, University of Sevilla, 41012Sevilla, Spain
| | - Carlos Zaragoza-Trello
- Estación Biológica de Doñana – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-41092Sevilla, Spain
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AAWageningen, The Netherlands
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3
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Richardson LK, Beck J, Eck DJ, Shaw R, Wagenius S. Fire effects on plant reproductive fitness vary among individuals, reflecting pollination-dependent mechanisms. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16160. [PMID: 36943018 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Fire induces flowering in many plant species worldwide, potentially improving reproductive fitness via greater availability of resources, as evident by flowering effort, and improved pollination outcomes, as evident by seed set. Postfire increases in flowering synchrony, and thus mating opportunities, may improve pollination. However, few studies evaluate fire effects on multiple components of fitness. Consequently, the magnitude and mechanism of fire effects on reproductive fitness remain unclear. METHODS Over multiple years and prescribed burns in a prairie preserve, we counted flowering stems, flowers, fruits, and seeds of three prairie perennials, Echinacea angustifolia, Liatris aspera, and Solidago speciosa. We used aster life-history models to assess how fire and mating opportunities influenced annual maternal fitness and its components in individual plants. RESULTS In Echinacea and Liatris, but not in Solidago, fire increased head counts, and both fire and mating opportunities increased maternal fitness. Burned Echinacea and Liatris plants with many flower heads produced many seeds despite low seed set (fertilization rates). In contrast, plants with an average number of flower heads had high seed set and produced many seeds only when mating opportunities were abundant. CONCLUSIONS Fire increased annual reproductive fitness via resource- and pollination-dependent mechanisms in Echinacea and Liatris but did not affect Solidago fitness. The consistent relationship between synchrony and seed set implies that temporal mating opportunities play an important role in pollination. While fire promotes flowering in many plant species, our results reveal that even closely related species exhibit differential responses to fire, which could impact the broader plant community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea K Richardson
- Program in Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Hogan 6-140B, Evanston, Illinois, 60208, USA
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022, USA
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, Califorrnia, 91330, USA
| | - Jared Beck
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022, USA
| | - Daniel J Eck
- Department of Statistics, University of Illinois, Computing Applications Building, Room 152, 605 E. Springfield Avenue, Champaign, Illinois, 61820, USA
| | - Ruth Shaw
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 206 Ecology, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Stuart Wagenius
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022, USA
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4
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Richardson LK, Wagenius S. Fire influences reproductive outcomes by modifying flowering phenology and mate-availability. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:2083-2093. [PMID: 34921422 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A recent study posited that fire in grasslands promotes persistence of plant species by improving mating opportunities and reproductive outcomes. We devised an investigation to test these predicted mechanisms in two widespread, long-lived perennials. We expect fire to synchronize flowering, increase mating and boost seed set. We quantified individual flowering phenology and seed set of Liatris aspera and Solidago speciosa for 3 yr on a preserve in Minnesota, USA. The preserve comprises two management units burned on alternating years, allowing for comparisons between plants in burned and unburned areas within the same year, and plants in the same area across years with and without burns. Fire increased flowering synchrony and increased time between start date and peak flowering. Individuals of both species that initiated flowering later in the season had higher seed set. Fire was associated with substantially higher flowering rates and seed set in L. aspera but not S. speciosa. In L. aspera, greater synchrony was associated with increased mean seed set. Although fire affected flowering phenology in both species, reproductive success improved only in the species in which fire also synchronized among-year flowering. Our results support the hypothesis that reproduction in some grassland species benefits from fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea K Richardson
- Program in Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive - Hogan 6-140B, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
| | - Stuart Wagenius
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
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5
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Meuskens I, Leva-Bueno J, Millner P, Schütz M, Peyman SA, Linke D. The Trimeric Autotransporter Adhesin YadA of Yersinia enterocolitica Serotype O:9 Binds Glycan Moieties. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:738818. [PMID: 35178035 PMCID: PMC8844515 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.738818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia adhesin A (YadA) is a key virulence factor of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. YadA is a trimeric autotransporter adhesin, a class of adhesins that have been shown to enable many Gram-negative pathogens to adhere to/interact with the host extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen, vitronectin, and fibronectin. Here, we show for the first time that YadA of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:9 not only interacts with proteinaceous surface molecules but can also attach directly to glycan moieties. We show that YadA from Y. enterocolitica serotype O:9 does not interact with the vitronectin protein itself but exclusively with its N-linked glycans. We also show that YadA can target other glycan moieties as found in heparin, for example. So far, little is known about specific interactions between bacterial autotransporter adhesins and glycans. This could potentially lead to new antimicrobial treatment strategies, as well as diagnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Meuskens
- Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Juan Leva-Bueno
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Millner
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Monika Schütz
- Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin Tübingen (IMIT), Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sally A. Peyman
- Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Linke
- Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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6
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Bishop J, Nakagawa S. Quantifying crop pollinator dependence and its heterogeneity using multi‐level meta‐analysis. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Bishop
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development University of Reading Reading Berkshire UK
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
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7
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Hünicken PL, Morales CL, García N, Garibaldi LA. Insect Pollination, More than Plant Nutrition, Determines Yield Quantity and Quality in Apple and Pear. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:525-532. [PMID: 32140988 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-020-00763-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural yield is the result of multiple factors and ecological processes (e.g., pollination, fertilization, pest control). Understanding how the different factors interact is fundamental to designing management practices aimed to increase these yields, which are environmental friendly and sustainable over time. In this study, we focus on insect pollination and plant nutrition status, since they are two key factors that influence crop yield. The study was carried out in Northwest Patagonia Argentina, which is an area of intensive production of pears and apples of global importance, during the harvest seasons 2018 and 2019. The plant nutrition was estimated from leaf chlorophyll content. Biotic pollination benefits were evaluated by comparing fruit quantity (fruit to flower ratio) and quality (weight, size, and sugar concentration) from approximately 25 flowers exposed to pollinators and 25 flowers excluded to them per tree (a total of 160 apple trees and 130 pear trees). In addition, we estimated the visitation rate of pollinators to flowers and related it to fruit quality in apple. Despite different floral characteristics, we found in both crops a positive effect of insect pollination in both the quantity and the quality of the fruits. Interestingly, the nutrition of the trees, although variable, did not affect either the quantity or the quality of the fruits. Despite the weak effect of nutrition, we found no interaction between pollination and plant nutrition (i.e., additive effects). These results highlight the importance of agricultural practices that promote pollinators on farms.
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Hünicken
- Univ Nacional de Río Negro, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, Sede Andina, UNRN, Viedma, Argentina.
| | - C L Morales
- Instituto Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA), Univ Nacional del Comahue-CONICET, Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - N García
- Centro PYME, Agencia de Desarrollo Económico del Neuquén, Neuquén, Argentina
| | - L A Garibaldi
- Univ Nacional de Río Negro, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, Sede Andina, UNRN, Viedma, Argentina
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8
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Cunningham SA, Evans MJ, Neave M, Armstrong J, Barton PS. Pollination and resource limitation as interacting constraints on almond fruit set. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2020; 22:113-119. [PMID: 31520511 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Pollination and resource availability are factors determining reproductive success of plants, and in agriculture these factors influence yield of fruit-bearing crops. Our understanding of the importance of crop pollination is fast improving, but less is known about how the interaction between pollination and resources constrains fruit production. We conducted an experiment with almond trees (Prunus dulcis) to examine how the number of flowers, light availability and competition for resources affected nut (fruit) production on individual spurs (fruit-bearing structures) exposed to open-pollination or hand-pollination. We found a positive relationship between flower number and nut number on spurs with up to four flowers, but no further benefit after four flowers, suggesting a resource threshold expressed by individual spurs. Spurs with few flowers increased the conversion rate of flowers to nuts when supplemented with hand-pollination, but spurs with more flowers were more likely to achieve the threshold number of nuts even under open-pollination. Our experiment included a further treatment involving spraying whole trees with pollen. This treatment reduced nut production by spurs with many flowers and high light availability, suggesting competition is experienced by well-resourced spurs when resources need to be shared among developing nuts across the whole tree. Our study supports the hypothesis that excess flower production in fruit trees increases the potential for fruit production when pollinator and resource availability is variable (bet-hedging). Spurs with more flowers typically produce more nuts (within a limited range), but only if both resources and pollen supply increase with flower number. For almond growers, a focus on maintaining high flower numbers, especially in high light regions of the canopy, is the foundation for high levels of production. Strategies to lift flower number and light are complicated by trade-offs inherent in tree architecture and orchard design. However, fruit set would be lifted above that achieved by current practice by an increase in the pollination rate of flowers.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Cunningham
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - M J Evans
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - M Neave
- Land and Water, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - J Armstrong
- Land and Water, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - P S Barton
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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9
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Catarino R, Bretagnolle V, Perrot T, Vialloux F, Gaba S. Bee pollination outperforms pesticides for oilseed crop production and profitability. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191550. [PMID: 31594515 PMCID: PMC6790783 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature-based agriculture that reduces dependency on chemical inputs requires using ecological principles for sustainable agro-ecosystems, aiming to balance ecology, economics and social justice. There is growing evidence that pollinator-dependent crops with high insect, particularly bee, pollination service can give higher yields. However, the interacting effects between insect pollination and agricultural inputs on crop yields and farm economics remain to be established to reconcile food production with biodiversity conservation. We quantified individual and combined effects of pesticides, insect pollination and soil quality on oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) yield and gross margin, using a total of 294 farmers' fields surveyed between 2013 and 2016. We show that yield and gross margins are greater (15-40%) in fields with higher pollinator abundance than in fields with reduced pollinator abundance. This effect is, however, strongly reduced by pesticide use. Greater yields may be achieved by either increasing agrochemicals or increasing bee abundance, but crop economic returns were only increased by the latter, because pesticides did not increase yields while their costs reduced gross margins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Catarino
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- LTSER ‘Zone Atelier Plaine and Val de Sèvre’, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Thomas Perrot
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Fabien Vialloux
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Sabrina Gaba
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- LTSER ‘Zone Atelier Plaine and Val de Sèvre’, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- USC 1339, Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, INRA, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
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10
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Mallinger RE, Bradshaw J, Varenhorst AJ, Prasifka JR. Native Solitary Bees Provide Economically Significant Pollination Services to Confection Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) (Asterales: Asteraceae) Grown Across the Northern Great Plains. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 112:40-48. [PMID: 30346534 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toy322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The benefits of insect pollination to crop yields depend on genetic and environmental factors including plant self-fertility, pollinator visitation rates, and pollinator efficacy. While many crops benefit from insect pollination, such variation in pollinator benefits across both plant cultivars and growing regions is not well documented. In this study, across three states in the northern Great Plains, United States, from 2016 to 2017, we evaluated the pollinator-mediated yield increases for 10 varieties of confection sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), a plant that is naturally pollinator-dependent but was bred for self-fertility. We additionally measured pollinator visitation rates and compared per-visit seed set across pollinator taxa in order to determine the most efficacious sunflower pollinators. Across all locations and hybrids, insect pollination increased sunflower yields by 45%, which is a regional economic value of over $40 million and a national value of over $56 million. There was, however, some variation in the extent of pollinator benefits across locations and plant genotypes, and such variation was significantly related to pollinator visitation rates, further highlighting the value of pollinators for confection sunflowers. Female Andrena helianthi Robertson (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) and Melissodes spp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were the most common and effective pollinators, while other bees including managed honey bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), small-bodied sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), bumble bees Bombus spp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and male bees were either infrequent or less effective on a per-visit basis. Our results illustrate that wild bees, in particular the sunflower specialists A. helianthi and Melissodes spp., provide significant economic benefits to confection sunflower production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Mallinger
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Albrecht Boulevard North, Fargo, ND
| | - Jeff Bradshaw
- Panhandle Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Avenue I, Scottsbluff, NE
| | - Adam J Varenhorst
- Department of Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science, South Dakota State University, SAG, Brookings, SD
| | - Jarrad R Prasifka
- Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Albrecht Boulevard North, Fargo, ND
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11
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Perrot T, Gaba S, Roncoroni M, Gautier JL, Saintilan A, Bretagnolle V. Experimental quantification of insect pollination on sunflower yield, reconciling plant and field scale estimates. Basic Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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12
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Fijen TPM, Scheper JA, Boom TM, Janssen N, Raemakers I, Kleijn D. Insect pollination is at least as important for marketable crop yield as plant quality in a seed crop. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1704-1713. [PMID: 30189466 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The sustainability of agriculture can be improved by integrating management of ecosystem services, such as insect pollination, into farming practices. However, large-scale adoption of ecosystem services-based practices in agriculture is lacking, possibly because growers undervalue the benefits of ecosystem services compared to those of conventional management practices. Here we show that, under representative real-world conditions, pollination and plant quality made similar contributions to marketable seed yield of hybrid leek (Allium porrum). Relative to the median, a 25% improvement of plant quality and pollination increased crop value by an estimated $18 007 and $17 174 ha-1 respectively. Across five crop lines, bumblebees delivered most pollination services, while other wild pollinator groups made less frequent but nevertheless substantial contributions. Honeybees actively managed for pollination services did not make significant contributions. Our results show that wild pollinators are an undervalued agricultural input and managing for enhancing pollinators makes sense economically in high-revenue insect-pollinated cropping systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thijs P M Fijen
- Wageningen University, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen A Scheper
- Wageningen University, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Animal Ecology Team, Wageningen Environmental Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Timo M Boom
- Wageningen University, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Nicole Janssen
- Wageningen University, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Ivo Raemakers
- Van Caldenborghstraat 26, Gronsveld, 6247CG, The Netherlands
| | - David Kleijn
- Wageningen University, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
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13
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Garibaldi LA, Andersson GK, Requier F, Fijen TP, Hipólito J, Kleijn D, Pérez-Méndez N, Rollin O. Complementarity and synergisms among ecosystem services supporting crop yield. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY-AGRICULTURE POLICY ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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14
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Tamburini G, Lami F, Marini L. Pollination benefits are maximized at intermediate nutrient levels. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0729. [PMID: 28794217 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Yield production in flowering crops depends on both nutrient availability and pollination, but their relative roles and potential interactions are poorly understood. We measured pollination benefits to yield in sunflower, combining a gradient in insect pollination (0, 25, 50, 100%) with a continuous gradient in nitrogen (N) fertilization (from 0 to 150 kg N ha-1) in an experiment under realistic soil field conditions. We found that pollination benefits to yield were maximized at intermediate levels of N availability, bolstering yield by approximately 25% compared with complete pollinator exclusion. Interestingly, we found little decrease in yield when insect visits were reduced by 50%, indicating that the incremental contribution of pollination by insects to yield is greater when the baseline pollination service provision is very low. Our findings provide strong evidence for interactive, nonlinear effects of pollination and resource availability on seed production. Our results support ecological intensification as a promising strategy for sustainable management of agroecosystems. In particular, we found optimal level of pollination to potentially compensate for lower N applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Tamburini
- DAFNAE-Entomology, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy .,Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Francesco Lami
- DAFNAE-Entomology, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Marini
- DAFNAE-Entomology, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
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15
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Pringle EG, Ableson I, Kerber J, Vannette RL, Tao L. Orthogonal fitness benefits of nitrogen and ants for nitrogen-limited plants in the presence of herbivores. Ecology 2017; 98:3003-3010. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G. Pringle
- Department of Biology; Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology; University of Nevada; Reno Nevada USA
- Michigan Society of Fellows; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Ian Ableson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Jennifer Kerber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Rachel L. Vannette
- Department of Entomology; University of California, Davis; Davis California 95616 USA
| | - Leiling Tao
- Department of Biology; Emory University; Atlanta Georgia 30322 USA
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