1
|
Fijen TPM, Bishop GA, Ganuza C, Scheper J, Kleijn D. Analyzing the relative importance of habitat quantity and quality for boosting pollinator populations in agricultural landscapes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14317. [PMID: 38923557 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
To increase pollinator populations, international policy targets minimum levels of seminatural habitat cover, but it is unknown whether improving the quality of existing habitats could bring similar benefits without the need of reducing cropland area. Using data we collected in 26 Italian agricultural landscapes during the entire flying season, we explored the relative importance of habitat quantity (seminatural habitat cover) and quality (flower availability) on pollinator densities in seminatural habitats. We obtained transect-based counts and estimated the effect of habitat quantity (proportion of seminatural habitat) and quality (flower cover and richness) on wild bee and hoverfly densities. We used the relationships revealed in the data to simulate pollinator population sizes in landscapes with varying habitat quantity and quality. Wild bee densities were only related to flower availability, whereas hoverfly densities were additionally related to seminatural habitat cover. We found that in complex agricultural landscapes (above 15% seminatural habitat cover), improving habitat quality increased pollinator populations more effectively than increasing habitat quantity. However, increasing habitat quantity was by far the most effective approach for boosting pollinator populations in simple landscapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thijs P M Fijen
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gabriella A Bishop
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Cristina Ganuza
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jeroen Scheper
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hederström V, Ekroos J, Friberg M, Krausl T, Opedal ØH, Persson AS, Petrén H, Quan Y, Smith HG, Clough Y. Pollinator-mediated effects of landscape-scale land use on grassland plant community composition and ecosystem functioning - seven hypotheses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:675-698. [PMID: 38118437 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Environmental change is disrupting mutualisms between organisms worldwide. Reported declines in insect populations and changes in pollinator community compositions in response to land use and other environmental drivers have put the spotlight on the need to conserve pollinators. While this is often motivated by their role in supporting crop yields, the role of pollinators for reproduction and resulting taxonomic and functional assembly in wild plant communities has received less attention. Recent findings suggest that observed and experimental gradients in pollinator availability can affect plant community composition, but we know little about when such shifts are to be expected, or the impact they have on ecosystem functioning. Correlations between plant traits related to pollination and plant traits related to other important ecosystem functions, such as productivity, nitrogen uptake or palatability to herbivores, lead us to expect non-random shifts in ecosystem functioning in response to changes in pollinator communities. At the same time, ecological and evolutionary processes may counteract these effects of pollinator declines, limiting changes in plant community composition, and in ecosystem functioning. Despite calls to investigate community- and ecosystem-level impacts of reduced pollination, the study of pollinator effects on plants has largely been confined to impacts on plant individuals or single-species populations. With this review we aim to break new ground by bringing together aspects of landscape ecology, ecological and evolutionary plant-insect interactions, and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research, to generate new ideas and hypotheses about the ecosystem-level consequences of pollinator declines in response to land-use change, using grasslands as a focal system. Based on an integrated set of seven hypotheses, we call for more research investigating the putative pollinator-mediated links between landscape-scale land use and ecosystem functioning. In particular, future research should use combinations of experimental and observational approaches to assess the effects of changes in pollinator communities over multiple years and across species on plant communities and on trait distributions both within and among species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Hederström
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Johan Ekroos
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Magne Friberg
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Theresia Krausl
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Øystein H Opedal
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Anna S Persson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Hampus Petrén
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yuanyuan Quan
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ye ZM, Jin XF, He YD, Cao Y, Zou Y, Wang QF, Traveset A, Bergamo PJ, Yang CF. The interplay between scale, pollination niche and floral attractiveness on density-dependent plant-pollinator interactions. Oecologia 2023; 203:193-204. [PMID: 37823959 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05461-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Pollinators mediate interspecific and intraspecific plant-plant indirect interactions (competition vs. facilitation) via density-dependent processes, potentially shaping the dynamics of plant communities. However, it is still unclear which ecological drivers regulate density-dependent patterns, including scale, pollination niches (i.e., the main pollinator functional group) and floral attractiveness to pollinators. In this study, we conducted three-year field observations in Hengduan Mountains of southwest China. By gathering data for more than 100 animal-pollinated plant species, we quantified the effect (positive vs. negative) of conspecific and heterospecific flower density on pollination at two scales: plot-level (4 m2) and site-level (100-5000 m2). Then, we investigated how pollination niches and floral attractiveness to pollinators (estimated here as average per-flower visitation rates) modulated density-dependent pollination interactions. Pollinator visitation depended on conspecific and heterospecific flower density, with rare plants subjected to interspecific competition at the plot-level and interspecific facilitation at the site-level. Such interspecific competition at the plot-level was stronger for plants pollinated by diverse insects, while interspecific facilitation at the site-level was stronger for bee-pollinated plants. Moreover, we also found stronger positive conspecific density-dependence for plants with lower floral attractiveness at the site-level, meaning that they become more frequently visited when abundant. Our study indicates that the role of pollination in maintaining rare plants and plant diversity depends on the balance of density-dependent processes in species-rich communities. We show here that such balance is modulated by scale, pollination niches and floral attractiveness to pollinators, indicating the context-dependency of diversity maintenance mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhong-Ming Ye
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xiao-Fang Jin
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yong-Deng He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Cao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yi Zou
- Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Qing-Feng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Anna Traveset
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, CSIC-UIB, Miquel Marqués 21, 07190, Esporles, Mallorca, Spain
| | - Pedro J Bergamo
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, 22460-030, Brazil.
| | - Chun-Feng Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
- Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gerits F, Reubens B, Messely L, De Smedt P, Landuyt D, Loos A, Verheyen K. Disentangling the interrelated abiotic and biotic pathways linking landscape composition and crop production. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Dries Landuyt
- Forest & Nature Lab Ghent University Gontrode Belgium
| | - Annelies Loos
- Forest & Nature Lab Ghent University Gontrode Belgium
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab Ghent University Gontrode Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Can novel seed mixes provide a more diverse, abundant, earlier, and longer-lasting floral resource for bees than current mixes? Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
6
|
Baden-Böhm F, Thiele J, Dauber J. Response of honeybee colony size to flower strips in agricultural landscapes depends on areal proportion, spatial distribution and plant composition. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
7
|
Van Drunen SG, Linton JE, Kuwahara G, Ryan Norris D. Flower plantings promote insect pollinator abundance and wild bee richness in Canadian agricultural landscapes. JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION 2022; 26:375-386. [PMID: 35783668 PMCID: PMC9237205 DOI: 10.1007/s10841-022-00400-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Global declines in pollinator populations are an ongoing concern from biodiversity and food security viewpoints. A growing conservation initiative in agricultural landscapes is the establishment of wildflowers on marginal lands to provide floral resources and habitat for pollinators. However, the effectiveness of such conservation and restoration efforts are not always assessed. We assessed the effectiveness of a private sector pollinator conservation initiative by (1) comparing insect abundance and richness between planted flower plots and control plots and (2) assessing changes between years. Over two years, planted flower plots and control plots (i.e. out-of-production farm areas) located in Canada were surveyed for insects using visual observation, netting, and pan trapping methods. Significantly more pollinators, especially wild bees, and higher wild bee richness were found in planted plots than control plots. Plot size had no effect on insect abundance and richness indicating that even small-scale flower plantings can provide benefits to pollinator communities. While pollinator, predator, and herbivore arthropod abundance and richness were stable or declined between years, likely due to adverse weather conditions in the second year of the study, wild bee abundance and richness increased over the same period. Our results support that flower plantings can be a successful conservation tool to increase pollinator and wild bee abundance and biodiversity within agricultural landscapes. IMPLICATIONS FOR INSECT CONSERVATION Small-scale flower plantings within agricultural landscapes are a simple and effective conservation management strategy to support local insect pollinator populations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10841-022-00400-8.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica E. Linton
- Natural Resource Solutions Inc, 415 Phillip St unit C, Waterloo, ON N2L 3X2 Canada
| | - Gregory Kuwahara
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Warzecha D, Diekötter T, Wolters V, Jauker F. Spatial configuration and landscape context of wildflower areas determine their benefits to pollinator α- and β-diversity. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
9
|
Scheper J, Bukovinszky T, Huigens ME, Kleijn D. Attractiveness of sown wildflower strips to flower-visiting insects depends on seed mixture and establishment success. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
10
|
McCullough CT, Angelella GM, O'Rourke ME. Landscape Context Influences the Bee Conservation Value of Wildflower Plantings. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 50:821-831. [PMID: 33899083 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvab036] [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: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollination provided by bees is a critical ecosystem service for agricultural production. However, bee populations are at risk from stressors such as habitat loss, pesticides, and disease. On-farm wildflower plantings is one mitigation strategy to provide habitat and resources for bees. In many instances, government programs can subsidize the installation of these plantings for private landowners. Semi-natural habitat (SNH) in the landscape is also important for bee conservation and may alter the effectiveness of wildflower plantings. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of wildflower plantings and interactions with SNH in the landscape for promoting bee abundance and richness. Bee surveys were conducted over 2 yr at 22 sites in eastern Virginia and Maryland. Wildflower plantings, averaging 0.22 ha in size, were installed and maintained by cooperators at 10 of the sites. In total, 5,122 bees were identified from 85 species. Wildflower plantings did not alter bee communities independently, but bee abundance was greater on farms with plantings and 20-30% SNH in the landscape. Bee abundance and richness had nonlinear responses to increasing SNH in the landscape. The positive effects for richness and abundance peaked when SNH was approximately 40% of the landscape. Similar to predictions of the intermediate-landscape complexity hypothesis, increases in bee abundance at wildflower sites were only detected in simplified landscapes. Results indicate that small wildflower plantings in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. only provided conservation benefits to bee communities under specific circumstances on the scale studied, and that conserving SNH across the landscape may be a more important strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gina M Angelella
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA,USA
| | - Megan E O'Rourke
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA,USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Staley JT, Redhead JW, O'Connor RS, Jarvis SG, Siriwardena GM, Henderson IG, Botham MS, Carvell C, Smart SM, Phillips S, Jones N, McCracken ME, Christelow J, Howell K, Pywell RF. Designing a survey to monitor multi-scale impacts of agri-environment schemes on mobile taxa. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 290:112589. [PMID: 33906116 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Agri-environment schemes (AES) are key mechanisms to deliver conservation policy, and include management to provide resources for target taxa. Mobile species may move to areas where resources are increased, without this necessarily having an effect across the wider countryside or on populations over time. Most assessments of AES efficacy have been at small spatial scales, over short timescales, and shown varying results. We developed a survey design based on orthogonal gradients of AES management at local and landscape scales, which will enable the response of several taxa to be monitored. An evidence review of management effects on butterflies, birds and pollinating insects provided data to score AES options. Predicted gradients were calculated using AES uptake, weighted by the evidence scores. Predicted AES gradients for each taxon correlated strongly, and with the average gradient across taxa, supporting the co-location of surveys across different taxa. Nine 1 × 1 km survey squares were selected in each of four regional blocks with broadly homogenous background habitat characteristics. Squares in each block covered orthogonal contrasts across the range of AES gradients at local and landscape scales. This allows the effects of AES on species at each scale, and the interaction between scales, to be tested. AES options and broad habitats were mapped in field surveys, to verify predicted gradients which were based on AES option uptake data. The verified AES gradient had a strong positive relationship with the predicted gradient. AES gradients were broadly independent of background habitat within each block, likely allowing AES effects to be distinguished from potential effects of other habitat variables. Surveys of several mobile taxa are ongoing. This design will allow mobile taxa responses to AES to be tested in the surrounding countryside, as well as on land under AES management, and potentially in terms of population change over time. The design developed here provides a novel, pseudo-experimental approach for assessing the response of mobile species to gradients of management at two spatial scales. A similar design process could be applied in other regions that require a standardized approach to monitoring the impacts of management interventions on target taxa at landscape scales, if equivalent spatial data are available.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J T Staley
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK.
| | - J W Redhead
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - R S O'Connor
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - S G Jarvis
- UKCEH, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - G M Siriwardena
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - I G Henderson
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - M S Botham
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - C Carvell
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - S M Smart
- UKCEH, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - S Phillips
- Natural England, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX, UK
| | - N Jones
- FERA Science Ltd, National Agri-food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK
| | - M E McCracken
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - J Christelow
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - K Howell
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - R F Pywell
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Middleton EG, MacRae IV, Philips CR. Floral Plantings in Large-Scale Commercial Agroecosystems Support Both Pollinators and Arthropod Predators. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12020091. [PMID: 33494363 PMCID: PMC7910871 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Pollinators and insect predators are in decline, largely due to commercial agricultural land use and practices. Planting a mixture of wildflowers in the unused margins of agricultural fields may help to conserve these insects and the important benefits that they provide (pollination and pest suppression). We compared wildflower plantings around commercial potato fields to unmanaged grass and weed margins to determine whether these plantings supported greater numbers of pollinators and predators. We found that wildflower plantings increased the numbers of both pollinators and predators within field margins. Additionally, margins with more flowers blooming led to more pollinators, although, interestingly, more flowers did not lead to more predators. This suggests that predators may benefit from wildflower plantings without needing the flowers they provide, while pollinators benefit from flowers specifically. When we measured pollinators and predators in the nearby potato crops, we found that wildflower plantings did not lead to greater numbers of pollinators or predators. Our results suggest that wildflower plantings can help conserve pollinators and predators in commercial agricultural areas, but that these beneficial insects do not move into adjacent crops, where they would be most likely to provide pollination or pest suppression services. Abstract Beneficial insect populations and the services that they provide are in decline, largely due to agricultural land use and practices. Establishing perennial floral plantings in the unused margins of crop fields can help conserve beneficial pollinators and predators in commercial agroecosystems. We assessed the impacts of floral plantings on both pollinators and arthropod predators when established adjacent to conventionally managed commercial potato fields. Floral plantings significantly increased the abundance of pollinators within floral margins compared with unmanaged margins. Increased floral cover within margins led to significantly greater pollinator abundance as well. The overall abundance of arthropod predators was also significantly increased in floral plantings, although it was unrelated to the amount of floral cover. Within adjacent potato crops, the presence of floral plantings in field margins had no effect on the abundance of pollinators or predators, although higher floral cover in margins did marginally increase in-crop pollinator abundance. Establishing floral plantings of this kind on a large scale in commercial agroecosystems can help conserve both pollinators and predators, but may not increase ecosystem services in nearby crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric G. Middleton
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave, 219 Hodson Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-801-707-0426
| | - Ian V. MacRae
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota Northwest Research and Outreach Center, 2900 University Ave, Crookston, MN 56716, USA;
| | - Christopher R. Philips
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, 170 Drillfield Drive, 220 Price Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Beyer N, Gabriel D, Kirsch F, Schulz‐Kesting K, Dauber J, Westphal C. Functional groups of wild bees respond differently to faba bean
Vicia faba
L. cultivation at landscape scale. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Beyer
- Functional Agrobiodiversity Department of Crop Sciences University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Doreen Gabriel
- Institute for Crop and Soil Science Julius Kühn‐Institut (JKI) Braunschweig Germany
| | - Felix Kirsch
- Functional Agrobiodiversity Department of Crop Sciences University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Katharina Schulz‐Kesting
- Thünen Institute of Biodiversity Braunschweig Germany
- Biodiversity of Agricultural Landscapes Institute of Geoecology Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
| | - Jens Dauber
- Thünen Institute of Biodiversity Braunschweig Germany
- Biodiversity of Agricultural Landscapes Institute of Geoecology Technische Universität Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity Department of Crop Sciences University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL) University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Geppert C, Hass A, Földesi R, Donkó B, Akter A, Tscharntke T, Batáry P. Agri‐environment schemes enhance pollinator richness and abundance but bumblebee reproduction depends on field size. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Geppert
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
- DAFNAE‐Entomology University of Padova Padova Italy
| | - Annika Hass
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
- Functional Agrobiodiversity Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
| | - Rita Földesi
- Agroecology and Organic Farming Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation University of Bonn Bonn Germany
| | - Bettina Donkó
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
| | - Asma Akter
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
| | - Péter Batáry
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
- “Lendület” Landscape and Conservation Ecology Institute of Ecology and Botany Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Li P, Kleijn D, Badenhausser I, Zaragoza‐Trello C, Gross N, Raemakers I, Scheper J. The relative importance of green infrastructure as refuge habitat for pollinators increases with local land‐use intensity. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pengyao Li
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences China Agricultural University Beijing China
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Isabelle Badenhausser
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé Université de La Rochelle Villiers en Bois France
- LTSER "ZA Plaine & Val de Sèvre" CNRS Villiers en Bois France
- Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Prairies Plantes Fourragères INRA Lusignan France
| | | | - Nicolas Gross
- Unité de Recherche sur l'Ecosystème Prairial INRA Université Clermont Auvergne Clermont‐Ferrand France
| | - Ivo Raemakers
- Independent Amateur Entomologist Maarheeze The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Scheper
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Adler LS, Barber NA, Biller OM, Irwin RE. Flowering plant composition shapes pathogen infection intensity and reproduction in bumble bee colonies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:11559-11565. [PMID: 32393622 PMCID: PMC7261119 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000074117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogens pose significant threats to pollinator health and food security. Pollinators can transmit diseases during foraging, but the consequences of plant species composition for infection is unknown. In agroecosystems, flowering strips or hedgerows are often used to augment pollinator habitat. We used canola as a focal crop in tents and manipulated flowering strip composition using plant species we had previously shown to result in higher or lower bee infection in short-term trials. We also manipulated initial colony infection to assess impacts on foraging behavior. Flowering strips using high-infection plant species nearly doubled bumble bee colony infection intensity compared to low-infection plant species, with intermediate infection in canola-only tents. Both infection treatment and flowering strips reduced visits to canola, but we saw no evidence that infection treatment shifted foraging preferences. Although high-infection flowering strips increased colony infection intensity, colony reproduction was improved with any flowering strips compared to canola alone. Effects of flowering strips on colony reproduction were explained by nectar availability, but effects of flowering strips on infection intensity were not. Thus, flowering strips benefited colony reproduction by adding floral resources, but certain plant species also come with a risk of increased pathogen infection intensity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lynn S Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003;
| | - Nicholas A Barber
- Ecology Program Area, Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182
| | - Olivia M Biller
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Thomson DM, Page ML. The importance of competition between insect pollinators in the Anthropocene. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 38:55-62. [PMID: 32145696 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Resource competition likely plays an important role in some insect pollinator declines and in shaping effects of environmental change on pollination services. Past research supports that competition for floral resources affects bee foragers, but mostly with observational evidence and rarely linking foraging with population change. An increasing number of studies ask whether resources limit pollinator populations, using field measurements of reproductive success, time series and models. Findings generally support positive effects of floral resources, but also highlight the potential importance of nest site availability and parasitism. In parallel, recent experiments strengthen evidence that competition reduces access to floral resources. Developing common currencies for quantifying floral resources and integrating analyses of multiple limiting factors will further strengthen our understanding of competitive interactions and their effects in the Anthropocene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diane M Thomson
- W.M. Keck Science Department, The Claremont Colleges, 925 N. Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711, United States.
| | - Maureen L Page
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Fijen TPM, Scheper JA, Boekelo B, Raemakers I, Kleijn D. Effects of landscape complexity on pollinators are moderated by pollinators' association with mass-flowering crops. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190387. [PMID: 30966983 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Conserving and restoring semi-natural habitat, i.e. enhancing landscape complexity, is one of the main strategies to mitigate pollinator decline in agricultural landscapes. However, we still have limited understanding of how landscape complexity shapes pollinator communities in both crop and non-crop habitat, and whether pollinator responses to landscape complexity vary with their association with mass-flowering crops. Here, we surveyed pollinator communities on mass-flowering leek crops and in nearby semi-natural habitat in landscapes of varying complexity. Surveys were done before and during crop bloom and distinguished between pollinators that visit the crop frequently (dominant), occasionally (opportunistic), or not at all (non-crop). Forty-seven per cent of the species in the wider landscape were also observed on leek flowers. Crop pollinator richness increased with local pollinator community size and increasing landscape complexity, but relationships were stronger for opportunistic than for dominant crop pollinators. Relationships between pollinator richness in semi-natural habitats and landscape complexity differed between groups with the most pronounced positive effects on non-crop pollinators. Our results indicate that while dominant crop pollinators are core components of crop pollinator communities in all agricultural landscapes, opportunistic crop pollinators largely determine species-richness responses and complex landscapes are local hotspots for both biodiversity conservation and potential ecosystem service provision.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thijs P M Fijen
- 1 Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen A Scheper
- 1 Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen , The Netherlands.,2 Animal Ecology Team, Wageningen Environmental Research , Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Bastiaen Boekelo
- 1 Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen , The Netherlands.,3 Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen , The Netherlands
| | - Ivo Raemakers
- 4 Van Caldenborghstraat 26, 6247CG Gronsveld , The Netherlands
| | - David Kleijn
- 1 Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University , Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB Wageningen , The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Integrating biodiversity conservation in wider landscape management: Necessity, implementation and evaluation. ADV ECOL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
20
|
O'Connor RS, Kunin WE, Garratt MPD, Potts SG, Roy HE, Andrews C, Jones CM, Peyton JM, Savage J, Harvey MC, Morris RKA, Roberts SPM, Wright I, Vanbergen AJ, Carvell C. Monitoring insect pollinators and flower visitation: The effectiveness and feasibility of different survey methods. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rory S. O'Connor
- Centre for Agri‐Environmental Research School of Agriculture, Policy and Development University of Reading Reading UK
- The Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
| | | | - Michael P. D. Garratt
- Centre for Agri‐Environmental Research School of Agriculture, Policy and Development University of Reading Reading UK
| | - Simon G. Potts
- Centre for Agri‐Environmental Research School of Agriculture, Policy and Development University of Reading Reading UK
| | | | | | - Catherine M. Jones
- The Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
- Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust Peterborough UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Stuart P. M. Roberts
- Centre for Agri‐Environmental Research School of Agriculture, Policy and Development University of Reading Reading UK
| | | | - Adam J. Vanbergen
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Penicuik UK
- AgroécologieAgroSup DijonINRAUniv. Bourgogne Franche‐Comté Dijon France
| | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Veen GF, Wubs ERJ, Bardgett RD, Barrios E, Bradford MA, Carvalho S, De Deyn GB, de Vries FT, Giller KE, Kleijn D, Landis DA, Rossing WAH, Schrama M, Six J, Struik PC, van Gils S, Wiskerke JSC, van der Putten WH, Vet LEM. Applying the Aboveground-Belowground Interaction Concept in Agriculture: Spatio-Temporal Scales Matter. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
|
22
|
Establishment of wildflower fields in poor quality landscapes enhances micro-parasite prevalence in wild bumble bees. Oecologia 2018; 189:149-158. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4296-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
|