DOCSLIB.ORG

Downloading Material Is Agreeing to Abide by the Terms of the Repository Licence

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Downloading Material Is Agreeing to Abide by the Terms of the Repository Licence Cronfa - Swansea University Open Access Repository _____________________________________________________________ This is an author produced version of a paper published in : Journal of Applied Ecology Cronfa URL for this paper: http://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa22329 _____________________________________________________________ Paper: Borger, L. (in press). Ecological traits affect the sensitivity of bees to land-use pressures in European agricultural landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology _____________________________________________________________ This article is brought to you by Swansea University. Any person downloading material is agreeing to abide by the terms of the repository licence. Authors are personally responsible for adhering to publisher restrictions or conditions. When uploading content they are required to comply with their publisher agreement and the SHERPA RoMEO database to judge whether or not it is copyright safe to add this version of the paper to this repository. http://www.swansea.ac.uk/iss/researchsupport/cronfa-support/ Journal of Applied Ecology Ecological traits affect the sensitivity of bees to land -use pressures in European agricultural landscapes Journal:For Journal Peer of Applied Ecology Review Manuscript ID: JAPPL-2015-00033.R2 Manuscript Type: Standard Paper Date Submitted by the Author: 03-Jun-2015 Complete List of Authors: De Palma, Adriana; Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences; Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences Kuhlmann, Michael; Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences Roberts, Stuart; The University of Reading, Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development Potts, Simon; The University of Reading, Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development Börger, Luca; Swansea University, Department of Biosciences, College of Science Hudson, Lawrence; Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences Lysenko, Igor; Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences Newbold, Tim; United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Purvis, Andy; Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences; Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences life-history traits, human impacts, ecosystem services, biodiversity, Key-words: pollinators, land-use change, land-use intensification Page 1 of 71 Journal of Applied Ecology Ecological traits affect the sensitivity of bees to land-use pressures in European agricultural landscapes Adriana De Palma1,2, Michael Kuhlmann2, Stuart P.M. Roberts3, Simon G. Potts3, Luca BFor¨orger4, Lawrence Peer N. Hudson Review2, Igor Lysenko1, Tim Newbold5 and Andy Purvis2,1 1Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, SL5 7PY, UK 2Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. 3Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK. 4Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK. 5United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntington Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK. Running title: European bee responses to land-use pressures Word Count: Summary: 282 words; main text: 3880 words; acknowledgements: 120 words; references: 1615 words; tables and figure legends: 1077 Number of tables: 4 Number of Figures: 4 Journal of Applied Ecology Page 2 of 71 Number of references: 65 Corresponding Author: Adriana De Palma, [email protected], Department of Life Sciences, Impe- rial College London, Silwood Park, SL5 7PY, UK. For Peer Review Page 3 of 71 Journal of Applied Ecology 1 Summary 2 1. Bees are a functionally important and economically valuable group, but are threatened by 3 land-use conversion and intensification. Such pressures are not expected to affect all species 4 identically; rather, they are likely to be mediated by the species’ ecological traits. 5 2. Understanding which types of species are most vulnerable under which land uses is an 6 important step towards effective conservation planning. 7 3. We collatedFor occurrence andPeer abundance dataReview for 257 bee species at 1,584 European sites 8 from surveys reported in 30 published papers (70,056 records), and combined them with 9 species-level ecological trait data. We used mixed-effects models to assess the importance 10 of land use (land-use class, agricultural use-intensity and a remotely-sensed measure of 11 vegetation), traits, and trait × land use interactions, in explaining species occurrence and 12 abundance. 13 4. Species’ sensitivity to land use was most strongly influenced by foraging range and flight 14 season, but also by niche breadth, phenology and reproductive strategy, with effects that 15 differed among cropland, pastoral and urban habitats. 16 5. Synthesis and applications. Rather than targeting particular species or settings, conser- 17 vation actions may be more effective if focused on mitigating situations where species’ 18 traits strongly and negatively interact with land-use pressures. We find evidence that low- 19 intensity agriculture can maintain relatively diverse bee communities; in more intensive 20 settings, added floral resources may be beneficial, but will require careful placement with 21 respect to foraging ranges of smaller bee species. Protection of semi-natural habitats is es- 22 sential, however; in particular, conversion to urban environments could have severe effects 23 on bee diversity and pollination services. Our results highlight the importance of exploring 24 how ecological traits mediate species responses to human impacts, but further research is 25 needed to enhance the predictive ability of such analyses. Journal of Applied Ecology Page 4 of 71 26 Keywords 27 Life-history traits; human impacts; ecosystem services; biodiversity, pollinators, land-use change, 28 land-use intensification. For Peer Review Page 5 of 71 Journal of Applied Ecology 29 Introduction 30 Bees are key providers of pollination services, which are vital for food security and the persistence 31 of many wild plants (Klein et al. 2007; Ollerton, Winfree & Tarrant 2011). However, many 32 bee species are threatened by changing and intensifying land use (Ollerton et al. 2014; Potts 33 et al. 2010). 34 Land-use change, such as conversion from semi-natural habitats to human-dominated land- 35 uses, can greatly impact bee communities. Urbanization, agricultural expansion and abandon- 36 ment are ongoingFor drivers of land-use Peer change in Europe Review (Verburg et al. 2006), which can affect bee 37 diversity through reduced floral and nesting resources (Forrest et al. 2015; Hernandez, Frankie & 38 Thorp 2009). Semi-natural habitats are prime targets for land conversion (Verburg et al. 2006). 39 Such habitat loss can affect pollination of crops as well as of wild flowers: as central place foragers, 40 bees often forage up to a few kilometres away from their nests (Greenleaf et al. 2007) so semi- 41 natural habitat can provide spill-over of pollination services to nearby cropland and vice-versa 42 (Blitzer et al. 2012). 43 Agricultural intensification—through decreased crop diversity and increased external inputs— 44 is another major pressure, which can impact bees directly by increasing mortality and indirectly 45 by decreasing resource availability (Potts et al. 2010; Roulston & Goodell 2011). For instance, 46 neonicotinoid pesticides restrict colony growth and queen production in bumblebees, and limit 47 foraging success and survival of honeybees (Henry et al. 2012; Whitehorn et al. 2012). Nitrogen 48 fertilizer and herbicides can affect bees indirectly by reducing the diversity of plants (Kleijn 49 et al. 2009) and thus foraging resources (Roulston & Goodell 2011). Reductions in non-crop 50 habitat as management intensifies can reduce the availability of nesting sites, while increased 51 tillage in cropland disturbs the nesting sites of some species (Shuler, Roulston & Farris 2005). 52 These pressures are unlikely to affect all species identically, but are expected to be mediated 53 by species’ traits (Murray et al. 2009; Roulston & Goodell 2011). In general, species with 54 narrower niches—in terms of space, time, phenotype, or interspecific interactions—are predicted 55 to be more sensitive than generalists (Den Boer 1968; Kassen 2002). Bee species’ traits may 56 specifically influence vulnerability to land use; for instance, larger foraging ranges facilitate for- 57 aging in fragmented landscapes, but may increase the likelihood of contact with pesticides and Journal of Applied Ecology Page 6 of 71 58 indicate greater resource needs. Others traits can influence susceptibility to demographic stress 59 and stochastic events; for example, a higher reproductive capacity may buffer species against 60 disturbances, but may indicate greater resource requirements. 61 Identifying traits that render species vulnerable to human impacts can help inform and guide 62 effective conservation priorities. Most previous attempts to identify ecological correlates of bee 63 vulnerability to human impacts have focused on a relatively small number of sites and threats, or 64 on museum collections rather than ecological survey data (e.g. Bartomeus et al. 2013a; V´azquez & 65 Simberloff 2002). One exception is Williams et al’s (2010) global multi-species analysis, which 66 found that someFor traits correlated Peer with vulnerability Review to multiple threats: for instance, above-
Load more

Recommended publications
  • UNIVERSITY of READING Delivering Biodiversity and Pollination Services on Farmland
    UNIVERSITY OF READING Delivering biodiversity and pollination services on farmland: a comparison of three wildlife- friendly farming schemes Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Agri-Environmental Research School of Agriculture, Policy and Development Chloe J. Hardman June 2016 Declaration I confirm that this is my own work and the use of all material from other sources has been properly and fully acknowledged. Chloe Hardman i Abstract Gains in food production through agricultural intensification have come at an environmental cost, including reductions in habitat diversity, species diversity and some ecosystem services. Wildlife- friendly farming schemes aim to mitigate the negative impacts of agricultural intensification. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of three schemes using four matched triplets of farms in southern England. The schemes were: i) a baseline of Entry Level Stewardship (ELS: a flexible widespread government scheme, ii) organic agriculture and iii) Conservation Grade (CG: a prescriptive, non-organic, biodiversity-focused scheme). We examined how effective the schemes were in supporting habitat diversity, species diversity, floral resources, pollinators and pollination services. Farms in CG and organic schemes supported higher habitat diversity than farms only in ELS. Plant and butterfly species richness were significantly higher on organic farms and butterfly species richness was marginally higher on CG farms compared to farms in ELS. The species richness of plants, butterflies, solitary bees and birds in winter was significantly correlated with local habitat diversity. Organic farms supported more evenly distributed floral resources and higher nectar densities compared to farms in CG or ELS. Compared to maximum estimates of pollen demand from six bee species, only organic farms supplied sufficient pollen in late summer.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chemical Ecology and Evolution of Bee–Flower Interactions: a Review and Perspectives1
    668 REVIEW / SYNTHE` SE The chemical ecology and evolution of bee–flower interactions: a review and perspectives1 S. Do¨ tterl and N.J. Vereecken Abstract: Bees and angiosperms have shared a long and intertwined evolutionary history and their interactions have re- sulted in remarkable adaptations. Yet, at a time when the ‘‘pollination crisis’’ is of major concern as natural populations of both wild and honey bees (Apis mellifera L., 1758) face alarming decline rates at a worldwide scale, there are important gaps in our understanding of the ecology and evolution of bee–flower interactions. In this review, we summarize and dis- cuss the current knowledge about the role of floral chemistry versus other communication channels in bee-pollinated flow- ering plants, both at the macro- and micro-evolutionary levels, and across the specialization–generalization gradient. The available data illustrate that floral scents and floral chemistry have been largely overlooked in bee–flower interactions, and that pollination studies integrating these components along with pollinator behaviour in a phylogenetic context will help gain considerable insights into the sensory ecology and the evolution of bees and their associated flowering plants. Re´sume´ : Les abeilles et les angiospermes partagent une grande partie de leur histoire e´volutive, et leurs interactions ont produit de remarquables exemples d’adaptations mutuelles. Cependant, a` une e´poque ou` la « crise de la pollinisation » de- vient une pre´occupation majeure et ou` les populations d’abeilles sauvages et mellife`res (Apis mellifera L., 1758) font face a` des de´clins massifs a` l’e´chelle mondiale, notre compre´hension de l’e´cologie et de l’e´volution des relations abeilles- plantes demeure fragmentaire.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of the Diet and Micro-Habitat Values for Wildlife and the Agronomic Potential of Selected Grassland Plant Species
    Report Number 697 Review of the diet and micro-habitat values for wildlifeand the agronomic potential of selected grassland plant species English Nature Research Reports working today for nature tomorrow English Nature Research Reports Number 697 Review of the diet and micro-habitat values for wildlife and the agronomic potential of selected grassland plant species S.R. Mortimer, R. Kessock-Philip, S.G. Potts, A.J. Ramsay, S.P.M. Roberts & B.A. Woodcock Centre for Agri-Environmental Research University of Reading, PO Box 237, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AR A. Hopkins, A. Gundrey, R. Dunn & J. Tallowin Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research North Wyke Research Station, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2SB J. Vickery & S. Gough British Trust for Ornithology The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU You may reproduce as many additional copies of this report as you like for non-commercial purposes, provided such copies stipulate that copyright remains with English Nature, Northminster House, Peterborough PE1 1UA. However, if you wish to use all or part of this report for commercial purposes, including publishing, you will need to apply for a licence by contacting the Enquiry Service at the above address. Please note this report may also contain third party copyright material. ISSN 0967-876X © Copyright English Nature 2006 Project officer Heather Robertson, Terrestrial Wildlife Team [email protected] Contractor(s) (where appropriate) S.R. Mortimer, R. Kessock-Philip, S.G. Potts, A.J. Ramsay, S.P.M. Roberts & B.A. Woodcock Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, University of Reading, PO Box 237, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AR A.
    [Show full text]
  • Gaddsteklar I Östergötland – Inventeringar I Sand- Och Grusmiljöer 2002-2007, Samt Övriga Fynd I Östergötlands Län
    Gaddsteklar i Östergötland Inventeringar i sand- och grusmiljöer 2002-2007, samt övriga fynd i Östergötlands län LÄNSSTYRELSEN ÖSTERGÖTLAND Titel: Gaddsteklar i Östergötland – Inventeringar i sand- och grusmiljöer 2002-2007, samt övriga fynd i Östergötlands län Författare: Tommy Karlsson Utgiven av: Länsstyrelsen Östergötland Hemsida: http://www.e.lst.se Beställningsadress: Länsstyrelsen Östergötland 581 86 Linköping Länsstyrelsens rapport: 2008:9 ISBN: 978-91-7488-216-2 Upplaga: 400 ex Rapport bör citeras: Karlsson, T. 2008. Gaddsteklar i Östergötland – Inventeringar i sand- och grusmiljöer 2002-2007, samt övriga fynd i Östergötlands län. Länsstyrelsen Östergötland, rapport 2008:9. Omslagsbilder: Trätapetserarbi Megachile ligniseca Bålgeting Vespa crabro Finmovägstekel Arachnospila abnormis Illustrationer: Kenneth Claesson POSTADRESS: BESÖKSADRESS: TELEFON: TELEFAX: E-POST: WWW: 581 86 LINKÖPING Östgötagatan 3 013 – 19 60 00 013 – 10 31 18 [email protected] e.lst.se Rapport nr: 2008:9 ISBN: 978-91-7488-216-2 LÄNSSTYRELSEN ÖSTERGÖTLAND Förord Länsstyrelsen Östergötland arbetar konsekvent med för länet viktiga naturtyper inom naturvårdsarbetet. Med viktig menas i detta sammanhang biotoper/naturtyper som hyser en mångfald hotade arter och där Östergötland har ett stort ansvar – en stor andel av den svenska arealen och arterna. Det har tidigare inneburit stora satsningar på eklandskap, Omberg, skärgården, ängs- och hagmarker och våra kalkkärr och kalktorrängar. Till dessa naturtyper bör nu också de öppna sandmarkerna fogas. Denna inventering och sammanställning visar på dessa markers stora biologiska mångfald och rika innehåll av hotade och rödlistade arter. Detta är ju bra nog men dessutom betyder de solitära bina, humlorna och andra pollinerande insekter väldigt mycket för den ekologiska balansen och funktionaliteten i naturen.
    [Show full text]
  • Iconic Bees: 12 Reports on UK Bee Species
    Iconic Bees: 12 reports on UK bee species Bees are vital to the ecology of the UK and provide significant social and economic benefits through crop pollination and maintaining the character of the landscape. Recent years have seen substantial declines in many species of bees within the UK. This report takes a closer look at how 12 ‘iconic’ bee species are faring in each English region, as well as Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Authors Rebecca L. Evans and Simon G. Potts, University of Reading. Photo: © Amelia Collins Contents 1 Summary 2 East England Sea-aster Mining Bee 6 East Midlands Large Garden Bumblebee 10 London Buff-tailed Bumblebee 14 North East Bilberry Bumblebee 18 North West Wall Mason Bee 22 Northern Ireland Northern Colletes 26 Scotland Great Yellow Bumblebee 30 South East England Potter Flower Bee 34 South West England Scabious Bee 38 Wales Large Mason Bee 42 West Midlands Long-horned Bee 46 Yorkshire Tormentil Mining Bee Through collating information on the 12 iconic bee species, common themes have Summary emerged on the causes of decline, and the actions that can be taken to help reverse it. The most pervasive causes of bee species decline are to be found in the way our countryside has changed in the past 60 years. Intensification of grazing regimes, an increase in pesticide use, loss of biodiverse field margins and hedgerows, the trend towards sterile monoculture, insensitive development and the sprawl of towns and cities are the main factors in this. I agree with the need for a comprehensive Bee Action Plan led by the UK Government in order to counteract these causes of decline, as called for by Friends of the Earth.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Species of the Genus Xiphophorus H ECKEL 1848
    311 Senckenbergiana biol. (1987) I 68 (4/6) I 311-321 Frankfurt am Main, 27. 06. 1988 A new species of the genus Xiphopho rus H ECKEL 1848, endemic to northern Coahuila, Mexico (Pisces: Poeciliidae). By MANFRED ScHARTL, & JoHANNES HoRsT ScHRÖDER, Maninsried, Neuherberg. With 7 figures and 3 tables. Abstract: Xiphophorus meyeri n. sp. is described as an endemiete Muzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico. It appears tobe the northernmost species of the genus. The new species is related to X. couchianus and X. gordoni, but differs morphologically from those by dorsal fin ray number, by the expression of some gonopodial features and most markedly by the appearance of macromelanophores or tr-melanophores. Introduction. Xiphophorus HECKEL 1848 is one of the most studied groups of fish, ranging from molecular biology and genetics to morphology and ethology. Phylogenetically, xiphophorin fish may be regarded to date as being still in a very active stage of speciation (ANDERS & ScHARTL 1984; MoRIZOT & SICILIANO 1982). Taxonomy has placed the different forms of Xiphophorus into 17 species [ROSEN 1979, MEYER & ScHARTL 1979), six of which are endemics. However, the ranking of some taxa as species (e. g. X. couchianus (GIRARD 1859) and gordoni MrLLER & MINCKLEY 1903; X. variatus (MEEK 1904) and evelynae RosEN 1960] gives the false impression of a higher degree of genetic distance, which is not con­ firmed by tbe wide range of reproductive compatibility between different taxa (at least under Iabaratory conditions), by the occurrence of natural hybrids (MEYER 1983), and by evaluating genetic distances on the protein Ievel (MoruzOT & SICILIANO, 1982) and the DNA-level (ScHARTL unpubl.).
    [Show full text]
  • Competition Between Honeybees and Wild Danish Bees in an Urban Area
    Competition between honeybees and wild Danish bees in an urban area Thomas Blindbæk 20072975 Master thesis MSc Aarhus University Department of bioscience Supervised by Yoko Luise Dupont 60 ECTS Master thesis English title: Competition between honeybees and wild Danish bees in an urban area Danish title: Konkurrence mellem honningbier og vilde danske bier i et bymiljø Author: Thomas Blindbæk Project supervisor: Yoko Luise Dupont, institute for bioscience, Silkeborg department Date: 16/06/17 Front page: Andrena fulva, photo by Thomas Blindbæk 2 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................ 5 Resumé ........................................................................................................ 6 Introduction .................................................................................................. 7 Honeybees .............................................................................................. 7 Pollen specialization and nesting preferences of wild bees .............................. 7 Competition ............................................................................................. 8 The urban environment ........................................................................... 10 Study aims ............................................................................................ 11 Methods ...................................................................................................... 12 Pan traps ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Explorando El Efecto De Los Usos Del Suelo Sobre La Biodiversidad Y Los Servicios De Los Ecosistemas: Un Análisis Basado En La Diversidad Taxonómica Y Funcional
    Explorando el efecto de los usos del suelo sobre la biodiversidad y los servicios de los ecosistemas: un análisis basado en la diversidad taxonómica y funcional TESIS DOCTORAL 2016 Violeta Hevia Martín UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE MADRID FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS Departamento Interuniversitario de Ecología Explorando el efecto de los usos del suelo sobre la biodiversidad y los servicios de los ecosistemas: un análisis basado en la diversidad taxonómica y funcional Memoria presentada por Violeta Hevia Martín para optar al Grado de Doctora en Ecología por la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Bajo la dirección de: José A. González Nóvoa Departamento de Ecología Universidad Autónoma de Madrid TESIS DOCTORAL Madrid, enero de 2017 La presente tesis doctoral ha sido realizada en el Laboratorio de Socio-Ecosistemas del Departamento de Ecología de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, con una estancia en el Departamento de Botánica, de la Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Bohemia del Sur (České Budějovice, República Checa). El desarrollo de las investigaciones ha sido posible gracias a los proyectos “Efectos de la gestión del territorio en la capacidad de la biodiversidad de suministrar servicios a la sociedad: evidencias en tres sistemas socio-ecológicos” (CGL2011-30266), y “Evaluación de los flujos de los servicios de los ecosistemas en gradientes rural- urbanos: aplicabilidad a la planificación socio-ecológica del territorio” (CGL2014- 53782), financiados por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, y al proyecto “Operationalisation of Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services: from Concepts to Real- world Applications” financiado por la Unión Europea en el Séptimo Programa Marco. Ilustración de la portada: Adrián Martín Llorente Ilustración de la contracubierta: Noelia López Maquetación del texto: Carlos Pérez Carmona Créditos fotográficos: Elisa Oteros Rozas, José A.
    [Show full text]
  • Bumble Bees of the Susa Valley (Hymenoptera Apidae)
    Bulletin of Insectology 63 (1): 137-152, 2010 ISSN 1721-8861 Bumble bees of the Susa Valley (Hymenoptera Apidae) Aulo MANINO, Augusto PATETTA, Giulia BOGLIETTI, Marco PORPORATO Di.Va.P.R.A. - Entomologia e Zoologia applicate all’Ambiente “Carlo Vidano”, Università di Torino, Grugliasco, Italy Abstract A survey of bumble bees (Bombus Latreille) of the Susa Valley was conducted at 124 locations between 340 and 3,130 m a.s.l. representative of the whole territory, which lies within the Cottian Central Alps, the Northern Cottian Alps, and the South-eastern Graian Alps. Altogether 1,102 specimens were collected and determined (180 queens, 227 males, and 695 workers) belonging to 30 species - two of which are represented by two subspecies - which account for 70% of those known in Italy, demonstrating the particular value of the area examined with regard to environmental quality and biodiversity. Bombus soroeensis (F.), Bombus me- somelas Gerstaecker, Bombus ruderarius (Mueller), Bombus monticola Smith, Bombus pratorum (L.), Bombus lucorum (L.), Bombus terrestris (L.), and Bombus lapidarius (L.) can be considered predominant, each one representing more than 5% of the collected specimens, 12 species are rather common (1-5% of specimens) and the remaining nine rare (less than 1%). A list of col- lected specimens with collection localities and dates is provided. To illustrate more clearly the altitudinal distribution of the dif- ferent species, the capture locations were grouped by altitude. 83.5% of the samples is also provided with data on the plant on which they were collected, comprising a total of 52 plant genera within 20 plant families.
    [Show full text]
  • Bees and Wasps of the East Sussex South Downs
    A SURVEY OF THE BEES AND WASPS OF FIFTEEN CHALK GRASSLAND AND CHALK HEATH SITES WITHIN THE EAST SUSSEX SOUTH DOWNS Steven Falk, 2011 A SURVEY OF THE BEES AND WASPS OF FIFTEEN CHALK GRASSLAND AND CHALK HEATH SITES WITHIN THE EAST SUSSEX SOUTH DOWNS Steven Falk, 2011 Abstract For six years between 2003 and 2008, over 100 site visits were made to fifteen chalk grassland and chalk heath sites within the South Downs of Vice-county 14 (East Sussex). This produced a list of 227 bee and wasp species and revealed the comparative frequency of different species, the comparative richness of different sites and provided a basic insight into how many of the species interact with the South Downs at a site and landscape level. The study revealed that, in addition to the character of the semi-natural grasslands present, the bee and wasp fauna is also influenced by the more intensively-managed agricultural landscapes of the Downs, with many species taking advantage of blossoming hedge shrubs, flowery fallow fields, flowery arable field margins, flowering crops such as Rape, plus plants such as buttercups, thistles and dandelions within relatively improved pasture. Some very rare species were encountered, notably the bee Halictus eurygnathus Blüthgen which had not been seen in Britain since 1946. This was eventually recorded at seven sites and was associated with an abundance of Greater Knapweed. The very rare bees Anthophora retusa (Linnaeus) and Andrena niveata Friese were also observed foraging on several dates during their flight periods, providing a better insight into their ecology and conservation requirements.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity of Insect Pollinators with Reference to Their Impact on Yield Production of Canola (Brassica Napus L.) in Ismailia, Egypt
    Pestic. Phytomed. (Belgrade), 30(3), 2015, 161–168 UDC 581.162.3:595.7:574.3:631.559(620) DOI: 10.2298/PIF1503161K Original scientific paper Diversity of insect pollinators with reference to their impact on yield production of canola (Brassica napus L.) in Ismailia, Egypt Soliman M. Kamel1, Hatem M. Mahfouz2, Abd El-Fatah H. Blal2, Maysa Said2 and Mahmoud F. Mahmoud1* 1 Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt 2 Plant Production Department, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Suez Canal University El-Arish, Egypt (*[email protected]) Received: May 14, 2015 Accepted: June 19, 2015 SUMMARY A study of insect pollinators and their impact on canola yield was conducted during the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 growing seasons. The study was carried out at an experimental farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia. The results revealed that 21 species of insect pollinators belonging to 14 families under four orders visited canola flowers. The abundance of Hymenoptera insects reached the maximum of 67.90%, followed by Diptera 14.97%, Coleoptera 13.61%, then Lepidoptera 2.26% as average of both seasons. In open pollination, Colletes lacunatus had the maximum percent abundance in the two seasons (30.45 and 29.34%, respectively) followed by Apis mellifera (12.34 and 17.73%, respectively), compared to other bees and different pollinators. Peaks of foraging activity of both C. lacunatus and A. mellifera were mainly observed from 1:00 to 3:00 pm and they corresponded to the number of flowering plants. Open pollination increased the number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, weight of 1000 seeds, yield per plant, yield per feddan (1 fed = 0.42 ha) and seed germination, compared to non-open pollination.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity of Pollinator Communities in Eastern Fennoscandia and Eastern Baltics Results from Pilot Monitoring with Yellow Traps in 1997 - 1998
    1 The Ei nnish Envi ron ment 44 NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES Guy Söderman Diversity of pollinator communities in Eastern Fennoscandia and Eastern Baltics Results from pilot morntorrng with Yellow traps in 1997 - 1998 1 / •--1 4 -- . Ö . O4 FINNISH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE The Finnish Environment 355 Diversity of pollinator communities in Eastern Fennoscandia and Eastern Baltics Results from pilot monitoring with Yellow traps in 1997 - 1998 HELSINKI 1999 . .. .. .. .. ... ...... .. .. FINNISH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE ISBN 952-I 1-0579-8 ISSN 1238-73 12 Cover phota: Reima Leinonen (Bombus Iucorum) Maps: Estonian Envimnment lnformation Centre Makeup: Pikseri]ulkaisupalvelut Oy Edita Ab Helsinki 1999 0 The Finnish Environment 355 Contents ...... 1 Introduction . ...... 5 2 i1ethods and t.,Iaterial . 7 3 Groups, Ecology and Behaviour ofPollinators 9 4 Threatened Species 1 1 5 Results frorn Conparative Tests 12 6 Species Composition, Distribution and Abundance 16 6.1 Social Bees (Apidae) 16 6.2 Solitary Bees (Apoidea, other families) 28 6.3 Social Wasps (Vespfdae) 30 6.4 Solitary Wasps (Eumenidae) 32 6.5 Hoverfties (Syrphfdae) 33 6.6 Other Groups 37 7 Relation between Captures and Natural Fauna 39 7.1 Within-Species Relations 39 7.2 Between-Spedes Relatfons 39 8 Diversity andAssociated Features of the Fauna 42 8.1 Quantitative Aspects of Pollfnator Diversfty 42 8.2 Qualftative Aspects of Pollinator Diversity 45 8.3 1ffects of Land Use 47 9 Discussion and Conclusions 49 9.1 Yellow-trapping as a Monitoring Technfque 49 9.2 Changes in the fauna and Species Abundancy 50 10 Acknoi.vledgeiiients 5 1 1 1 Literature 52 Ilnnexes 55 TheFinnshEnvironment355 0 0 .
    [Show full text]