Logging in boreal field-forest ecotones promotes flower-visiting insect diversity and modifies insect community composition

Declines in flora and fauna are well documented and highlight the need to manage available habitats to benefit local biodiversity. Between May and September in 2011 the number, composition, and diversity of flower visiting insects were assessed across eight sites, representing a range of habitats within an industrial site in the North East of England, UK. There was no significant difference in insect assemblages between the sites selected, but there was a significant difference between the months surveyed. Flower density was highlighted as the most important factor driving these changes between months and indicates that flower density is more important to a site for insect diversity than the presence of specific habitats. Analysis of the insect communities each month allowed comparison of dominant insects to the flower density data, highlighting sites where management intervention could be initiated to benefit insect diversity, or alternatively specific management plans to encourage target species. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of correct data interpretation to answer specific management objectives and recommends analysing the insect community interactions to determine the dominant species present prior to undertaking any management of the site in question.

Download Full-text

INSECT DIVERSITY, COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AND DAMAGE INDEX ON WILD AND CULTIVATED MURTILLA

Ciencia e investigación agraria ◽

10.4067/s0718-16202016000100006 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 6-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Manuel A Chacón-Fuentes ◽

Marcelo G Lizama ◽

Leonardo J Parra ◽

Ivette E Seguel ◽

Andres E Quíroz

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Damage Index ◽

Insect Diversity

Download Full-text

Species turnover in plants does not predict turnover in flower-visiting insects

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6139 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e6139 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John P. Simaika ◽

Michael Samways ◽

Sven M. Vrdoljak

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Conservation Planning ◽

Species Turnover ◽

Full Range ◽

Cape Floristic Region ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Insect Diversity ◽

Geographical Distance ◽

Distribution Shape ◽

Flower Visiting

Congruence between plant and insect diversity is considered possibly useful in conservation planning, as the better known plants could be surrogates for the lesser known insects. There has been little quantification of congruence across space, especially in biodiversity rich areas. We compare here species richness, and turnover relationships between plants and flower-visiting insects across space (0.5–80 km) in natural areas of a biodiversity hotspot, the Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. A total of 22,352 anthophile individuals in 198 species and 348 plant species were sampled. A comparison between the plants and anthophiles suggest significant concordance between the two assemblages. However, turnover was weaker in plants than in anthophiles. Plant turnover decreased with greater geographical distance between plot pairs. In contrast, insect turnover remained high with increasing geographical distance between plot pairs. These findings suggest that while patterns of plant diversity and distribution shape flower-visiting insect assemblages, they are not reliable surrogates. The conservation significance of these results is that specialist mutualisms are at greatest risk, and that set-asides on farms would help improve the functional connectivity leading to the maintenance of the full range of mutualisms.

Download Full-text

Plant cover associated with aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) mediates insect community composition in steppes of Northwest China

Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology ◽

10.1016/j.aspen.2018.01.017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 361-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zihua Zhao ◽

Gadi V.P. Reddy ◽

Shuhua Wei ◽

Mengmeng Zhu ◽

Kaiyang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Primary Productivity ◽

Net Primary Productivity ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Northwest China ◽

Insect Community ◽

Aboveground Net Primary Productivity

Download Full-text

Busy Bees: Variation in Insect Flower-Visiting Rates across Multiple Plant Species

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2015/134630 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Margaret J. Couvillon ◽

Chandra M. Walter ◽

Eluned M. Blows ◽

Tomer J. Czaczkes ◽

Karin L. Alton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Plant Species ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Bumble Bees ◽

The Other ◽

Insect Diversity ◽

Visitation Rates ◽

Insect Visitation ◽

Flower Visiting

We quantified insect visitation rates by counting how many flowers/inflorescences were probed per unit time for five plant species (four native and one garden: California lilac, bramble, ragwort, wild marjoram, and ivy) growing in Sussex, United Kingdom, by following individual insects (n=2987) from nine functional groups (honey bees (Apis mellifera), bumble bees (Bombusspp.), hoverflies, flies, butterflies, beetles, wasps, non-Apidae bees, and moths). Additionally, we made a census of the insect diversity on the studied plant species. Overall we found that insect groups differed greatly in their rate of flower visits (P<2.2e-16), with bumble bees and honey bees visiting significantly more flowers per time (11.5 and 9.2 flowers/minute, resp.) than the other insect groups. Additionally, we report on a within-group difference in the non-Apidae bees, where the genusOsmia, which is often suggested as an alternative to honey bees as a managed pollinator, was very speedy (13.4 flowers/minute) compared to the other non-Apidae bees (4.3 flowers/minute). Our census showed that the plants attracted a range of insects, with the honey bee as the most abundant visitor (34%). Therefore, rate differences cannot be explained by particular specializations. Lastly, we discuss potential implications of our conclusions for pollination.

Download Full-text