scholarly journals Using Matching Traits to Study the Impacts of Land-Use Intensification on Plant–Pollinator Interactions in European Grasslands: A Review

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 680
Author(s):  
Jérémie Goulnik ◽  
Sylvain Plantureux ◽  
Isabelle Dajoz ◽  
Alice Michelot-Antalik
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Land Use Intensification ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Permanent grasslands are suitable habitats for many plant and animal species, among which are pollinating insects that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. A global crisis in pollination ecosystem service has been highlighted in recent decades, partly the result of land-use intensification. At the grassland scale, however, the underlying mechanisms of land-use intensification that affect plant–pollinator interactions and pollination remain understudied. In this review, we first synthesise the literature to provide new insights into the relationships between land-use intensification and pollination by using matching community and interaction traits. We then identify knowledge gaps and summarise how land-use intensification of grassland influences floral traits that may in turn be associated with modifications to pollinator matching traits. Last, we summarise how these modifications may affect pollination function on permanent grasslands. Overall, land-use intensification may lead to a shift in flower colour, a decrease in mean nectar tube depth and a decrease in reward production and pollen quality at the community level. This, in turn, may generate a decrease in pollinator mouthparts length and body size, that may favour pollinators that require a low amount of floral reward. We found no study citing the effect of land-use intensification on volatile organic compounds emitted by flowers despite the importance of these molecules in pollinator community composition. Overall, our review highlighted major knowledge gaps about the effects of land-use intensification on plant–pollinator interactions, and suggests that land-use intensification could favour plants with generalised floral traits that adversely affect pollination.

scholarly journals The effect of landscape on Cucurbita pepo-pollinator interaction networks varies depending on plants’ genetic diversity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Landaverde-González ◽  
Eunice Enríquez ◽  
Juan Núñez-Farfán
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Cucurbita Pepo ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Network Evolution ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Male Flowers ◽  
Plant Pollinator

AbstractIn recent years, evidence has been found that plant-pollinator interactions are altered by land-use and that genetic diversity also plays a role. However, how land-use and genetic diversity influence plant–pollinator interactions, particularly in the Neotropics, where many endemic plants exist is still an open question. Cucurbita pepo is a monoecious plant and traditional crop wide distributed, with high rates of molecular evolution, landraces associated with human cultural management and a history of coevolution with bees, which makes this species a promising model for studying the effect of landscape and genetic diversity on plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we assess (1) whether female and male flowers differences have an effect on the interaction network, (2) how C. pepo genetic diversity affects flower-bee visitation network structure, and (3) what is the effect that land-use, accounting for C. pepo genetic variability, has on pumpkin-bee interaction network structure. Our results indicate that female and male flowers presented the same pollinator community composition and interaction network structure suggesting that female/male differences do not have a significant effect on network evolution. Genetic diversity has a positive effect on modularity, nestedness and number of interactions. Further, the effect of semi-natural areas on nestedness could be buffered when genetic diversity is high. Our results suggest that considering genetic diversity is relevant for a better understanding of the effect of land-use on interaction networks. Additionally, this understanding has great value in conserving biodiversity and enhancing the stability of interaction networks in a world facing great challenges of habitat and diversity loss.

scholarly journals Visibility and attractiveness of Fritillaria (Liliaceae) flowers to potential pollinators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Roguz ◽  
Laurence Hill ◽  
Sebastian Koethe ◽  
Klaus Lunau ◽  
Agata Roguz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Reward ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Nectar Guides ◽  
Flower Colours ◽  
Visual Attraction ◽  
Floral Characters ◽  
Plant Pollinator

AbstractVisual floral characters play an important role in shaping plant-pollinator interactions. The genus Fritillaria L. (Liliaceae), comprising approximately 140 species, is described as displaying a remarkable variety of flower colours and sizes. Despite this variation in visual floral traits of fritillaries, little is known about the potential role of these features in shaping plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we seek to clarify the role of visual attraction in species offering a robust food reward for pollinators early in the spring, which is the case for Fritillaria. We also searched for potential tendencies in the evolution of floral traits crucial for plant-pollinator communication. The generality of species with green and purple flowers may indicate an influence of environmental factors other than pollinators. The flowers of the studied species seem to be visible but not very visually attractive to potential pollinators. The food rewards are hidden within the nodding perianth, and both traits are conserved among fritillaries. Additionally, visual floral traits are not good predictors of nectar properties. When in the flowers, pollinators are navigated by nectar guides in the form of contrasting nectary area colouration. Flower colour does not serve as a phenotypic filter against illegitimate pollinators—red and orange bird-pollinated fritillaries are visible to bees.

scholarly journals Evolution of honest reward signal in flowers

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1943) ◽  
pp. 20202848
Author(s):  
Koichi Ito ◽  
Miki F. Suzuki ◽  
Ko Mochizuki
Keyword(s):  
Flower Colour ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Honest Signal ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Honest Signals ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Rewardless Flowers ◽  
Plant Level ◽  
Signal Accuracy

Some flowering plants signal the abundance of their rewards by changing their flower colour, scent or other floral traits as rewards are depleted. These floral trait changes can be regarded as honest signals of reward states for pollinators. Previous studies have hypothesized that these signals are used to maintain plant-level attractiveness to pollinators, but the evolutionary conditions leading to the development of honest signals have not been well investigated from a theoretical basis. We examined conditions leading to the evolution of honest reward signals in flowers by applying a theoretical model that included pollinator response and signal accuracy. We assumed that pollinators learn floral traits and plant locations in association with reward states and use this information to decide which flowers to visit. While manipulating the level of associative learning, we investigated optimal flower longevity, the proportion of reward and rewardless flowers, and honest- and dishonest-signalling strategies. We found that honest signals are evolutionarily stable only when flowers are visited by pollinators with both high and low learning abilities. These findings imply that behavioural variation in learning within a pollinator community can lead to the evolution of an honest signal even when there is no contribution of rewardless flowers to pollinator attractiveness.

scholarly journals The winners and losers of land use intensification: pollinator community disassembly is non-random and alters functional diversity

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 908-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romina Rader ◽  
Ignasi Bartomeus ◽  
Jason M. Tylianakis ◽  
Etienne Laliberté
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Land Use Intensification ◽  
Pollinator Community

SOME TRENDS IN GRASSLAND FARMING IN EUROPE

1977 ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
R.W. Brougham
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Wide Range

IN an assessment such as this, one could cover a wide range of topics fairly shallowly or a lesser number in a bit more depth. I have opted for the latter. The topics discussed will embrace some trends in dairying, beef farming, sheep farming, hill country farming, and land use generally, species and variety usage in grassland farming, use of crude protein produced from pasture, and some implications of energy usage.

Key directions and methodological features of modern studies of land use changes

2019 ◽  
pp. 62-68
Author(s):  
Pavlo Kazmir ◽  
Lyubomyr Kazmir
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Scientific Discipline ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Land Change Science ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Land Relations ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
Planning Methodology

Interest in land-use changes (LUC) research has been growing rapidly in recent years. This topic has already become the subject of a separate scientific discipline – land use science (or land change science). In order to formulate relevant future policy and develop appropriate land-use management tools, it is crucial to know how the LUC шьзфсе the environment and society condition. For Ukraine, where the structure of land use and the system of land resources management have significantly changed during the years of post-socialist transformation of land relations, the study of the LUC on a modern methodological basis is especially actual. The paper, based on a critical analysis of publications in leading international journals over the last thirty years, identifies key directions of LUC studies and analyzes their methodological features. There is a significant increase of the number of works based on the results of meta-studies and the use of a wide range of methods for modeling the LUC processes, their causes and possible consequences. The great "synergistic potential" of integration of the selected directions is noted, which makes it possible to accelerate the development of the general theory of land use and increase its use efficiency in substantiation of management decisions in the sphere of land use and modernization of the mechanisms of state land, spatial and ecological policies with consideration of existing and potential globalizing challenges. In this context, the key role of the land use integrated planning methodology at regional and local levels is emphasized. This methodology would require close cooperation between government, business and the public in developing a common vision for the implementation of specific land use plans and projects based on the principles of subsidiarity, participativity and shared responsibility.

Analysis of Land Use Land Cover in Annapurna Conservation Area in Gandaki Province, Nepal using Vegetation Index and Land Use Land Cover Datasets

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-99
Author(s):  
Shiva Pokhrel ◽  
Chungla Sherpa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
National Level ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Barren Land ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Annapurna Conservation Area

Conservation areas are originally well-known for protecting landscape features and wildlife. They are playing key role in conserving and providing a wide range of ecosystem services, social, economic and cultural benefits as well as vital places for climate mitigation and adaptation. We have analyzed decadal changes in land cover and status of vegetation cover in the conservation area using both national level available data on land use land cover (LULC) changes (1990-2010) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (2010-2018) in Annapurna conservation area. LULC showed the barren land as the most dominant land cover types in all three different time series 1990, 2000 and 2010 with followed by snow cover, grassland, forest, agriculture and water body. The highest NDVI values were observed at Southern, Southwestern and Southeastern part of conservation area consisting of forest area, shrub land and grassland while toward low to negative in the upper middle to the Northern part of the conservation area.

scholarly journals Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117862212110281
Author(s):  
Nieves Fernandez-Anez ◽  
Andrey Krasovskiy ◽  
Mortimer Müller ◽  
Harald Vacik ◽  
Jan Baetens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Local Analysis ◽  
Wildland Fires ◽  
Fire Statistics ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fire Patterns

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.

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