Abstract
The decline of pollinators in agricultural areas has been observed for some decades, this being partly due to landscape simplification in intensive agrosystems. Diversifying agricultural landscapes by sowing flower strips within fields could reduce these adverse effects on biodiversity. In this context, the study presented here aimed at assessing and comparing the abundance and diversity of bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) and hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) found and visiting flowers in three types of flower strips in Belgium: (i) a mixture of 11 wild flowers, (ii) a monofloral strip of Dimorphoteca pluvialis (Asteraceae) and (iii) a monofloral strip of Camelina sativa (Brassicaceae), where the last two are considered to be intercrops since they are valuable on the market, all sown within a field of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Pollinators were captured with pan traps and by netting in standardised transects from May to July 2017. One-thousand one-hundred and eighty-four individuals belonging to 43 bee species and 18 hoverfly species were collected. Significant differences in hoverfly diversity were found between the different flower strips. The multifloral treatment supported a greater diversity of syrphid species. Various pollinator species visited the different flowers composing the mixture and also D. pluvialis. The pollinator community proved to be predominantly generalist, with the exception of an oligolectic species in Belgium, Andrena nitidiuscula. Moreover, the three tested flower strips were effective in attracting hoverflies, among them natural enemies of insect pests. This study opens new perspectives in the design of intercropping systems with flower strips towards the design of sustainable agro-ecosystems. Improving economic profitability of sowing flower strips could encourage farmers to diversify their agricultural systems and foster conservation biology strategies.
Highlights
IntroductionWith approximately 20,000 species worldwide and more than 2000 species in Europe, bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) are among the most speciose pollinator groups in temperate agriculture
With approximately 20,000 species worldwide and more than 2000 species in Europe, bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) are among the most speciose pollinator groups in temperate agricultureInsects 2018, 9, 114; doi:10.3390/insects9030114 www.mdpi.com/journal/insectsInsects 2018, 9, 114 landscapes [1]
The first objective of this study is to estimate the biodiversity of pollinator communities (Hymenoptera: Anthophila and Diptera: Syrphidae) on several flower strips sown in wheat (Triticum aestivum (L., 1753))
Summary
With approximately 20,000 species worldwide and more than 2000 species in Europe, bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) are among the most speciose pollinator groups in temperate agriculture. Insects 2018, 9, 114 landscapes [1] Their long-time coevolution with flowering plants has provided them with both morphological (e.g., scopa, pollen baskets) and behavioural (e.g., lectism, sociality) traits, suitable for plant pollination [2,3]. Non-bee insects, among other hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae), are important for pollinating plants because they are responsible for 25–50% of the total number of visits to flowers [4,5]. In Belgium, the contribution of insect pollinators to plant production for human food (i.e., mainly fruits and vegetables) was estimated at about 250 million Euros in 2010 [10]
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