Abstract
Concerns about a global decline in pollinators have called for more knowledge about the factors influencing wild pollinator abundance and diversity in agroecosystems. Agricultural intensification has been identified as the main cause of this “global pollinator crisis”, particularly due to reductions in natural areas holding critical floral and nesting resources. Maintaining native wild plants in agricultural landscapes (e.g., in field margins) is often recommended as a cost-effective and efficient method for pollinator conservation. In this study, the role of common wild flowers, often considered weeds, in supporting pollinators in a Mediterranean agroecosystem was investigated. This work involved a two-year field trial to compare five native weed species common in Mediterranean cereal agroecosystems: Convolvulus arvensis L., Daucus carota L., Malva sylvestris L., Papaver rhoeas L., and Sonchus oleraceus L. The goal was to compare the attractiveness of these species, and a mixture of all five, to different flower-visiting insect groups in order to assess their value in supporting wild pollinators. Overall, D. carota had the highest number of insect visits, followed by P. rhoeas. C. arvensis, M. sylvestris, and S. oleraceus, which had lower numbers of visits. On the basis of their overall attractiveness to pollinators and low risk for invasiveness, D. carota, P. rhoeas, and M. sylvestris are the most likely to contribute positively to the conservation of pollinators in agroecosystems. Our results also suggest that it is advantageous for wild flowers sown for the purpose of pollinator conservation to be grown in clumps, rather than highly intermingled, for improved visitation rates.
Highlights
Increasingly intensive agricultural practices have resulted in great concerns about a potential global decline in pollinators, both in terms of species richness and abundance [1]
The transformation of agricultural landscapes in the past half-century that has triggered this decline in bees and other pollinators [3] has involved the conversion of forests into fields and pastures [4], the expansion and amalgamation of pre-existing fields in order to enhance farming efficiency [5], and increased input of agricultural pesticides [6]
D. carota was found to attract a great diversity of insect visitors, having visits from all insect groups in both years, except butterflies and moths
Summary
Increasingly intensive agricultural practices have resulted in great concerns about a potential global decline in pollinators, both in terms of species richness and abundance [1]. The transformation of agricultural landscapes in the past half-century that has triggered this decline in bees and other pollinators [3] has involved the conversion of forests into fields and pastures [4], the expansion and amalgamation of pre-existing fields in order to enhance farming efficiency [5], and increased input of agricultural pesticides [6]. These changes have resulted in more homogeneous landscapes with a greater fragmentation of natural habitats. Agricultural pesticides negatively impact pollinator populations by further reducing foraging and habitat diversity, and they may have toxic effects [7]
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