Trait-dependent responses of flower-visiting insects to distance to semi-natural grasslands and landscape heterogeneity
Ekroos, Johan LU ; Rundlöf, Maj LU
and Smith, Henrik
LU
(2013)
In Landscape Ecology
28(7).
p.1283-1292
- Abstract
- Protecting semi-natural grasslands may through spill-over benefit species richness and abundance of flower-visiting insects in linear habitats, such as uncultivated field boundaries, in agricultural landscapes. However, whether local diversity increases both with decreasing distance from potential source habitats and increasing landscape heterogeneity is poorly known due to a general lack of studies replicated at the landscape scale. We analysed if local assemblages of bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies in linear uncultivated habitats increased with increasing distance to the nearest semi-natural grassland in 12 replicated landscapes along a gradient of landscape heterogeneity in Scania, Southern Sweden. Species richness and abundance... (More)
- Protecting semi-natural grasslands may through spill-over benefit species richness and abundance of flower-visiting insects in linear habitats, such as uncultivated field boundaries, in agricultural landscapes. However, whether local diversity increases both with decreasing distance from potential source habitats and increasing landscape heterogeneity is poorly known due to a general lack of studies replicated at the landscape scale. We analysed if local assemblages of bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies in linear uncultivated habitats increased with increasing distance to the nearest semi-natural grassland in 12 replicated landscapes along a gradient of landscape heterogeneity in Scania, Southern Sweden. Species richness and abundance of bumblebees and butterflies, but not hoverflies, decreased with increasing distance to semi-natural grasslands, but none of these groups were related to increasing landscape heterogeneity. Further analyses on trait-specific groups revealed significant decreases in the abundance of sedentary and grassland specialist butterflies with increasing distance to assumed source populations, whereas this was not the case concerning mobile species and grassland generalists. The abundance of all bumblebee trait groups decreased with increasing distance to semi-natural grasslands, but only some species (those nesting above ground, with long colony cycles and with small colony sizes) also increased with increasing landscape heterogeneity. We conclude that local species assemblages of flower-visiting insects in linear habitat elements were mainly affected by the occurrence of nearby semi-natural grasslands. In order to conserve diverse assemblages of flower-visiting insects, including the ecological services they provide, it is important to conserve semi-natural grasslands dispersed throughout agricultural landscapes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4050378
- author
- Ekroos, Johan
LU
; Rundlöf, Maj
LU
and Smith, Henrik
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Agricultural intensity, Breeding habitat preference, Colony cycle, length, Colony size, Habitat specialist, Larval diet, Mobility
- in
- Landscape Ecology
- volume
- 28
- issue
- 7
- pages
- 1283 - 1292
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000322138200006
- scopus:84880733076
- ISSN
- 1572-9761
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10980-013-9864-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 87016fc9-8f50-4ca9-994d-55c32900230c (old id 4050378)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:45:07
- date last changed
- 2022-04-28 01:06:35
@article{87016fc9-8f50-4ca9-994d-55c32900230c,
abstract = {{Protecting semi-natural grasslands may through spill-over benefit species richness and abundance of flower-visiting insects in linear habitats, such as uncultivated field boundaries, in agricultural landscapes. However, whether local diversity increases both with decreasing distance from potential source habitats and increasing landscape heterogeneity is poorly known due to a general lack of studies replicated at the landscape scale. We analysed if local assemblages of bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies in linear uncultivated habitats increased with increasing distance to the nearest semi-natural grassland in 12 replicated landscapes along a gradient of landscape heterogeneity in Scania, Southern Sweden. Species richness and abundance of bumblebees and butterflies, but not hoverflies, decreased with increasing distance to semi-natural grasslands, but none of these groups were related to increasing landscape heterogeneity. Further analyses on trait-specific groups revealed significant decreases in the abundance of sedentary and grassland specialist butterflies with increasing distance to assumed source populations, whereas this was not the case concerning mobile species and grassland generalists. The abundance of all bumblebee trait groups decreased with increasing distance to semi-natural grasslands, but only some species (those nesting above ground, with long colony cycles and with small colony sizes) also increased with increasing landscape heterogeneity. We conclude that local species assemblages of flower-visiting insects in linear habitat elements were mainly affected by the occurrence of nearby semi-natural grasslands. In order to conserve diverse assemblages of flower-visiting insects, including the ecological services they provide, it is important to conserve semi-natural grasslands dispersed throughout agricultural landscapes.}},
author = {{Ekroos, Johan and Rundlöf, Maj and Smith, Henrik}},
issn = {{1572-9761}},
keywords = {{Agricultural intensity; Breeding habitat preference; Colony cycle; length; Colony size; Habitat specialist; Larval diet; Mobility}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{1283--1292}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Landscape Ecology}},
title = {{Trait-dependent responses of flower-visiting insects to distance to semi-natural grasslands and landscape heterogeneity}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-013-9864-2}},
doi = {{10.1007/s10980-013-9864-2}},
volume = {{28}},
year = {{2013}},
}