Seasonal progression and differences in major floral resource use by bees and hoverflies in a diverse horticultural and agricultural landscape revealed by DNA metabarcoding
(2022) In Journal of Applied Ecology 59(6). p.1484-1495- Abstract
Gardens are important habitats for pollinators, providing floral resources and nesting sites. There are high levels of public support for growing ‘pollinator-friendly’ plants but while plant recommendation lists are available, they are usually inconsistent, poorly supported by scientific research and target a narrow group of pollinators. In order to supply the most appropriate resources, there is a clear need to understand foraging preferences, for a range of pollinators, across the season within horticultural landscapes. Using an innovative DNA metabarcoding approach, we investigated foraging preferences of four groups of pollinators in a large and diverse, horticultural and agricultural landscape, across the flowering season and over... (More)
Gardens are important habitats for pollinators, providing floral resources and nesting sites. There are high levels of public support for growing ‘pollinator-friendly’ plants but while plant recommendation lists are available, they are usually inconsistent, poorly supported by scientific research and target a narrow group of pollinators. In order to supply the most appropriate resources, there is a clear need to understand foraging preferences, for a range of pollinators, across the season within horticultural landscapes. Using an innovative DNA metabarcoding approach, we investigated foraging preferences of four groups of pollinators in a large and diverse, horticultural and agricultural landscape, across the flowering season and over 2 years, significantly improving on the spatial and temporal scale that can be achieved using observational studies. Bumblebees, honeybees, non-corbiculate bees and hoverflies visited 191 plant taxa. Overall floral resources were shared between the different types of pollinators, but significant differences were seen between the plants used most abundantly by bees (Hymenoptera) and hoverflies (Diptera). Floral resource use by pollinators is strongly associated with seasonal changes in flowering plants, with pollinators relying on dominant plants found within each season, with preferences consistent across both years. The plants identified were categorised according to their native status to investigate the value of native and non-native plants. The majority of floral resources used were of native and near-native origin, but the proportion of horticultural and naturalised plants increased during late summer and autumn. Synthesis and applications. Plant recommendation lists for pollinators should distinguish between bees and hoverflies and provide evidence-based floral recommendations throughout the year that include native as well as non-native plants for use in the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. Specific management recommendations include reducing mowing to encourage plants such as dandelion Taraxacum officinale and buttercups Ranunculus spp., and reducing scrub management to encourage bramble Rubus fruticosus.
(Less)
- author
- Lowe, Abigail ; Jones, Laura ; Brennan, Georgina LU ; Creer, Simon and de Vere, Natasha
- publishing date
- 2022-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- bees, DNA metabarcoding, foraging, gardens, hoverflies, pollen eDNA, pollinator conservation, pollinator ecology
- in
- Journal of Applied Ecology
- volume
- 59
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 12 pages
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85125531965
- ISSN
- 0021-8901
- DOI
- 10.1111/1365-2664.14144
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Applied Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
- id
- 887481fa-1b66-47a4-9de4-42cd9e16e885
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-15 14:53:47
- date last changed
- 2024-10-25 12:28:07
@article{887481fa-1b66-47a4-9de4-42cd9e16e885,
abstract = {{<p>Gardens are important habitats for pollinators, providing floral resources and nesting sites. There are high levels of public support for growing ‘pollinator-friendly’ plants but while plant recommendation lists are available, they are usually inconsistent, poorly supported by scientific research and target a narrow group of pollinators. In order to supply the most appropriate resources, there is a clear need to understand foraging preferences, for a range of pollinators, across the season within horticultural landscapes. Using an innovative DNA metabarcoding approach, we investigated foraging preferences of four groups of pollinators in a large and diverse, horticultural and agricultural landscape, across the flowering season and over 2 years, significantly improving on the spatial and temporal scale that can be achieved using observational studies. Bumblebees, honeybees, non-corbiculate bees and hoverflies visited 191 plant taxa. Overall floral resources were shared between the different types of pollinators, but significant differences were seen between the plants used most abundantly by bees (Hymenoptera) and hoverflies (Diptera). Floral resource use by pollinators is strongly associated with seasonal changes in flowering plants, with pollinators relying on dominant plants found within each season, with preferences consistent across both years. The plants identified were categorised according to their native status to investigate the value of native and non-native plants. The majority of floral resources used were of native and near-native origin, but the proportion of horticultural and naturalised plants increased during late summer and autumn. Synthesis and applications. Plant recommendation lists for pollinators should distinguish between bees and hoverflies and provide evidence-based floral recommendations throughout the year that include native as well as non-native plants for use in the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. Specific management recommendations include reducing mowing to encourage plants such as dandelion Taraxacum officinale and buttercups Ranunculus spp., and reducing scrub management to encourage bramble Rubus fruticosus.</p>}},
author = {{Lowe, Abigail and Jones, Laura and Brennan, Georgina and Creer, Simon and de Vere, Natasha}},
issn = {{0021-8901}},
keywords = {{bees; DNA metabarcoding; foraging; gardens; hoverflies; pollen eDNA; pollinator conservation; pollinator ecology}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{1484--1495}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Journal of Applied Ecology}},
title = {{Seasonal progression and differences in major floral resource use by bees and hoverflies in a diverse horticultural and agricultural landscape revealed by DNA metabarcoding}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14144}},
doi = {{10.1111/1365-2664.14144}},
volume = {{59}},
year = {{2022}},
}