Seasonal complementary in pollinators of soft-fruit crops |
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| Institution: | 1. Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, FK9 9LA, United Kingdom;2. Department of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AL, United Kingdom;3. School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom;1. Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, CONICET—Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral, 1250 Bariloche, Argentina;2. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural (IRNAD), Sede Andina, CONICET—Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Bariloche, Argentina;1. The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, New Zealand;2. The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Private Bag 3230, Hamilton, New Zealand;1. Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, Belgium;2. Department of Forest and Water Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium;1. Centre for Agri-Environment Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK;2. University of the Aegean, Department of Geography, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece;3. School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Open University of Cyprus, PO Box, 12794, Cyprus |
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| Abstract: | Understanding the relative contributions of wild and managed pollinators, and the functional contributions made by a diverse pollinator community, is essential to the maintenance of yields in the 75% of our crops that benefit from insect pollination. We describe a field study and pollinator exclusion experiments conducted on two soft-fruit crops in a system with both wild and managed pollinators. We test whether fruit quality and quantity is limited by pollination, and whether different pollinating insects respond differently to varying weather conditions. Both strawberries and raspberries produced fewer marketable fruits when insects were excluded, demonstrating dependence on insect pollinators. Raspberries had a short flowering season which coincided with peak abundance of bees, and attracted many bees per flower. In contrast, strawberries had a much longer flowering season and appeared to be much less attractive to pollinators, so that ensuring adequate pollination is likely to be more challenging. The proportion of high-quality strawberries was positively related to pollinator abundance, suggesting that yield was limited by inadequate pollination on some farms. The relative abundance of different pollinator taxa visiting strawberries changed markedly through the season, demonstrating seasonal complementarity. Insect visitors responded differently to changing weather conditions suggesting that diversity can reduce the risk of pollination service shortfalls. For example, flies visited the crop flowers in poor weather and at the end of the flowering season when other pollinators were scarce, and so may provide a unique functional contribution. Understanding how differences between pollinator groups can enhance pollination services to crops strengthens the case for multiple species management. We provide evidence for the link between increased diversity and function in real crop systems, highlighting the risks of replacing all pollinators with managed alternatives. |
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| Keywords: | Bumblebee Pollinator Flies Ecosystem services Farmland biodiversity Pollination ecology |
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