共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 15 毫秒
1.
Almut E. Schlaich Raymond H. G. Klaassen Willem Bouten Christiaan Both Ben J. Koks 《Ibis》2015,157(4):713-721
Farmland birds are in steep decline and agri‐environment schemes (AES) to counteract these biodiversity losses are expensive and inefficient. Here we test a novel AES, ‘Birdfields’, designed using detailed ecological knowledge of the target species, Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus. Current AES, such as field margins, that aim to improve foraging conditions (i.e. vole densities) for harriers are inefficient, as prey are difficult to capture in tall set‐aside habitat. ‘Birdfields’ combines strips of set‐aside to boost vole numbers and strips of alfalfa, as voles are accessible after alfalfa has been harvested. We found that vole numbers were generally highest in set‐aside. Montagu's Harriers fitted with GPS‐loggers used ‘Birdfields’ intensively after mowing, preferring mown to unmown strips. Thus, prey availability appeared more important than prey abundance. Thus, ‘Birdfields’, as a targeted AES for Montagu's Harriers, is more effective than previous AES due to increased prey accessibility. An additional advantage of ‘Birdfields’ is that it is considerably cheaper, due to the harvest of alfalfa. We advocate that AES should always include monitoring and research activities, aiming at a more adaptive conservation approach. 相似文献
2.
Environmental Stewardship (ES) is the main mechanism for reversing the decline in farmland birds in England, and includes a range of options designed to provide winter foraging for seed‐eating species. We estimated granivorous songbird densities on ES options designed to provide winter food, on farms within the Entry Level (ELS) or Higher Level (HLS) strata of ES. ES Wild Bird Mixtures (WBMs) hosted higher densities and a wider range of granivores than non‐ES game covers, although in East Anglia the enhanced HLS WBM was used no more than the basic ELS WBM. In the West Midlands there were low densities of granivores on all WBMs and game covers. The widespread ELS WBM appeared to provide little food for buntings but supported finches, partially through greater weed burdens. There was a weak, non‐significant trend for Skylarks Alauda arvensis to make greater use of ELS cereal stubbles than non‐ES stubbles, possibly because of post‐harvest herbicide restrictions allowing overwinter weed growth. At the field scale, this work demonstrates that although some ES options provide winter food resources for birds, there is limited evidence for additional benefits of Higher Level vs. Entry Level Stewardship to wintering farmland songbirds. 相似文献
3.
Stéphanie Aviron Felix Herzog Iris Klaus Beatrice Schüpbach Philippe Jeanneret 《Restoration Ecology》2011,19(4):500-508
The effects of habitat restoration measures designated to promote farmland biodiversity have been documented at the field scale, but little is known about their role in restoring the agricultural mosaic. In this study, we analyzed the effects of wildflower strips (WFS) at the field scale and in the landscape context on butterflies in a Swiss arable landscape. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) butterfly diversity and abundance are higher in WFS than in conventional fields; (2) butterfly diversity and abundance are enhanced by the amount, proximity and connectivity of WFS in the landscape context; (3) additional factors influence butterfly diversity and abundance according to individual site conditions and landscape context characteristics linked to other landscape elements. WFS had more species and individuals of butterflies than conventional habitats. However, promoted species were mainly generalists; few specialists were enhanced. The diversity of all butterflies and of generalists increased linearly with percent cover of WFS, reflecting an effect of restoration measures depending on the landscape context. The influence of proximity and connectivity of WFS were, however, not significant. The occurrence of specialists was conditioned by plant species richness, while the effect of WFS for overall diversity was affected by the amount of grassland in the surroundings. We conclude that to increase the effectiveness of biodiversity‐orientated restoration measures, their implementation should be steered toward increasing the share of WFS in the landscape. However, the combination of WFS with additional restoration measures might be needed to halt the decline of specialist species. 相似文献
4.
Between 1988 and 2007, set‐aside, a European Commission production control measure, took an average of 10% of arable farmland in the EU out of production each year. In 2007, the set‐aside rate was set to 0% and the scheme was later abandoned altogether. By assessing associations of farmland birds with set‐aside and quantifying the extent of set‐aside loss, this study aims to assess the implications of set‐aside loss for farmland bird conservation. During the lifespan of set‐aside, a large number of studies assessed the biodiversity value of set‐aside and other agricultural crops and habitats. Where possible we considered measurable benefits of set‐aside. However, some studies did not specify the type of set‐aside and in some cases set‐aside fields were grouped with cereal stubble fields. In these cases, we took the pragmatic approach of assessing the value of generic stubble fields as a conservative minimum estimate of the value of set‐aside fields. A re‐analysis of data from 30 intensive studies demonstrates that farmland bird densities tended to be higher on set‐aside than on either cereal or oilseed rape crops. Without mitigation, these are the two crops likely to replace most set‐aside fields. We estimate that 26–52% of the farmland populations of key granivorous passerines were present on stubble fields, giving an indication of the proportion of birds likely to be present on set‐aside fields within this broader category. An extensive survey of lowland farmland during winters 1999/2000, 2000/2001 and 2002/2003, repeated in February 2008, showed a doubling of the number of 1‐km squares with no stubble and a halving of the number of squares with more than 10 ha of stubble. After set‐aside abandonment, 72% of squares had no stubble in the important late winter period, confirming that many of the former stubble fields were retained as set‐aside. A simple correlative model suggests that this could cause a small increase in the rate of decline of Skylark Alauda arvensis and Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella populations, assuming causal links between stubble area and demography. However, even if this assumption cannot be supported, these results clearly indicate that a significant proportion of some farmland bird populations will need to find alternative breeding and foraging habitats. 相似文献
5.
Can ecosystem services be integrated with conservation? A case study of breeding waders on grassland
We review published studies to show that changes in soil moisture levels have significant impacts on a range of wading bird species that use UK lowland grassland, including wet grassland, and obtain their food predominantly by probing the soil. We examine both the hydrological and the ecological literature and assess how management options could alter (1) ecosystem services (via water quality and flooding) and (2) habitat quality for wading birds. The combination of biodiversity goals with broader ecosystem services has been widely advocated and we suggest that appropriate management at multiple scales (e.g. small‐scale: ponds; large‐scale: integrated washlands) could potentially provide both ecosystem services and habitat for wading grassland birds. However, there is only a limited base of evidence on which to assess the potential linkage between these two areas, particularly for non‐wading bird species. Future work should be directed at identifying (1) how crop yield, ecosystem services and biodiversity relate to each other, (2) the extent of land needed to be managed to benefit these multiple purposes and bring about measurable gain (e.g. one or two ponds may make significant inroads in reducing run‐off and pollution but make little difference to wading birds) and (3) solutions to the challenges of setting up management options at large spatial scales (e.g. catchments). 相似文献
6.
Wild bees are declining in intensively farmed regions worldwide, threatening pollination services to flowering crops and wild plants. To halt bee declines, it is essential that conservation actions are based on a mechanistic understanding of how bee species utilize landscapes. We aimed at teasing apart how foraging resources in the landscape through the nesting season affected nesting and reproduction of a solitary bee in a farmland region. We investigated how availability of floral resources and potentially resource‐rich habitats surrounding nests affected nest provisioning and reproduction in the solitary polylectic bee Osmia bicornis. The study was performed in 18 landscape sectors dominated by agriculture, but varying in agricultural intensity in terms of proportion of organic crop fields and seminatural permanent pastures. Pasture‐rich sectors contained more oak (Quercus robur), which pollen analysis showed to be favored forage in early season. More oaks ≤100 m from nests led to higher proportions of oak pollen in nest provisions and increased speed of nest construction in early season, but this effect tapered off as flowering decreased. Late‐season pollen foraging was dominated by buttercup (Ranunculus spp.), common in various noncrop habitats. Foraging trips were longer with more oaks and increased further through the season. The opposite was found for buttercup. Oak and buttercup interacted to explain the number of offspring; buttercup had a positive effect only when the number of oaks was above the mean for the studied sectors. The results show that quality of complex and pasture‐rich landscapes for O. bicornis depends on preserving existing and generating new oak trees. Lignose plants are key early‐season forage resources in agricultural landscapes. Increasing habitat heterogeneity with trees and shrubs and promoting suitable late‐flowering forbs can benefit O. bicornis and other wild bees active in spring and early summer, something which existing agri‐environment schemes seldom target. 相似文献
7.
Rochelle A. Fritch Helen Sheridan John A. Finn Stephen McCormack Daire Ó hUallacháin 《Ecology and evolution》2017,7(22):9763-9774
Severe declines in biodiversity have been well documented for many taxonomic groups due to intensification of agricultural practices. Establishment and appropriate management of arable field margins can improve the diversity and abundance of invertebrate groups; however, there is much less research on field margins within grassland systems. Three grassland field margin treatments (fencing off the existing vegetation “fenced”; fencing with rotavation and natural regeneration “rotavated” and; fencing with rotavation and seeding “seeded”) were compared to a grazed control in the adjacent intensively managed pasture. Invertebrates were sampled using emergence traps to investigate species breeding and overwintering within the margins. Using a manipulation experiment, we tested whether the removal of grazing pressure and nutrient inputs would increase the abundance and richness of breeding invertebrates within grassland field margins. We also tested whether field margin establishment treatments, with their different vegetation communities, would change the abundance and richness of breeding invertebrates in the field margins. Exclusion of grazing and nutrient inputs led to increased abundance and richness in nearly all invertebrate groups that we sampled. However, there were more complex effects of field margin establishment treatment on the abundance and richness of invertebrate taxa. Each of the three establishment treatments supported a distinct invertebrate community. The removal of grazing from grassland field margins provided a greater range of overwintering/breeding habitat for invertebrates. We demonstrate the capacity of field margin establishment to increase the abundance and richness in nearly all invertebrate groups in study plots that were located on previously more depauperate areas of intensively managed grassland. These results from grassland field margins provide evidence to support practical actions that can inform Greening (Pillar 1) and agri‐environment measures (Pillar 2) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Before implementing specific management regimes, the conservation aims of agri‐environment measures should be clarified by defining the target species or taxonomic groups. 相似文献
8.
Matthias Albrecht David Kleijn Neal M. Williams Matthias Tschumi Brett R. Blaauw Riccardo Bommarco Alistair J. Campbell Matteo Dainese Francis A. Drummond Martin H. Entling Dominik Ganser G. Arjen de Groot Dave Goulson Heather Grab Hannah Hamilton Felix Herzog Rufus Isaacs Katja Jacot Philippe Jeanneret Mattias Jonsson Eva Knop Claire Kremen Douglas A. Landis Gregory M. Loeb Lorenzo Marini Megan McKerchar Lora Morandin Sonja C. Pfister Simon G. Potts Maj Rundlf Hillary Sardias Amber Sciligo Carsten Thies Teja Tscharntke Eric Venturini Eve Veromann Ines M.G. Vollhardt Felix Wckers Kimiora Ward Andrew Wilby Megan Woltz Steve Wratten Louis Sutter 《Ecology letters》2020,23(10):1488-1498
Floral plantings are promoted to foster ecological intensification of agriculture through provisioning of ecosystem services. However, a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of different floral plantings, their characteristics and consequences for crop yield is lacking. Here we quantified the impacts of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control (18 studies) and pollination services (17 studies) in adjacent crops in North America, Europe and New Zealand. Flower strips, but not hedgerows, enhanced pest control services in adjacent fields by 16% on average. However, effects on crop pollination and yield were more variable. Our synthesis identifies several important drivers of variability in effectiveness of plantings: pollination services declined exponentially with distance from plantings, and perennial and older flower strips with higher flowering plant diversity enhanced pollination more effectively. These findings provide promising pathways to optimise floral plantings to more effectively contribute to ecosystem service delivery and ecological intensification of agriculture in the future. 相似文献
9.
10.
H. Eden W. Cottee‐Jones 《Ecological Management & Restoration》2013,14(1):32-40
As remnant vegetation covers <15% of the Australian sheep‐wheat belt, it is important to identify conservation strategies suitable for use in agricultural landscapes. Tree lines are widespread ecological structures in rural areas, and are now the subject of government subsidy schemes in New South Wales. However, the contribution of tree lines to biodiversity conservation is poorly understood. To identify the conservation value of tree lines, the bird communities in 36 tree lines in Cowra Shire, New South Wales, were surveyed 4 times each. The results demonstrated that tree lines were used by a large number of species, six of which were threatened. Different taxa were associated with different physical tree line attributes, with tree line age an important predictor of species occurrence. While mature tree lines tended to support more species, as was reflected in higher Shannon Diversity Index scores, they also harboured relatively more introduced species and nest predators, while young tree lines provided the best habitat for threatened species. However, these tree lines will mature, and as they do so they will provide increasingly suitable habitat for the hyperaggressive native honeyeater, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala), and introduced species. Therefore, tree lines in agricultural landscapes may only be serving an important role for conservation on short time scales, and the suite of threatened species young tree lines currently support appear likely to decline further in the future. 相似文献
11.
LORNA J. COLE SARAH BROCKLEHURST DAVID I. McCRACKEN WILLIAM HARRISON DUNCAN ROBERTSON 《Insect Conservation and Diversity》2012,5(1):86-94
Abstract. 1. Riparian field margins (i.e. fenced off areas adjacent to watercourses) are becoming widespread in the UK as a means of mitigating diffuse pollution in intensive grasslands. By providing additional habitats for wildlife, they can potentially enhance farmland biodiversity. This study examined a range of riparian margins to determine their impact on invertebrates. 2. Over a 4‐year period, key invertebrates were monitored by pitfall traps at 69 riparian sites in south‐west Scotland. Riparian margins were classified as open margins (i.e. no fence between the field and watercourse), narrow margins (fences erected within 2.6 m of the watercourse) and wide margins (fences erected over 5 m from the watercourse). Pitfall transects were established at each site in the margin and field. 3. Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) were used to model the influence of riparian management and vegetation height on invertebrate activity density. Riparian margins closed to livestock (i.e. wide and narrow margins) had the highest activity densities of Hemiptera, Opiliones, Symphyta larvae and Arionidae, and this could not solely be attributed to differences in vegetation height. For most invertebrate groups, activity density did not differ between wide and narrow margins. Only Linyphiidae, predatory coleopteran larvae and Lumbricidae had higher activity densities in the fields than adjacent riparian margins. 4. The erection of fences along watercourses creates habitat heterogeneity in intensively managed grasslands resulting in enhanced invertebrate populations and thus potentially more prey for foliage gleaning birds. Although margin width did not have a significant influence on invertebrate activity density, wider margins provide a greater area of semi‐natural habitat. 相似文献
12.
Antonio J. Carpio Jesús Castro Francisco S. Tortosa 《Agricultural and Forest Entomology》2019,21(1):58-68
- Agricultural intensification has greatly affected biodiversity in recent decades. One common and recent transformation that has taken place in Mediterranean countries is olive grove intensification, although its effects on biodiversity have rarely been studied.
- In the present study, we investigated the effect of soil management practices, with versus without soil cover crops, on the arthropod abundance, richness, diversity and species composition in Andalusia olive groves, South Spain.
- The results obtained show that these soil cover crops positively affect the diversity of arthropods, along with other variables such as the diversity of the plant community and Shannon index of the landscape. By contrast, the number of arthropods was higher in olive groves with bare ground as a result of the abundance of two families (Entomobryidae and Aeolothripidae), which comprised more than 50% of all the individuals collected.
- Rank abundance diagrams and multivariate analyses showed differences between the two types of soil management systems with respect to the composition of families.
- In conclusion, soil cover crops strongly improve the diversity of arthropods in olive orchards, which helps to maintain biodiversity in these intensive agroecosystems at the same time as improving other ecosystems services, such as soil fertility and the prevention of soil erosion.
13.
Laura M. E. Sutcliffe Pter Batry Urs Kormann Andrs Bldi Lynn V. Dicks Irina Herzon David Kleijn Piotr Tryjanowski Iva Apostolova Raphaël Arlettaz Ainars Aunins Stphanie Aviron Ligita Baleentien&#x; Christina Fischer Lubos Halada Tibor Hartel Aveliina Helm Iordan Hristov Sven D. Jelaska Mitja Kaligari
Johannes Kamp Sebastian Klimek Pille Koorberg Jarmila Kostiukov Anik Kovcs‐Hostynszki Tobias Kuemmerle Christoph Leuschner Regina Lindborg Jacqueline Loos Simona Maccherini Riho Marja Orsolya Mth Inge Paulini Vnia Proena Jos Rey‐Benayas F. Xavier Sans Charlotte Seifert Jaros&#x;aw Stalenga Johannes Timaeus Pter Trk Chris van Swaay Eneli Viik Teja Tscharntke 《Diversity & distributions》2015,21(6):722-730
A large proportion of European biodiversity today depends on habitat provided by low‐intensity farming practices, yet this resource is declining as European agriculture intensifies. Within the European Union, particularly the central and eastern new member states have retained relatively large areas of species‐rich farmland, but despite increased investment in nature conservation here in recent years, farmland biodiversity trends appear to be worsening. Although the high biodiversity value of Central and Eastern European farmland has long been reported, the amount of research in the international literature focused on farmland biodiversity in this region remains comparatively tiny, and measures within the EU Common Agricultural Policy are relatively poorly adapted to support it. In this opinion study, we argue that, 10 years after the accession of the first eastern EU new member states, the continued under‐representation of the low‐intensity farmland in Central and Eastern Europe in the international literature and EU policy is impeding the development of sound, evidence‐based conservation interventions. The biodiversity benefits for Europe of existing low‐intensity farmland, particularly in the central and eastern states, should be harnessed before they are lost. Instead of waiting for species‐rich farmland to further decline, targeted research and monitoring to create locally appropriate conservation strategies for these habitats is needed now. 相似文献
14.
Rhys E. Green Patricia Brekke Hannah Ward Matt Slaymaker Marco van der Velde Jan Komdeur Hannah L. Dugdale 《Ibis》2019,161(4):890-894
We used microsatellite DNA to assign probable parentage of young Corn Crakes to adult males and females and used these assignments to estimate the distribution of distances between broods of chicks and juveniles and the night‐time singing place of the father at the time of initiation of the clutch. Estimated distances for broods of young chicks were in accord with those estimated previously by radiotracking, but distances were greater for older unfledged independent chicks not studied previously. Our results indicate that modifications of the timing and method of mowing to reduce losses of nests and chicks should be implemented inside an area within about 500 m of the singing places of male Corn Crakes, rather than the 250 m previously considered to be safe. 相似文献
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16.
L G FIRBANK 《The Annals of applied biology》2005,146(2):163-175
Agricultural policy in Europe is changing from supporting production to encouraging environmental benefits in the context of sustainable rural development. As a result, there is a window of opportunity to reconsider the balance between agricultural production and biodiversity management on British farmland, to seek to redress the problems for biodiversity that accrued during intensification without reducing the capacity to meet the coming challenges of global change and population increase. These challenges are discussed in the context of longer term historical change, and in terms of how readily they can be overcome. Current policies can deliver conservation targets that are within the control of individual land managers, and are likely to increase landscape heterogeneity significantly. However, it will be more dif. cult to plan landscapes to deliver agricultural production, ecosystem services and conserve biodiversity in the face of nutrient deposition and climate change. There can be no theoretical “optimum” balance between production and biodiversity, as environmental goals depend greatly upon decisions about scales (from local to global, immediate to long) and the viewpoints of stakeholders. Indeed, the social challenge of delivering sustainable agricultural landscapes is far greater than the scientific one of researching what they might be like. 相似文献
17.
Muhammad S. Yahya Muhamad Syafiq Adham Ashton‐Butt Amal Ghazali Siti Asmah Badrul Azhar 《Ecology and evolution》2017,7(16):6314-6325
Monoculture farming is pervasive in industrial oil palm agriculture, including those RSPO plantations certified as sustainably managed. This farming practice does not promote the maintenance of farmland biodiversity. However, little scientific attention has been given to polyculture farming in oil palm production landscapes. Polyculture farming is likely to increase the floristic diversity and stand structural complexity that underpins biodiversity. Mist nets were used to sample birds at 120 smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. At each site, 12 vegetation structure characteristics were measured. We compared bird species richness, abundance, and composition between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings and used predictive models to examine the effects of habitat quality on avian biodiversity. Bird species richness was significantly greater in polyculture than that of monoculture smallholdings. The number of fallen and standing, dead oil palms were also important positive predictors of species richness. Bird abundance was also strongly increased by standing and dead oil palms and decreased with oil palm stand height. Our results indicate that polyculture farming can improve bird species richness in oil palm production landscapes. In addition, key habitat variables that are closely associated with farming practices, such as the removal of dead trees, should and can be managed by oil palm growers in order to promote biodiversity. To increase the sustainability of oil palm agriculture, it is imperative that stakeholders modify the way oil palms are currently planted and managed. Our findings can guide policy makers and certification bodies to promote oil palm production landscapes that will function more sustainably and increase existing biodiversity of oil palm landscapes. 相似文献
18.
Thomas J. Wood John M. Holland William O. H. Hughes Dave Goulson 《Molecular ecology》2015,24(8):1668-1680
Changes in agricultural practice across Europe and North America have been associated with range contractions and local extinction of bumblebees (Bombus spp.). A number of agri‐environment schemes have been implemented to halt and reverse these declines, predominantly revolving around the provision of additional forage plants. Although it has been demonstrated that these schemes can attract substantial numbers of foraging bumblebees, it remains unclear to what extent they actually increase bumblebee populations. We used standardized transect walks and molecular techniques to compare the size of bumblebee populations between Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) farms implementing pollinator‐friendly schemes and Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) control farms. Bumblebee abundance on the transect walks was significantly higher on HLS farms than ELS farms. Molecular analysis suggested maximum foraging ranges of 566 m for Bombus hortorum, 714 m for B. lapidarius, 363 m for B. pascuorum and 799 m for B. terrestris. Substantial differences in maximum foraging range were found within bumblebee species between farm types. Accounting for foraging range differences, B. hortorum (47 vs 13 nests/km2) and B. lapidarius (45 vs 22 nests/km2) were found to nest at significantly greater densities on HLS farms than ELS farms. There were no significant differences between farm type for B. terrestris (88 vs 38 nests/km2) and B. pascuorum (32 vs 39 nests/km2). Across all bumblebee species, HLS management had a significantly positive effect on bumblebee nest density. These results show that targeted agri‐environment schemes that increase the availability of suitable forage can significantly increase the size of wild bumblebee populations. 相似文献
19.
Associations between habitat and animal distributions are widely used to make conservation recommendations. However, short‐term studies do not allow investigation of temporal variation in associations as habitats change or populations decline. Here we quantify changes in the habitat attributes and distribution of breeding territories in a multiple‐brooded, crop‐nesting farmland bird, the Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra, over a 20‐year period during which the study population declined by 91%. Corn Buntings were positively associated with weedy fields, overhead wires, spring cereals and, in early summer, with winter barley and forage grass. Territory associations with wires (positive) and fallow (positive in early summer, negative in late summer) were stronger in later years when the population was smaller. Trends in the proportions of males holding territories into late summer (decline), and mated polygynously or not at all (increases), suggested that habitat quality declined and became more spatially variable in later years. Field size increased and weed abundance within fields declined, reducing the availability of field‐boundary song‐posts, invertebrate‐rich foraging habitats and physical cover for nests within crops. Conservation recommendations are for weed‐rich or under‐sown spring cereals and winter barley combined with late‐cut hay and fallow, especially when offered close to song‐posts such as overhead wires. We also demonstrate the value of long‐term studies by comparing our 20‐year analysis with 3‐year periods at the start, middle and end of this period, and expose some risks of conservation recommendations derived from short studies. 相似文献
20.
Catherine E. A. Gresty Elizabeth Clare Dion S. Devey Robyn S. Cowan Laszlo Csiba Panagiota Malakasi Owen T. Lewis Katherine J. Willis 《Ecology and evolution》2018,8(15):7574-7587
Floral foraging resources are valuable for pollinator conservation on farmland, and their provision is encouraged by agri‐environment schemes in many countries. Across Europe, wildflower seed mixtures are widely sown on farmland to encourage pollinators, but the extent to which key pollinator groups such as solitary bees exploit and benefit from these resources is unclear. We used high‐throughput sequencing of 164 pollen samples extracted from the brood cells of six common cavity‐nesting solitary bee species (Osmia bicornis, Osmia caerulescens, Megachile versicolor, Megachile ligniseca, Megachile centuncularis and Hylaeus confusus) which are widely distributed across the UK and Europe. We documented their pollen use across 19 farms in southern England, UK, revealing their forage plants and examining the structure of their pollen transport networks. Of the 32 plant species included currently in sown wildflower mixes, 15 were recorded as present within close foraging range of the bees on the study farms, but only Ranunculus acris L. was identified within the pollen samples. Rosa canina L. was the most commonly found of the 23 plant species identified in the pollen samples, suggesting that, in addition to providing a nesting resource for Megachile leafcutter bees, it may be an important forage plant for these species. Higher levels of connectance and nestedness were characteristic of pollen transport networks on farms with abundant floral resources, which may increase resilience to species loss. Our data suggest that plant species promoted currently by agri‐environment schemes are not optimal for solitary bee foraging. If a diverse community of pollinators is to be supported on UK and European farmland, additional species such as R. canina should be encouraged to meet the foraging requirements of solitary bees. 相似文献