Dataset Information

Insect Pollinators in Iowa Cornfields: Community Identification and Trapping Method Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Availability of mass flowering plants in landscapes dominated by agriculture can have a strong positive impact on the density of generalist, native pollinators. Row-crop production in Iowa accounts for 75% of the arable acres, with corn, Zea mays, representing the majority of hectares planted. To date, there has been no description of the insect pollinator community found within Iowa cornfields. We report a field study to determine the optimal sampling methodology to characterize the community of insect pollinators within cornfields. During 2012 and 2013, 3,616 insect pollinators representing 51 species were captured using bee bowls, and 945 individuals representing 10 species were captured using sticky cards. We examined the effects of trap type, height, and bowl color on the described community. Bee bowls captured a more abundant and species rich community than sticky cards with all species captured on sticky cards also present in bee bowls. Traps deployed at the height of the tassels describe a more abundant and species rich community of pollinators than traps at ear height (2x as many individuals) or ground height (4x as many individuals). Blue bowls captured more bees than white (2.75x as many individuals) or yellow bowls (3.5x as many individuals); and yellow bowls captured more flies than white (2x as many individuals) or blue (2.3x as many individuals). To provide the most complete description of the community of insect pollinators using cornfields as a resource, we suggest sampling-using bee bowls at the height of the tassels using all three bee bowl colors.

SUBMITTER: Wheelock MJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4961284 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Insect Pollinators in Iowa Cornfields: Community Identification and Trapping Method Analysis.

Wheelock M J MJ O'Neal M E ME

PloS one 20160726 7

Availability of mass flowering plants in landscapes dominated by agriculture can have a strong positive impact on the density of generalist, native pollinators. Row-crop production in Iowa accounts for 75% of the arable acres, with corn, Zea mays, representing the majority of hectares planted. To date, there has been no description of the insect pollinator community found within Iowa cornfields. We report a field study to determine the optimal sampling methodology to characterize the community o ...[more]

PMID: 27459648

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Project description:Insect pollination increases the yield and quality of many crops and therefore, understanding the role of insect pollinators in crop production is necessary to sustainably increase yields. Avocado Persea americana benefits from insect pollination, however, a better understanding of the role of pollinators and their contribution to the production of this globally important crop is needed. In this study, we carried out a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the pollination ecology of avocado to answer the following questions: (a) Are there any research gaps in terms of geographic location or scientific focus? (b) What is the effect of insect pollinators on avocado pollination and production? (c) Which pollinators are the most abundant and effective and how does this vary across location? (d) How can insect pollination be improved for higher yields? (e) What are the current evidence gaps and what should be the focus of future research? Research from many regions of the globe has been published, however, results showed that there is limited information from key avocado producing countries such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic. In most studies, insects were shown to contribute greatly to pollination, fruit set and yield. Honeybees Apis mellifera were important pollinators in many regions due to their efficiency and high abundance, however, many wild pollinators also visited avocado flowers and were the most frequent visitors in over 50% of studies. This study also highlighted the effectiveness of stingless bees (Meliponini) and blow flies (Calliphoridae) as avocado pollinators although, for the majority of flower visitors, there is a lack of data on pollinator efficiency. For optimal yields, growers should ensure a sufficient abundance of pollinators in their orchards either through increasing honeybee hive density or, for a more sustainable approach, by managing wild pollinators through practices that protect or promote natural habitat.

Project description:Competitive interactions between plants can affect patterns of allocation to reproductive structures through modulation of resource availability. As floral traits involved in plant attractiveness to pollinators can be sensitive to these resources, competition with any neighbouring species may influence the attractiveness of insect-pollinated plants. While pollination research has primarily focused on above-ground interactions, this study aims at investigating if the presence of a competitor plant can modulate neighbouring insect-pollinated plant attractiveness to pollinators and resulting fecundity, especially through below-ground competitive interactions for soil resources. We set up a plot experiment in which we grew an insect-pollinated plant, Sinapis alba (Brassicaceae), in a mixture dominated by a wind-pollinated plant, Holcus lanatus (Poaceae). Individuals of S. alba were either subjected to or isolated from (with buried tubes in the soil) below-ground competition. Across the flowering season, floral traits involved in attractiveness of S. alba and pollinator visitation were followed at the plot and plant level to investigate different scales of attractiveness. At the end of the experiment, seeds were harvested to assess plant fecundity. Competition had a significant negative effect on plot and plant floral display size as well as flower size while nectar traits were not affected. When plants of S. alba were in competition, the time to first visit was altered: the proportion of plots that received a visit was smaller for a given time; in other words, it took more time for a given proportion of plots to be visited and some plots were even never visited. Moreover, pollinators made fewer visits per plots. The proportion of viable seeds produced by S. alba in competition was lower and probably linked to the competition itself rather than changes in pollinator visitation. This study suggests that competitive interactions between plants can modulate pollination interactions even when competing plant species are not insect-pollinated.

Dataset Information

Insect Pollinators in Iowa Cornfields: Community Identification and Trapping Method Analysis.

Publications

Insect Pollinators in Iowa Cornfields: Community Identification and Trapping Method Analysis.

Similar Datasets

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