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Villa-Galaviz E, Smart SM, Ward SE, Fraser MD, Memmott J. Fertilization using manure minimizes the trade-offs between biodiversity and forage production in agri-environment scheme grasslands. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290843. [PMID: 37792796 PMCID: PMC10550152 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A common practice used to restore and maintain biodiversity in grasslands is to stop or decrease the use of fertilizers as they are a major cause of biodiversity loss. This practice is problematic for farmers who need fertilizers to increase forage and meet the nutritional needs of livestock. Evidence is needed that helps identify optimal fertilizer regimes that could benefit biodiversity and livestock production simultaneously over the long-term. Here, we evaluated the impact of different fertilizer regimes on indicators related to both biodiversity (plant, pollinator, leaf miners and parasitoid Shannon-Weiner diversity, bumblebee abundance, nectar productivity and forb species richness), and forage production (ash, crude protein, ruminant metabolizable energy and dry matter). To this end, we used data from a grassland restoration experiment managed under four nutrient inputs schemes for 27 years: farmyard manure (FYM; 72 kg N ha-1 yr-1), artificial nitrogen-phosphorus and potassium (NPK; 25 kg N ha-1 yr-1), FYM + NPK (97 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and no-fertilizer. Results showed strong trade-offs between biodiversity and forage production under all treatments even in applications lower than the critical load in the EU. Overall, farmyard manure was the fertilizer that optimized production and biodiversity while 97 kg N ha-1 yr-1 of fertilizer addition (FYM+NPK) had the most negative impact on biodiversity. Finally, forage from places where no fertilizer has been added for 27 years did not meet the nutritional requirements of cattle, but it did for sheep. Rethinking typical approaches of nutrient addition could lead to land management solutions suitable for biological conservation and agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Villa-Galaviz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Simon M. Smart
- NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Susan E. Ward
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Mariecia D. Fraser
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Pwllpeiran, Cwmystwyth, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Memmott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Wang LL, Ren F, Zhang C, Huang XJ, Zhang ZH, He JS, Yang YP, Duan YW. The effects of changes in flowering plant composition caused by nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment on plant-pollinator interactions in a Tibetan alpine grassland. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:964109. [PMID: 35958212 PMCID: PMC9358526 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.964109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Soil eutrophication from atmospheric deposition and fertilization threatens biodiversity and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Increases in soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content can alter the biomass and structure of plant communities in grassland ecosystems; however, the impact of these changes on plant-pollinator interactions is not yet clear. In this study, we tested how changes in flowering plant diversity and composition due to N and P enrichment affected pollinator communities and pollination interactions. Our experiments, conducted in a Tibetan alpine grassland, included four fertilization treatments: N (10 g N m-2 year-1), P (5 g P m-2 year-1), a combination of N and P (N + P), and control. We found that changes in flowering plant composition and diversity under the N and P treatments did not alter the pollinator richness or abundance. The N and P treatments also had limited effects on the plant-pollinator interactions, including the interaction numbers, visit numbers, plant and pollinator species dissimilarity, plant-pollinator interaction dissimilarity, average number of pollinator species attracted by each plant species (vulnerability), and average number of plant species visited by each pollinator species (generality). However, the N + P treatment increased the species and interaction dissimilarity in flowering plant and pollinator communities and decreased the generality in plant-pollinator interactions. These data highlight that changes in flowering plants caused by N + P enrichment alter pollination interactions between flowering plants and pollinators. Owing to changes in flowering plant communities, the plant-pollinator interactions could be sensitive to the changing environment in alpine regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Lin Wang
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Fei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Chan Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Haibei Alpine Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- Department of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yong-Ping Yang
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Yuan-Wen Duan
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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Haas M, Baur H, Schweizer T, Monje JC, Moser M, Bigalk S, Krogmann L. Tiny wasps, huge diversity - A review of German Pteromalidae with new generic and species records (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Biodivers Data J 2021; 9:e77092. [PMID: 34916873 PMCID: PMC8671368 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.9.e77092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite their ecological and economic importance, hymenopteran parasitoids are severely understudied. Even in countries with a long taxonomic history such as Germany, dating back to the 18th century and including prolific figures like Christian Gottfired Nees von Esenbeck and Otto Schmiedeknecht, those species-rich groups are seldom the subject of comprehensive research efforts, leaving their true diversity unknown. This is often due to their small size of a few millimetres on average, leading to difficulties in their identification and examination. The chalcidoid family Pteromalidae is no exception to this neglect. So far, 735 species have been reported from Germany. Estimating the diversity of this group is not possible, but it has to be assumed that many more species are still to be discovered in Germany. New information With this study, we improve the knowledge on pteromalid diversity and present new records of 17 genera and 41 species, previously unknown to occur in Germany. We also match and describe previously unknown sexes of two species, based on DNA barcode data. The results of this study were generated as part of the German Barcode of Life Project. The newly-recorded species are illustrated and notes on the biology and distribution are given. The ecological significance of Pteromalidae and potential value as indicators for nature conservation efforts are briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Haas
- Entomology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Germany.,Systematic Entomology (190n), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Systematic Entomology (190n), University of Hohenheim Stuttgart Germany
| | - Hannes Baur
- Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum Bern, Bern, Switzerland Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum Bern Bern Switzerland.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Tanja Schweizer
- Entomology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Germany
| | - Juan Carlos Monje
- Entomology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Germany
| | - Marina Moser
- Entomology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Germany.,Systematic Entomology (190n), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Systematic Entomology (190n), University of Hohenheim Stuttgart Germany
| | - Sonia Bigalk
- Entomology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Germany
| | - Lars Krogmann
- Entomology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart Germany.,Systematic Entomology (190n), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Systematic Entomology (190n), University of Hohenheim Stuttgart Germany
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