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Bryan CJ, Sipes SD, Arduser M, Kassim L, Gibson DJ, Scott DA, Gage KL. Efficacy of Cover Crops for Pollinator Habitat Provision and Weed Suppression. Environ Entomol 2021; 50:208-221. [PMID: 33438747 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollinator declines have been documented globally, but little information is available about native bee ecology in Midwestern U.S. agriculture. This project seeks to optimize pollinator support and weed suppression in a 3-yr crop rotation with a fallow growing season. During fallow, one of five cover crop treatments (T1: crimson, red, and ladino clover and Bob oats [Fabales: Fabaceae - Trifolium incarnatum L., Trifolium pratense L., Trifolium repens L., and Cyperales: Poaceae - Avena sativa]; T2: crimson clover and oats; T3: red clover and oats; T4: ladino clover and oats; T5: no cover crop; T6/control: winter wheat [Cyperales: Poaceae - Triticum aestivum] L.) was seeded in one-half of 25 agricultural fields, whereas wheat was left unharvested in the other half as a comparison. Treatments that provide season-long floral resources support the greatest bee diversity and abundance (T1), and treatments with red clover support declining (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Bombus species (T1 and T3). Late-season floral resources may be important, yet limited (T1 and T4), and some species of agricultural weeds provide floral resources. Floral diversity may be less important than flower abundance or timing for pollinator diversity (T1-T4). Weed diversity was greatest in the no cover crop treatment (T5), least in winter wheat (T6), and intermediate in cover crop treatments (T1-T4) with no differences in weeds of economic concern. Wheat suppresses weeds but does not provide floral resources for pollinators. These results may also be applicable to marginal lands taken out of cultivation or field margin pollinator plantings in a typical corn-soybean rotation. Floral resource availability across the landscape is critical to maintain pollinator diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey J Bryan
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
- Great River, Clarence Cannon, and Middle Mississippi National Wildlife Refuges, Fish and Wildlife Service, 37599 Pike 206, Annada, MO
| | - Sedonia D Sipes
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
| | - Mike Arduser
- Missouri Department of Conservation, St. Charles, MO
| | - Leila Kassim
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
| | - David J Gibson
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
| | - Drew A Scott
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
- Ronin Institute, 127 Haddon Place, Montclair, NJ
| | - Karla L Gage
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
- School of Agriculture, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1205 Lincoln Drive MC 4415, Carbondale, IL
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Chisausky JL, Soley NM, Kassim L, Bryan CJ, Miranda GFG, Gage KL, Sipes SD. Syrphidae of Southern Illinois: Diversity, floral associations, and preliminary assessment of their efficacy as pollinators. Biodivers Data J 2020; 8:e57331. [PMID: 33199967 PMCID: PMC7644652 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.8.e57331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a cosmopolitan group of flower-visiting insects, though their diversity and importance as pollinators is understudied and often unappreciated. Data on 1,477 Syrphid occurrences and floral associations from three years of pollinator collection (2017-2019) in the Southern Illinois region of Illinois, United States, are here compiled and analyzed. We collected 69 species in 36 genera off of the flowers of 157 plant species. While a richness of 69 species is greater than most other families of flower-visiting insects in our region, a species accumulation curve and regional species pool estimators suggest that at least 33 species are yet uncollected. In order to further the understanding of Syrphidae as pollinators in the Southern Illinois region, we produced a NMDS ordination of floral associations for the most common syrphid species. The NMDS did not sort syrphid species into discrete ecological guilds, and syrphid floral associations generally fit those predicted by traditional pollination syndromes. We also conducted a preliminary analysis of the pollen-carrying capacity of different syrphid taxa, which found several Eristalis species to carry pollen loads comparable to the European Honey Bee, Apismellifera, and showed significant differences in the pollen-carrying capacity of various syrphid species. Notably, the extremely common genus Toxomerus and other small Syrphinae species carried very little pollen, while large and pilose Eristalinae species carried large pollen loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob L Chisausky
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America
| | - Nathan M Soley
- Iowa State University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Ames, IA, United States of America Iowa State University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Ames, IA United States of America.,Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America
| | - Leila Kassim
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America
| | - Casey J Bryan
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America
| | - Gil Felipe Gonçalves Miranda
- Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa, Canada Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes Ottawa Canada
| | - Karla L Gage
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, College of Agricultural Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, College of Agricultural Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America.,Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America
| | - Sedonia D Sipes
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences, Carbondale, IL, United States of America Southern Illinois University Carbondale, School of Biological Sciences Carbondale, IL United States of America
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