Pollinator decline is acknowledged worldwide and constitutes a major subject of environmental research. Nevertheless, farmers' efforts to protect pollinators in agricultural lands remain very limited, in particular if no compensation scheme is applicable. Current research focuses on measuring pollinator diversity in different landscapes, but research on income gains, due to habitat enhancement and high pollinator diversity, may have greater potential to induce farmers' field management changes. In 2012, it was suggested for the first time that farmers' motivation would be triggered if the demonstration was made that enhancing pollinator habitats, with a novel approach of farming with alternative pollinators, can increase yield and income. In 2013-2014, therefore, a 18month-pilot project was set on a participatory basis in Uzbekistan, to test this farming with alternative pollinators approach on field and orchard crops. The practicability and the potential of the approach were tested in collaboration with seven smallholders, two commercial farmers, and two schools. We analyzed the yield and insect diversity (pollinators, predators, and pests) of seven cucumber fields in the Parkent district and four orchards of sour cherry in the Boysun district in Uzbekistan. Here we show that the fields with enhanced habitats faced higher diversity of pollinators and predators, but less pests than control fields. Furthermore, the farming with alternative pollinators approach doubled the yield of sour cherry in 2014 and highly increased the income from cucumber in 2013. In 2014, however, a climatic disaster influenced the results on cucumber in Parkent district. Ultimately, 94% of the farmers were willing to enhance pollinator habitats after being informed of these higher-yield figures. If more projects confirm that farming with alternative pollinators creates an economically self-sustaining incentive for farmers to improve habitats, this approach could contribute considerably to global pollinator protection and food security.

The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) of plant invasion asserts that natural enemies limit populations of invasive plants more strongly in native ranges than in non‐native ranges. Despite considerable empirical attention, few studies have directly tested this idea, especially with respect to generalist herbivores. This knowledge gap is important because escaping the effects of generalists is a critical aspect of the ERH that may help explain successful plant invasions. Here, we used consumer exclosures and seed addition experiments to contrast the effects of granivorous rodents (an important guild of generalists) on the establishment of cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum ) in western Asia, where cheatgrass is native, versus the Great Basin Desert, USA, where cheatgrass is exotic and highly invasive. Consistent with the ERH, rodent foraging reduced cheatgrass establishment by nearly 60% in western Asia but had no effect in the Great Basin. This main result corresponded with a region‐specific foraging pattern: rodents in the Great Basin but not western Asia generally avoided seeds from cheatgrass relative to seeds from native competitors. Our results suggest that enemy release from the effects of an important guild of generalists may contribute to the explosive success of cheatgrass in the Great Basin. These findings corroborate classic theory on enemy release and expand our understanding of how generalists can influence the trajectory of exotic plant invasions.

No abstract

No abstract

Desert annual plant species are valuable pasture forage and sources for restoration of degraded pastures. Examining the impact of environmental stresses on genetic diversity and population structure can identify species populations suitable for habitat restoration. We examined allozyme diversity and population structure of two annual species, halo-xerophyte