Bibionids (Diptera: Bibionidae) in agricultural land: a review of damage, benefits, natural enemies and control

D'arcy‐Burt, S.; Blackshaw, R. P.

doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.1991.tb05359.x

Cited by 37 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…occasional visitation or pollen theft by insects will be negligible given the large number of visits recorded in the database. Most importantly, all insect species or genera that we considered as ‘specialist pollinators’ were documented elsewhere to indeed be plant pollinators (Barth ; D'Arcy‐Burt & Blackshaw ; Goldblatt et al . ; Clement et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition for pollinators and intra‐communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers

et al. 2015

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Competition for pollinators occurs when, in a community of flowering plants, several simultaneously flowering plant species depend on the same pollinator. Competition for pollinators increases interspecific pollen transfer rates, thereby reducing the number of viable offspring. In order to decrease interspecific pollen transfer, plant species can distinguish themselves from competitors by having a divergent phenotype. Floral colour is an important signalling cue to attract potential pollinators and thus a major aspect of the flower phenotype. In this study, we analysed the amount of spectral dissimilarity of flowers among pollinator-competing plants in a Dutch nature reserve. We expected pollinator-competing plants to exhibit more spectral dissimilarity than non-competing plants. Using flower visitation data of 2 years, we determined the amount of competition for pollinators by different plant species. Plant species that were visited by the same pollinator were considered specialist and competing for that pollinator, whereas plant species visited by a broad array of pollinators were considered non-competing generalists. We used principal components analysis to quantify floral reflectance, and found evidence for enhanced spectral dissimilarity among plant species within specialist pollinator guilds (i.e. groups of plant species competing for the same pollinator). This is the first study that examined intra-communal dissimilarity in floral reflectance with a focus on the pollination system.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition for pollinators and intra‐communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers

et al. 2015

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“…Removal of organic residues from the soil surface by ploughing causes direct damage to larvae and alters habitat structure (porosity and moisture content) while taking away an important food source from dipteran population and affecting predator pressure [84,85]. Other agricultural practices that can affect dipteran abundance, by increasing it, are the ones related to an overall increase in plant biomass and dead organic matter, such as mineral fertilizers and addition of manure, which enhance abundance of Chironomidae, Sciaridae, Scatopsidae and Psychodidae larvae (but also attract dipteran females and increase oviposition) [86][87][88]. The use of insecticides and/or herbicides leads to different responses in Diptera larvae, sometimes reducing their abundance and in other cases displaying no significant effect [89][90][91].…”

Section: Dipteramentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Health and Arthropods: From Complex System to Worthwhile Investigation

Menta

Remelli

2020

Insects

137

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The dramatic increase in soil degradation in the last few decades has led to the need to identify methods to define not only soil quality but also, in a holistic approach, soil health. In the past twenty years, indices based on living communities have been proposed alongside the already proven physical-chemical methods. Among them, some soil invertebrates have been included in monitoring programs as bioindicators of soil quality. Being an important portion of soil fauna, soil arthropods are involved in many soil processes such as organic matter decomposition and translocation, nutrient cycling, microflora activity regulation and bioturbation. Many studies have reported the use of soil arthropods to define soil quality; among taxa, some have been explored more in depth, typically Acari and Collembola, while generally less abundant groups, such as Palpigradi or Embioptera, have not been investigated much. This paper aims to evaluate and compare the use of different soil microarthropod taxa in soil degradation/quality studies to highlight which groups are the most reported for soil monitoring and which are the most sensitive to soil degradation. We have decided not to include the two most present and abundant taxa, Acari and Collembola, in this paper in consideration of the vast amount of existing literature and focus the discussion on the other microarthropod groups. We reported some studies for each taxon highlighting the use of the group as soil quality indicator. A brief section reporting some indices based on soil microarthropods is proposed at the end of this specific discussion. This paper can be considered as a reference point in the use of soil arthropods to estimate soil quality and health.

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“…As with inorganic fertilizer, earthworm populations seem to increase with moderate applications of farmyard manure and slurry but decrease under high applications (Edwards & Lofty 1982; Standen 1984; Unwin & Lewis 1986). High numbers of bibionids (Diptera: Bibionidae) and leatherjackets, both important prey items for birds, are associated with areas where large amounts of organic matter (dung or slurry) have been applied in the previous season (D’Arcy‐Burt & Blackshaw 1991; McCracken, Foster & Kelly 1995).…”

Section: Grassland Management Practices – Impacts On Plants Invertebmentioning

confidence: 99%

The management of lowland neutral grasslands in Britain: effects of agricultural practices on birds and their food resources

Vickery

Tallowin

Feber

et al. 2001

Journal of Applied Ecology

629

506

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Summary1. The effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity in arable systems of western Europe have received a great deal of attention. However, the recent transformation of grassland systems has been just as profound. 2. In Britain, the management of grassland has changed substantially in the second half of the 20th century. A high proportion of lowland grassland is managed intensively. The major changes include a doubling in the use of inorganic nitrogen, a switch from hay to silage, and increased stocking densities, particularly of sheep. Structurally diverse and species-rich swards have been largely replaced by relatively dense, fast-growing and structurally uniform swards, dominated by competitive species. 3. Most of these changes have reduced the suitability of grassland as feeding and breeding habitat for birds. 4. The most important direct effects have been deterioration of the sward as nesting and wintering habitat, and loss of seed resources as food. Short uniform swards afford poor shelter and camouflage from predators, whereas increased mowing intensities and trampling by stock will destroy nests and young. Increased frequency of sward defoliation reduces flowering and seed set, and hence food availability for seed-eating birds. 5. The indirect effects of intensification of management on birds relate largely to changes in the abundance and availability of invertebrate prey. The effects of management vary with its type, timing and intensity, and with invertebrate ecology and phenology, but, in general, the abundance and diversity of invertebrates declines with reductions in sward diversity and structural complexity. 6. Low input livestock systems are likely to be central to any future management strategies designed to maintain and restore the ecological diversity of semi-natural lowland grasslands. Low additions of organic fertilizer benefit some invertebrate prey species, and moderate levels of grazing encourage sward heterogeneity. 7. There is now a need to improve understanding of how grassland management affects bird population dynamics. Particularly important areas of research include: (i) the interaction between changes in food abundance, due to changes in fertilizer inputs, and food accessibility, due to changes in sward structure; (ii) the interaction between predation rates and management-related changes in habitat; and (iii) the impact of alternative anti-helminithic treatments for livestock on invertebrates and birds.

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Bibionids (Diptera: Bibionidae) in agricultural land: a review of damage, benefits, natural enemies and control

Cited by 37 publications

References 22 publications

Competition for pollinators and intra‐communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers

Competition for pollinators and intra‐communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers

Soil Health and Arthropods: From Complex System to Worthwhile Investigation

The management of lowland neutral grasslands in Britain: effects of agricultural practices on birds and their food resources

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