Could Purposefully Engineered Native Grassland Gardens Enhance Urban Insect Biodiversity?

Abstract

Progress is required in response to how cities can support greater biodiversity. This calls for more research on how landscape designers can actively shape urban ecologies to deliver context-specific empirical bases for green space intervention decisions. Design experiments offer opportunities for implemented projects within real-world settings to serve as learning sites. This paper explores preliminary ecological outcomes from a multidisciplinary team on whether purposefully engineered native grassland gardens provide more habitat functions for insects than mainstream gardens in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Six different sites were sampled: two recently installed native grassland garden interventions (young native), two contemporary non-native control gardens (young non-native) on the same premises and of the same ages as the interventions, one remnant of a more pristine native grassland reference area (old native), and one long-established, non-native reference garden (old non-native). Plant and insect diversity were sampled over one year. The short-term findings suggest that higher plant beta diversity (species turnover indicating heterogeneity in a site) supports greater insect richness and evenness in richness. Garden size, age, and connectivity were not clear factors mediating urban habitat enhancement. Based on the preliminary results, the researchers recommend high native grassland species composition and diversity, avoiding individual species dominance, but increasing beta diversity and functional types when selecting garden plants for urban insect biodiversity conservation in grassland biomes.

Expression of honey bee (Apis mellifera) sterol homeostasis genes in food jelly producing glands of workers

“…Honey bees ( Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier) were sampled in February and March 2021 (autumn) from a queen‐right brood‐rearing colony located on the experimental farm of the University of Pretoria, South Africa (latitude: −25.7530; longitude: 28.2583). The experimental farm is partially left with undisturbed, original vegetation for research on managing indigenous grasslands (Barker et al, 2021) combined with purposefully engineered native grassland gardens to provide more habitat functions for insects (Breed et al, 2022). Thus, natural forage is abundant on the experimental farm and also in the area close by (Barker et al, 2021; Breed et al, 2022; Mailula & Nofemela, 2017).…”

“…The experimental farm is partially left with undisturbed, original vegetation for research on managing indigenous grasslands (Barker et al, 2021) combined with purposefully engineered native grassland gardens to provide more habitat functions for insects (Breed et al, 2022). Thus, natural forage is abundant on the experimental farm and also in the area close by (Barker et al, 2021; Breed et al, 2022; Mailula & Nofemela, 2017). To raise age‐matched worker bees, a brood frame containing capped brood was removed from the hive and incubated in darkness at 34°C and 60% relative humidity.…”

“…Honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier) were sampled in (Barker et al, 2021) combined with purposefully engineered native grassland gardens to provide more habitat functions for insects (Breed et al, 2022). Thus, natural forage is abundant on the experimental farm and also in the area close by (Barker et al, 2021;Breed et al, 2022;Mailula & Nofemela, 2017). To raise agematched worker bees, a brood frame containing capped brood was removed from the hive and incubated in darkness at 34°C and 60% relative humidity.…”