How do plant communities and flower visitors relate? A case study of semi-natural xerothermic grasslands

Abstract

<p>The paper examines the relationships between the species composition of flower visitors and plants in the semi-natural xerothermic grasslands in southern and central Poland. Thirty 10 × 10 m permanent plots were laid out in total, mainly in nature reserves. The vegetation units studied were classified according to the Braun-Blanquet system; these were phytocoenoses of the <em>Festuco-Brometea</em> classes <em>Inuletum ensifoliae</em>, <em>Adonido-Brachypodietum pinnati</em> and the transitional plant community. Entomological research was performed using the Pollard method within the same plots. A particular site was visited only once and different sites were studied between April and August 2008. We applied, among others, co-correspondence-analysis Co-CA, detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) to investigate the co-occurrence patterns of plants and flower visitors and their biotopic requirements. We found that the species composition of flower visitors cannot be predicted by floristic composition when the duration of the study is restricted to one day (but under similar weather conditions); however, there is a positive relationship between the species richness of insects and plants and a positive relationship between the number of plant species and the abundance of flower visitors. The Ellenberg moisture index and the cover of meadow species significantly explained the species composition of insects. The three various vegetation units and five dominant xerothermic species, i.e. <em>Adonis vernalis</em>, <em>Anemone sylvestris</em>, <em>Inula ensifolia</em>, <em>Linum hirsutum</em> and <em>Carlina onopordifolia</em> that were studied across time differed in the species richness of insects. Our results demonstrate that possible patterns in the species composition and the assembly rules of flower visitors are not apparent when the Pollard method is applied. Based on the data obtained using this method, the flower visiting assemblages seem not to be driven by competition and they primarily show a tendency to co-occur which can be an artifact. A plant-focused method that included a rarefaction analysis yielded more insightful results and shed more light on the differences between the dominant plants that shape the physiognomy of plant communities in a possible pollination specialization.</p

Pollination and floral biology of Adonis vernalis L. (Ranunculaceae) – a case study of threatened species

“…In a spring ephemeral Adonis ramose Franch, Kudo [43] found that the activity of visiting insects was dependent on temperature, and cool temperatures restricted their frequency. However, bumblebees, as visitors that forage at ambient temperatures of 5°C or less, are reported as foragers to early spring flora of xerothermic swards in Poland [44]. Bumblebees were also noted in our study but their frequency was very low, surprisingly much lower than that of solitary bees.…”

Keanekaragaman serangga pengunjung bunga pada tanaman tumpang sari kedelai dengan tanaman orok-orok (Crotalaria juncea)

“…Keberadaan tumbuhan berbunga, seperti C. juncea sekitar area pertanaman dapat menyediakan nektar dan polen (Nicholls & Altieri 2013;Landis et al 2000;Gurr et al 2004) guna mendukung kehidupan serangga polinator. Jenis tumbuhan berbunga yang lebih beragam akan memikat serangga penyerbuk sehingga dapat meningkatkan kunjungan pada bunga dalam komunitas tumbuhan di ekosistem tersebut (Chmura et al 2013 serangga kecil (Kalshoven 1981). Sementara itu, lalat jenis M. domestica telah diidentifkasi dapat membantu proses penyerbukan pada tanaman jarak (Douka & Fohouo 2014).…”

“…Kumbang tersebut juga dicatat mengunjungi kacang tunggak (Vigna unguiculata) (Stephanie et al (2015) dan buncis (Phaseolus vulgaris) (Kingha et al 2012) untuk mencari nektar dan serbuk sari. Widhiono & Sudiana (2015) (Chmura et al 2013;Landis et al 2000).…”

Roads affect the spatial structure of butterfly communities in grassland patches

“…Butterfly larvae usually have specific host-plant species/groups, while adults often use specific plant species as nectar sources ( Munguira, Garcia-Barros & Cano, 2009 ). As a result, a strong correlation between butterfly and plant species richness is often observed in grassland patches ( Skórka, Settele & Woyciechowski, 2007 ; Chmura, Adamski & Denisiuk, 2013 ). It may thus be expected that roads decrease the species richness and abundance of butterflies and plants and alter the species composition of the community in such a way that some species may tolerate adjacency while others avoid it.…”