Railway embankments - a refuge areas for food flora, and pollinators in agricultural landscape

Abstract

A b s t r a c t In a modern agricultural landscape the assurance of food resources is a key issue in the maintaince and control of food niche for pollinators. In the present study we evaluated bee forage flora composition and diversity within railway embankments located in the agricultural landscape, SE Poland. We also analysed the abundance of pollinators that use food resources along railway embankments and recognized insect visitors preference for selected plant species. Railway embankments represent valuable refuge areas for bee forage flora (307 species, i.e. 76.1% of total flora) and pollinators (in total 4172 insect visits from 9 taxonomic groups). However, the richness and abundance of bee forage flora significantly differed between types of the railway distinguished by traffic volume. The highest diversity of bee forage flora is noted along the railway with intermediate traffic volume. Approx. 25% and 40% less bee forage species was identified along railways with low and high traffic volume. Likewise, bee forage flora differed considerably between microhabitat types, i.e. top vs. slope vs. bottom of the embankment. Providing support (e.g. mowing) seems to be an important management type in order to strengthen the native bee forage flora particularly on railway embankments along low and high traffic volume tracks. Such activity is crucial to counteract the spread of aggressive non-forage species (e.g. Calamagrostis epigejos, Artemisia vulgaris, Phragmites communis) and invasive species (e.g. Bunias orientalis, Solidago gigantea).

Nectar secretion and pollen production in Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Sky Jacket’ (Asparagaceae)

“…The disparities are largely due to differences in quality of habitats between urban and rural areas [29]. High species richness and abundance of forage flora in urban parks [30][31][32][33][34], public and private gardens [35][36][37], cemeteries [38], railway areas [39] have been evidenced. More importantly, all these green areas can be exploited for propagation of nectar and pollen bee flora.…”

Invasive flora within urban railway areas: a case study from Lublin (Poland) and Lviv (Ukraine)

“…Railway transport systems with associated structures (e.g., tunnels, bridges) can also encourage biodiversity in an urban environment [20]. These structures create new habitats and provide valuable conditions for the activity of animals and/or the occurrence of diverse plant species [16,21,22]. However, there are also many negative impacts of railway areas on the environment such as habitat loss and fragmentation, destruction of habitat conditions, pollution, creation of barriers to the reproductive and food niches of organisms [23].…”

“…However, there are also many negative impacts of railway areas on the environment such as habitat loss and fragmentation, destruction of habitat conditions, pollution, creation of barriers to the reproductive and food niches of organisms [23]. Even though a predominance of native species has been reported in railway areas, the proportion of alien species is higher than that in domestic floras [22].…”

Railways as Barriers for Wildlife: Current Knowledge

“…The wide range of environmental conditions occurring in tracks, led to the presence of a large number of nectar plant species, allowing the existence of many butterfly species, from those selecting dry and warm microhabitats to forest specialists (Kalarus and Bąkowski 2015). Similar results have been found for other pollinators due to the high diversity of bee forage flora, although their diversity is higher in lines with intermediate traffic volume, and differs between microhabitats within the embankments (Wrzesień et al 2016). On the contrary, Cerboncini et al (2016) found no effects of railway edge on microclimate in a Brazilian Atlantic forest, probably because railway track was narrow and the forest was well developed.…”