Resource connectivity for beneficial insects in landscapes dominated by monoculture tree crop plantations

Saunders, Manu E.

doi:10.1080/14735903.2015.1025496

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, we found greater overlap in community composition between forest and avocado sites compared to dairy or potato. This is likely to be because perennial tree crop orchards are more similar to the local forest in terms of physical structure and temporal dynamics, compared to open grassland or rotational crop systems [67]. Further, because the sentinel plant used is an exotic fastgrowing annual plant that is more commonly found in open disturbed systems compared with clearings in unmanaged tropical rainforest [36,68,69], it is difficult to tease apart whether interactions between generalist pollinators and a generalist model crop plant increased pollination services in habitats suitable to the pollinators it interacts with or was a function of the sentinel plant selected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Network modularity influences plant reproduction in a mosaic tropical agroecosystem

Saunders

Rader

2019

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Biodiversity influences ecosystem function, but there is limited understanding of the mechanisms that support this relationship across different land use types in mosaic agroecosystems. Network approaches can help to understand how community structure influences ecosystem function across landscapes; however, in ecology, network analyses have largely focused on species–species interactions. Here, we use bipartite network analysis in a novel way: to link pollinator communities to sites in a tropical agricultural landscape. We used sentinel plants of Brassica rapa to examine how the structure of the community network influences plant reproduction. Diptera was the most common order of flower visitors at every site. Syrphidae visits were the strongest contributor to the number of fertilized pods, while visits by Syrphidae, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera had the strongest effect on the number of seeds per pod. Sentinel pots at forest sites were visited by more unique species (i.e. species with higher d′ ) than sites in other land uses, and dairy sites had more visitors that were common across the network. Participation coefficients, which indicate how connected a single node is across network modules, were strong predictors of ecosystem function: plant reproduction increased at sites with higher participation coefficients. Flower visitor taxa with higher participation coefficients also had the strongest effect on plant reproduction. Hymenoptera visits were the best predictor for participation coefficients but an Allograpta sp. (Diptera: Syrphidae) was the most influential flower visitor species in the landscape network. A diverse insect community contributed to plant reproduction and connection among nodes in this system. Identifying the ‘keystone’ flower visitor species and sites that have a strong influence on network structure is a significant step forward to inform conservation priorities and decision-making in diverse agroecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network modularity influences plant reproduction in a mosaic tropical agroecosystem

Saunders

Rader

2019

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Some recent studies have identified a diverse range of native bee and non‐bee pollinator insects in Australian field crop and orchard agroecosystems that are likely contributing to pollination services (e.g. Arthur et al ., ; Saunders, ). Therefore, greater understanding of the ecology and biology of Australian pollinator insect species is necessary to ensure sustainable management of agroecosystems to conserve habitat and breeding locations for wild pollinator species (Cunningham et al ., ; Batley & Hogendoorn, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Honey bees: the queens of mass media, despite minority rule among insect pollinators

Smith

Saunders

2016

Insect Conserv Diversity

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1. Pollination is a critical ecosystem function with high ecological and economic value. Conservation initiatives aimed at protecting diverse pollinator communities in natural and agricultural habitats are essential, but the implementation and success of such initiatives often depends on public support.2. Mass media play an important role in building public awareness around environmental issues, and biased coverage can have damaging effects. Here, we present the first analysis of how Australian mainstream media present the 'pollinator' paradigm. We gathered insect pollinator and pollination related articles from major Australian online newspapers published over a period of 9 years, and performed a qualitative content analysis using deductive coding to record information on the pollinator species or groups discussed in the story.3. We found 151 stories, and demonstrate that within these, there was a disproportionate focus on introduced European honey bees as the most important, or only, pollinator insect relevant to Australia. Only 15% of stories mentioned native bees as pollinators and 17% mentioned non-bee pollinators.4. There is potential that the trend we report here for pollinators may be indicative of a larger overall simplification and neglect of biodiversity concepts in mainstream media, both in Australia and globally. As public awareness of science and environmental issues partly depend on disseminating accurate information beyond the scholar network, it is imperative that the broader effects of inaccurate science communication are fully understood.

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“…Managed bees have become highly valued in agriculture for a number of reasons. Monoculture farming has played a role in diminishing unmanaged native pollinator populations Kremen, Bugg, et al, 2002;Saunders, 2016), thus deepening industrial agriculture's dependence on managed honeybee pollination services in what has been termed the "apis-industrialcomplex" (Nimmo, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commoning the bloom? Rethinking bee forage management in industrial agriculture

Durant

2021

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Managed and wild bee populations are declining around the world, in part due to lost access to bee forage (i.e., nectar and pollen). As bee forage diminishes, the remaining acres become sites of contestation between beekeepers, land managers, ecologists, and regulatory agencies. This article applies a commons framing to contextualize these conflicts and attempts to resolve them. Drawing from the concepts of commons and commoning, I argue that nectar and pollen are common-pool resources for pollinators, beekeepers, and land managers, currently managed through varied access arrangements such as informal usufruct rights and pseudo-commoning practices. Like commoning, pseudo-commoning aims to collectively manage a resource through a set of protocols that involve equitable resource sharing and communication. However, because pseudo-commons are implemented from the top down, for example, from institutional actors driven in part by economic interests, they often do not result in widespread adoption on the ground. Through a case in California almond orchards, I make two additional arguments. First, because beekeepers are largely migratory and do not own the land they need for production, their subordinate position to landowners can challenge equitable bee forage management. Second, while floral pseudo-commons may aim to counter the negative effects of industrialized agricultural production (e.g., by limiting pesticide exposure to honey bees), they also provide a “fix” that supports and expands industrial agriculture by stabilizing managed bee pollination services. Increasing reliance on managed bee pollination services can thus disincentivize transitions to sustainable food production, such as adopting diversified practices that would support native bee populations and reduce the need for managed honey bees on farms.

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Resource connectivity for beneficial insects in landscapes dominated by monoculture tree crop plantations

Cited by 14 publications

References 76 publications

Network modularity influences plant reproduction in a mosaic tropical agroecosystem

Network modularity influences plant reproduction in a mosaic tropical agroecosystem

Honey bees: the queens of mass media, despite minority rule among insect pollinators

Commoning the bloom? Rethinking bee forage management in industrial agriculture

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