Wild pollinator communities are negatively affected by invasion of alien goldenrods in grassland landscapes

Moroń, Dawid; Lenda, Magdalena; Skórka, Piotr; Szentgyörgyi, Hajnalka; Settele, Josef; Woyciechowski, Michał

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.12.036

Cited by 181 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…First, deterioration in the food base due to a decrease in the diversity and coverage of native plants could have triggered a decline in nectar-feeding ants (mainly M. rubra and M. ruginodis). Goldenrod is a strongly melliferous plant, but the time of flowering is probably too short and too late to provide enough food for invertebrates (Moroń et al 2009). Moreover, an overall decline in species richness and densities of different groups of invertebrates in areas with goldenrod (de Groot et al 2007;Skórka et al 2007;Moroń et al 2009;Fenesi et al 2015) may cause a decrease in the amount of available food for carnivorous ant species (Litt et al 2014), mainly M. scabrinodis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far no negative demographic trends in Phengaris butterfly metapopulations were noticed in the study area (Kajzer-Bonk et al 2013). However, goldenrod invasion has only recently commenced (Moroń et al 2009), and a large part of this particular meadow complex is still in good condition. Moreover, the abundance of S. officinalis does not affect densities of Phengaris butterflies (Nowicki et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite evidence of the negative effects of goldenrod invasion Moroń et al 2009), no efforts have been made to restore this valuable area. Our findings again show that immediate conservation actions should be undertaken to suppress goldenrod invasion in grassland habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, smaller or slower growing plant species receive less light, resulting in the displacement of native flora (Banta et al 2008). Uncontrolled growth of Solidago may lead to a reduction in both the number of indigenous plant species and the degree of plant cover by more than 50 % (Moroń et al 2009). In consequence, goldenrods establish stable and widespread monocultures, with high densities of sprouts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In consequence, goldenrods establish stable and widespread monocultures, with high densities of sprouts. Such large changes in vegetation also bring further consequences for organisms at higher trophic levels, both herbivores and predators (de Groot et al 2007;Moroń et al 2009;Skórka et al 2010;Fenesi et al 2015). An investigation into the climatic niche of Solidago showed that its range and density will increase, mainly in the south-eastern part of Europe (Weber 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invasive goldenrods affect abundance and diversity of grassland ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2016

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Goldenrods (Solidago sp.) are currently one of the most invasive plant species in Central Europe. They threaten abandoned semi-natural wet grasslands which are extremely vulnerable to plant succession and invasions. We assessed whether Solidago invasion affects ants, keystone organisms essential to proper ecosystem functioning and to the existence of myrmecophilous Phengaris butterflies. Ten meadows containing 60 plots with and without goldenrods were studied. We found a strong, negative dependence between the presence of goldenrod cover and the number of ant nests (more than 50 % reduction compared to control) as well as the number of species, and changes in species composition. Myrmica ants, essential hosts for Phengaris larvae, were among the most affected species by goldenrod invasion. Immediate action should be undertaken for restoration and maintenance of biodiversity hotspots affected by goldenrod invasion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invasive goldenrods affect abundance and diversity of grassland ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2016

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Ten‐year trends reveal declining quality of seeded pollinator habitat on reclaimed mines regardless of seed mix diversity

Lybbert

Cusser

Hung

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Plant–pollinator interactions represent a crucial ecosystem function threatened by anthropogenic landscape changes. Disturbances that reduce plant diversity are associated with floral resource and pollinator declines. Establishing wildflower plantings is a major conservation strategy targeting pollinators, the success of which depends on long‐term persistence of seeded floral communities. However, most pollinator‐oriented seeding projects are monitored for a few years, making it difficult to evaluate the longevity of such interventions. Selecting plant species to provide pollinators diverse arrays of floral resources throughout their activity season is often limited by budgetary constraints and other conservation priorities. To evaluate the long‐term persistence of prairie vegetation seeded to support pollinators, we sowed wildflower seed mixes into plots on a degraded reclaimed strip‐mine landscape in central Ohio, USA. We examined how pollinator habitat quality, measured as floral abundance and diversity, changed over 10 years (2009–2019) in the absence of management, over the course of the blooming season within each year, and across three seed mixes containing different numbers and combinations of flowering plant species. Seeded species floral abundance declined by more than 75% over the study, with the largest decline occurring between the fifth and seventh summers. Native and non‐native adventive flowering plants quickly colonized the plots and represented >50% of floral community abundances on average. Floral richness remained relatively constant throughout the study, with a small peak one year after plot establishment. Plots seeded with High‐Diversity Mixes averaged two or three more species per plot compared with a Low‐Diversity Mix, despite having been seeded with twice as many plant species. Within years, the abundance and diversity of seeded species were lowest early in the blooming season and increased monotonically from June to August. Adventive species exhibited the opposite trend, such that complementary abundance patterns of seeded and adventive species blooms resulted in a relatively constant floral abundance across the growing season. Seeded plant communities followed classic successional patterns in which annual species quickly established and flowered but were replaced by perennial species after the first few summers. Long‐term data on establishment and persistence of flower species can guide species selection for future‐oriented pollinator habitat restorations.

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Honey bees and wild pollinators differ in their preference for and use of introduced floral resources

Urbanowicz

Muñiz

McArt

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Introduced plants may be important foraging resources for honey bees and wild pollinators, but how often and why pollinators visit introduced plants across an entire plant community is not well understood. Understanding the importance of introduced plants for pollinators could help guide management of these plants and conservation of pollinator habitat. We assessed how floral abundance and pollinator preference influence pollinator visitation rate and diversity on 30 introduced versus 24 native plants in central New York. Honey bees visited introduced and native plants at similar rates regardless of floral abundance. In contrast, as floral abundance increased, wild pollinator visitation rate decreased more strongly for introduced plants than native plants. Introduced plants as a group and native plants as a group did not differ in bee diversity or preference, but honey bees and wild pollinators preferred different plant species. As a case study, we then focused on knapweed (Centaurea spp.), an introduced plant that was the most preferred plant by honey bees, and that beekeepers value as a late‐summer foraging resource. We compared the extent to which honey bees versus wild pollinators visited knapweed relative to coflowering plants, and we quantified knapweed pollen and nectar collection by honey bees across 22 New York apiaries. Honey bees visited knapweed more frequently than coflowering plants and at a similar rate as all wild pollinators combined. All apiaries contained knapweed pollen in nectar, 86% of apiaries contained knapweed pollen in bee bread, and knapweed was sometimes a main pollen or nectar source for honey bees in late summer. Our results suggest that because of diverging responses to floral abundance and preferences for different plants, honey bees and wild pollinators differ in their use of introduced plants. Depending on the plant and its abundance, removing an introduced plant may impact honey bees more than wild pollinators.

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Wild pollinator communities are negatively affected by invasion of alien goldenrods in grassland landscapes

Cited by 181 publications

References 52 publications

Invasive goldenrods affect abundance and diversity of grassland ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Invasive goldenrods affect abundance and diversity of grassland ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Ten‐year trends reveal declining quality of seeded pollinator habitat on reclaimed mines regardless of seed mix diversity

Honey bees and wild pollinators differ in their preference for and use of introduced floral resources

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