Wildflower plantings harbor increased arthropod richness and abundance within agricultural areas in Florida (USA)

Abstract

Intensive agriculture has led to a reduction of overall biodiversity and ecosystem services such as pollination and biological control. To offset these economic losses, many farmers are planting native wildflowers to enhance flowering plant diversity and augment pollinator and other beneficial arthropod populations on their farms. In this study, we examined arthropod communities in Florida (USA) within wildflower plots and fallow control plots, which were primarily composed of grasses. Significantly more herbivorous insects, predatory arthropods, and pollinators were found within wildflower plots than in fallow control plots. We also implemented pollinator surveys at flowering plants. These surveys highlighted numerous plant–pollinator interactions within wildflower plots, supporting the idea that some native wildflower species are more attractive to pollinators than are others. Nevertheless, utilizing diverse flowering plants for wildflower plots may support a wide diversity of beneficial arthropod species, including native bees. Our results suggest that wildflower plantings in Florida can be a successful management tool to harbor increased overall plant and arthropod diversity (including native pollinators and other beneficial arthropods) within intensive agricultural areas.

Bloom evenness modulates the influence of bloom abundance on insect community structure in suburban gardens

“…Understanding which variables within an urban landscape can most impact insect populations is important for conserving insect diversity in home gardens and yards, municipal parks and greenspaces, and other built environments. Efforts to increase insect pollinator and other arthropod assemblages in urban landscapes have often focused on enhancing plant diversity ( Campbell et al, 2019 ), sustained flowering ( Williams et al, 2015 ), floral abundance ( Campbell, Hanula & Waldrop, 2007 ; Campbell et al, 2019 ), and nativity ( Salisbury et al, 2015 ), or various combinations of these aspects ( Vrdoljak, Samways & Simaika, 2016 ). Nonetheless, knowledge gaps remain regarding best management practices for insect communities in urban landscapes.…”

Selection of Non-Crop Plant Mixes Informed by Arthropod-Plant Network Analyses for Multiple Ecosystem Services Delivery Towards Ecological Intensification of Agriculture

“…), and flies (e.g., members of family Tachinidae, Syrphidae, etc.) need specific hosts for ovipositing, but they also need to forage on floral rewards to fulfil their nutritional requirements [56][57][58][59]. Some predatory arthropods may also switch between dual resource types, such as insect prey or floral rewards [58,60].…”

Peer Review #1 of "Bloom evenness modulates the influence of bloom abundance on insect community structure in suburban gardens (v0.1)"

“…This method was used to streamline the bloom counting process, which included over 700 species. We collected data for bloom richness and bloom abundance because educational materials for gardeners recommend planting flowers to attract pollinators (UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program, n.d.; Campbell et al, 2019). While flowers are primarily often planted to attract pollinators, they may also provide valuable habitat to non-pollinating insects.…”