Contrasting effects of mass-flowering crops on bee pollination of hedge plants at different spatial and temporal scales

Landscape-wide mass-flowering of oilseed rape (canola Brassica napus) can considerably affect wild bee communities and pollination success of wild plants. We aimed to assess the impact of oilseed rape on the pollination of wild plants and bee abundance during and after oilseed-rape bloom, including effects on crop-noncrop spillover at landscape and adjacent-field scales. We focused on two shrub species (hawthorn Crataegus spp., dog rose Rosa canina) and adjacent herb flowering in forest edges, connected hedges, and isolated hedges in Lower Saxony, Germany. We selected 35 landscape circles of 1 km radius, differing in the amount of oilseed rape; 18 were adjacent to oilseed rape and 17 to cereal fields, and we quantified bee density via pan traps at all sites. Adjacent oilseed rape positively affected fruit mass and seed number per fruit of simultaneously flowering hawthorn (no effect on dog rose, which flowers after the oilseed rape bloom). At the landscape scale, oilseed rape had a negative effect on bumble bee density in the hedges during flowering due to dilution of pollinators per unit area and the consequently intensified competition between oilseed rape and wild shrubs, but a positive effect after flowering when bees moved to the hedges, which still provided resources. In contrast, positive landscape-scale effects of oilseed rape were found throughout the season in forest edges, suggesting that edges support nesting activity and enhanced food resources. Our results show that oilseed rape effects on bee abundances and pollination success in seminatural habitats depend on the spatial and temporal scale considered and on the habitat type, the wild plant species, and the time of crop flowering. These scale-dependent positive and negative effects should be considered in evaluations of landscape-scale configuration and composition of crops. Food resources provided by mass-flowering crops should be most beneficial for landscape-wide enhancement of wild bee populations if seminatural habitats are available, providing (1) nesting resources and (2) continuous flowering resources during the season

Landscape configuration of crops and hedgerows drives local syrphid fly abundance

Summary 1. Human-dominated landscapes are characterized by a mosaic of natural and managed eco- systems, affecting arthropod communities on different spatial scales. Effective landscape man- agement for functionally important organisms suffers from little understanding of organism spillover between semi-natural habitats and adjacent crops, and of how it is affected by the surrounding landscape. 2. We examined syrphid abundance (Diptera: Syrphidae) in three types of linear semi-natural habitats, differing in connectedness to annual crops and forest [forest edges ( n = 12), forest- connected hedges ( n = 11) and isolated hedges ( n = 12)], as well as in the adjacent oilseed rape or winter wheat fields (i.e. altogether n = 70 sites in 35 landscapes). The landscape cir- cles with 1 km radius around the study sites differed in the proportion of oilseed rape (rang- ing from 0% to 35% oilseed rape) enabling us to test landscape-scale effects of oilseed rape. 3. Aphidophagous syrphids were more abundant in forest-connected hedgerows than in for- est edges (with isolated hedges being intermediate), and more abundant in crop fields adjacent to hedgerows than adjacent to forest edges, indicating spillover from semi-natural habitats to the adjacent crop fields. Aphidophagous syrphid abundance was higher in semi-natural habi- tats adjacent to oilseed rape fields than adjacent to wheat fields if the proportion of oilseed rape in the landscape was low (indicating local concentration). 4. Synthesis and applications. This study highlights the potential of hedgerows to enhance the abundances of beneficial syrphids and their spillover to adjacent crop fields, especially when they are connected with forests. We provide evidence that this local exchange is moderated by the extent of mass-flowering crops in the surrounding landscapes due to local concentration. There- fore, measurements for the improvement in local biological functioni ng should be evaluated by simultaneously investigating local and regio nal aspects of crop configurations to allow for region-specific management recommendations. Increasing the total amount of hedgerows in the agricultural matrix under moderate landscape- scale proportions of mass-flowering crops may serve best for the conservation of biodiversity and augmentation of i mportant ecosystem services such as biological control and pollination in lands capes dominated by agricultural cultivations

Appendix E. Different parameters of pollination success on the bagged branches and flowers open for pollinator insects on hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and dog rose (Rosa canina) shrubs.

Different parameters of pollination success on the bagged branches and flowers open for pollinator insects on hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and dog rose (Rosa canina) shrubs

Appendix B. Dependent and explanatory variables of the ANCOVAs in the analyses of the two distinct data sets.

Dependent and explanatory variables of the ANCOVAs in the analyses of the two distinct data sets

Appendix D. Results of the paired t tests on the effects of treatment (bagged vs. open branches) on the different parameters of pollination success of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and dog rose (Rosa canina) flowers in forest edges and in connected and isolated hedges.

Results of the paired t tests on the effects of treatment (bagged vs. open branches) on the different parameters of pollination success of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and dog rose (Rosa canina) flowers in forest edges and in connected and isolated hedges

Appendix C. The abundance of bumble bees and other wild bees sampled by pan traps in May and June 2009 in the studied forest edges and in connected and isolated hedges.

The abundance of bumble bees and other wild bees sampled by pan traps in May and June 2009 in the studied forest edges and in connected and isolated hedges

Appendix B. Open-field densities of aphids and their natural enemies in five European regions: West-Germany, East-Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Poland.

Open-field densities of aphids and their natural enemies in five European regions: West-Germany, East-Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Poland

Appendix A. Variables describing agricultural intensification at local scales and landscape scales in five European regions: West-Germany, East-Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Poland.

Variables describing agricultural intensification at local scales and landscape scales in five European regions: West-Germany, East-Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Poland