Sown wildflower strips offer promising long term results for butterfly conservation

Kolkman, Alyssa; Dopagne, Claude; Piqueray, Julien

doi:10.1007/s10841-021-00347-2

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The weed treatment likely enhanced habitat diversity, providing nesting materials, floral, and prey resources, all necessary for the various life stages of Hymenoptera and other insects. Flower strips have also been shown to increase 56 butterfly species by 82% [ 56 ], of which weedy wildflowers may serve as host plants and nectar sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weeds Enhance Insect Diversity and Abundance and May Improve Soil Conditions in Mango Cultivation of South Florida

Kleiman

Koptur²

2023

Insects

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This study examined if weeds could serve as insectary plants to increase beneficial insect abundance and diversity in mango cultivation in southern Florida. Additionally, we examined how weed presence affects mango tree soil health. We found that weeds significantly increased pollinating and parasitoid insect abundance and diversity. Eight insect orders and eighteen families were significantly more abundant on mango trees with weeds growing beneath them than those where weeds were removed. There was no difference in predatory insects between treatments, and slightly more herbivorous insects on weedy mango trees. Pollinating insects visiting mango flowers in the weed treatment were significantly greater, as well as spiders on weedy mango trees. However, there were more lacewings (Neuroptera) observed on the mango trees without weeds, and leaf chlorophyll in the old and new mango leaves was significantly greater, in the weed-free treatment. Soil conditions, however, significantly improved in soil carbon and a greater pH reduction in the presence of weeds, though weeds affected neither soil nitrogen, phosphorous, nor chlorophyll in productive green leaves. These results show that a tolerable level of selective weed species’ presence may benefit insect, plant, and soil biodiversity in farms. This is important in increasing production, sustainability, and biodiversity in agriculture, which otherwise may be deficient in non-crop life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weeds Enhance Insect Diversity and Abundance and May Improve Soil Conditions in Mango Cultivation of South Florida

Kleiman

Koptur²

2023

Insects

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“…As prairie strips are expected to increase in native plant species over time and as seeded species mature and flower, the butterfly communities in the prairie strips are expected to concomitantly become more diverse (Davis et al, 2007; Griffin et al, 2017). Such was the case in decade old strips in Wallonia, Belgium, signifying the importance of maintaining these conservation practices in agricultural landscapes over the long term (Kolkman et al, 2022). We will be able to measure this in our experiment as we continue to survey plants and butterflies in these plots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, prairie strips can increase biodiversity and ecosystem services without disproportionately affecting crop yield (Kemmerling et al, 2022). Prairie strips are similar to other management practices such as filter strips, hedgerows, and wildflower strips that harbour butterflies (Dover, 2019; Dover & Sparks, 2000; Haaland et al, 2011; Wix et al, 2019) and could serve as a promising conservation tool for butterflies of both common and rare species (Kolkman et al, 2022). Although there is concern that restoring habitat within croplands sprayed with insecticides can make prairie strips ecological traps for species they are intended to attract, a recent study showed that pesticide levels in milkweed (Asclepias spp.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Butterfly biodiversity increases with prairie strips and conservation management in row crop agriculture

Kemmerling

McCarthy

Brown

et al. 2023

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Butterfly abundances are declining globally, with meta‐analysis showing a rate of −2% per year. Agriculture contributes to butterfly decline through habitat loss and degradation. Prairie strips—strips of farmland actively restored to native perennial vegetation—are a conservation practice with the potential to mitigate biodiversity loss, but their impact on butterfly biodiversity is not known. Working within a 30‐year‐old experiment that varied land use intensity, from natural areas to croplands (maize–soy–wheat rotation), we introduced prairie strips to less intensely managed crop treatments. Treatments included conservation land, biologically based (organic) row crops with prairie strips, reduced input row crops with prairie strips, no‐till row crops and conventional row crops. We measured butterfly abundance and richness: (1) within prairie strips and (2) across the gradient of land use intensity at the plot level. Butterfly abundance was higher within prairie strips than in all other treatments. Across the land use intensity gradient at the plot level, the conservation land treatment had the highest abundance, treatments with prairie strips had intermediate levels and no‐till and conventional treatments had the lowest abundances. Also across entire plots, butterfly richness increased as land use intensity decreased. Treatments with prairie strips, which also had reduced land use intensity, had distinct butterfly communities as they harboured several butterfly species that were not found in other row crop treatments. In addition to the known effects of prairie strips on ecosystem services including erosion control and increased water quality, prairie strips can increase biodiversity in multifunctional landscapes.

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“…Second, plant structural density, plant seeds, and density of insects fluctuate (Table 2b) with succession in WF strips (e.g. Frank & Künzle, 2006; Hyvönen & Huusela‐Veistola, 2011; Kolkman et al, 2021). Assuming that densities also fluctuate across succession zones of a composite WF block, it would yet provide a stable average density.…”

Section: Composite Wildflower Blocksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, plant structural density, plant seeds, and density of insects fluctuate (Table 2b) with succession in WF strips (e.g. Hyvönen & Huusela-Veistola, 2011;Kolkman et al, 2021).…”

Section: Comp Os Ite Wildflower B Lo Ck Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Can rolling composite wildflower blocks increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes better than wildflowers strips?

Eccard

2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Biodiversity and abundance of wildlife has dramatically declined in agricultural landscapes. Sown, short-lived wildflower (WF) strips along the margins of crop fields are a widespread and often subsidised in agri-environmental schemes, intended to enhance biodiversity, provide refuges for wild plant and arthropod populations and to provide ecosystem services to crops. Meanwhile, WF elements are also criticised, since their functionality decreases with plant succession, the removal of aged WF strip poses an ecological trap for the attracted arthropod populations and only common and mobile species benefit. Further, insects in WF strips are impacted by pesticides from agricultural fields due to shared boundaries with crop fields and by edge effects.2. The performance of the measure could be improved by combining several WF strips of different successional stages, each harbouring a unique community of plants and arthropods, into persistent, composite WF block, where successional stages exist in parallel. Monitoring data on many taxa in the literature shows, that a third of species are temporarily present in an ageing WF stip, thus offering composite WF blocks should increase cumulative species richness by 28%-39% compared to annual richness in WF strips. Persistence of composite WF blocks would offer reliable refuge for animal and plant populations, also supporting their predators and herbivores. Further, WF blocks have less boundaries to crops compared to WF strips of the same area, and are less impacted by edge effects and pesticides. Policy implications.Here I suggest a change of conservation practice changing from successional WF strips to composite WF blocks. By regular removal and replacement of aged WF strips either within the block (rotational) or at its margins (rolling), the habitat heterogeneity in composite WF block could be perpetuated.Rolling composite WF blocks change locations over years, and the original location can be reconverted to arable land while a nearby WF block is still available to wildlife. A change in agricultural schemes would be necessary, since in some European countries clustered WF strips are explicitly not subsidised.

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Sown wildflower strips offer promising long term results for butterfly conservation

Cited by 9 publications

References 67 publications

Weeds Enhance Insect Diversity and Abundance and May Improve Soil Conditions in Mango Cultivation of South Florida

Weeds Enhance Insect Diversity and Abundance and May Improve Soil Conditions in Mango Cultivation of South Florida

Butterfly biodiversity increases with prairie strips and conservation management in row crop agriculture

Can rolling composite wildflower blocks increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes better than wildflowers strips?

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