The effects of habitat fragmentation on Amorpha canescens, a prairie forb, and its associated herbivores

Lewis, Cassandra K.

doi:10.17077/etd.hqqpsj7e

Cited by 1 publication

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The sensitivity to management and negative eVects of habitat degradation on A. canescens make it an important plant for an analysis of its reproductive response to habitat fragmentation. A variety of herbivores feed on A. canescens, but post-pollination fruit predation is less than 5% in this species (Lewis 1999).…”

Section: Study Plantmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The inXorescences of A. canescens are compound racemes that range from one to 30 branches and contain up to 3,000 Xowers. Flowering begins in late June in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota and continues through early August (Lewis 1999). Each Xower can give rise to a singleseeded indehiscent pod; fruits mature by early September in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.…”

Section: Study Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Upper Midwest, the presence of A. canescens is indicative of natural, undisturbed prairie plant communities, based on its intolerance to soil disturbance and cattle grazing, and its Wdelity to upland prairie and savannah habitats (Swink and Wilhelm 1994), as well as its importance as a food resource for herbivorous and pollinating insects (Lewis 1999). Mowing (Weaver 1954;McGregor et al 1986) or burning (Towne and Knapp 1996) stimulates growth of new herbaceous ramets, each of which can produce one large, compound raceme.…”

Section: Study Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). The study sites used here have been identiWed as remnants in previous Xoral studies in the region (Glass 1981;Lewis 1999) and they contain native plant species susceptible to degradation. All sites are located in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota within a 20 km by 30 km area; the minimum distance between sites was 1 km.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These small remnants (<2 ha) typically contain relatively low species richness of Xoral resources (Leach and Givnish 1996) and/or small plant populations (Molano-Flores and Hendrix 1999) and may be less able to sustain pollinators, leading to reduced reproduction for some prairie forbs compared to populations in large remnants (>40 ha) (Lewis 1999;Molano-Flores and Hendrix 1999;Hendrix and Kyhl 2000). However, the relative eVects of reduced size and other changes in plant and pollinator communities potentially resulting from fragmentation of Iowa prairies are unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproduction of Amorpha canescens (Fabaceae) and diversity of its bee community in a fragmented landscape

Slagle

Hendrix

2009

Oecologia

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Loss of insect pollinators due to habitat fragmentation often results in negative effects on plant reproduction, but few studies have simultaneously examined variation in the bee community, site characteristics and plant community characteristics to evaluate their relative effects on plant reproduction in a fragmented habitat. We examined the reproduction of a common tallgrass prairie forb, Amorpha canescens (Fabaceae), in large (>40 ha) and small (<2 ha) prairie remnants in Iowa and Minnesota in relation to the diversity and abundance of its bee visitors, plant population size, and species density of the forb flowering community. We found significant positive effects of the diversity of bees visiting A. canescens on percent fruit set at a site in both years of the study and in 2002 an additional significant positive effect of plant species density. Abundance of bees visiting A. canescens had a significant positive effect on percent fruit set in 2002, but was only marginally significant in 2003. In 2003 but not 2002, the plant species density at the sites had a significant negative effect on the diversity and abundance of bees visiting A. canescens, indicating community-level characteristics can influence the bee community visiting any one species. Site size, a common predictor of plant reproduction in fragmented habitats did not contribute to any models of fruit set and was only marginally related to bee diversity one year. Andrena quintilis, one of the three oligolectic bee species associated with A. canescens, was abundant at all sites, suggesting it has not been significantly affected by fragmentation. Our results show that the diversity of bees visiting A. canescens is important for maintaining fruit set and that bee visitation is still sufficient for at least some fruit set in all populations, suggesting these small remnants act as floral resource oases for bees in landscapes often dominated by agriculture.

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Section: Study Plantmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Study Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%