1,720,991 research outputs found
“Farming with Alternative Pollinators” approach increases pollinator abundance and diversity in faba bean fields
No full textPollinators are threatened worldwide and strategies and measures to support their conservation are proliferating. Among them, the approach “Farming with Alternative Pollinators” (FAP) aims to support pollinators by seeding strips of pollinator-attracting cultivated plants surrounding the crops, and simultaneously providing income to the farmer. In this study we assessed whether this approach supports pollinator diversity in agro-ecosystems and increases flower visitor diversity and abundance in faba bean fields in north-west Morocco. We tested the impact of FAP using a variety of marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP): flax, coriander, arugula, chia and canola. A total of 62 pollinator species were recorded, among which almost half of them are new records for the region. Most wild pollinators recorded in faba bean were digger bees (genus Anthophora) and long-horn bees (genus Eucera). MHEP shared diverse flower visitors with faba bean and hosted diverse pollinator groups that did not meet their food requirements from the main crop. The FAP approach highly increased flower visitor abundance and diversity in the whole FAP fields, however it did not generate significant pollinator spillover towards the main crop. Implications for insect conservation: our results show that the FAP approach is an effective approach to mitigate pollinator decline in agro-ecosystems
Impact of the “Farming With Alternative Pollinators” Approach on Crop Pollinator Pollen Diet
No full textPollinators are facing declines at a global level. One of the main factors driving this decline is insufficient access to floral resources due to habitat loss and degradation that can affect both diet generalist species as well as those with more restricted floral preferences. Here we evaluated the effect of a novel mitigation strategy in agricultural ecosystems, Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) on the pollen diet of crop pollinators. The approach dedicates 25% of the cropped area to Marketable Habitat Enhancement Plants (MHEP) that attract pollinators, natural enemies of the crops, and provide farmers with income. We assessed the effect of the approach on pollen diet of faba bean (Vicia faba) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) flower visitors in four different regions in Morocco during 2018 and 2019 by comparing control fields (monoculture) and FAP fields in 13 trials and 101 sites. Results from 25 wild bee species show that almost two-thirds of the species carrying or collecting pollen when visiting pumpkin flowers and half of the species carrying or collecting pollen when visiting faba bean flowers gathered this pollen from two or more host plants (i.e., MHEP, main crop, and/or wild plants) and displayed a wide dietary breadth. Pollen grains from the main crops were poorly represented on the female scopae, indicating that crops were mainly visited for nectar. Hence, crop flower visitors may require alternative pollen sources to meet their nutritional needs. The number of pollen genera collected by flower visitors and the dietary breadth of crop flower visitors did not show a significant increase in response to FAP management. Among the selected MHEP, sunflower (Helianthus annuus) was the pollen resource for pumpkin flower visitors. In faba bean, flower visitors collected pollen from coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and canola (Brassica napus). Our study sheds light on the importance of characterizing the pollen diet and the foraging behavior of crop pollinators to identify appropriate plant species that complement their food, maintain and conserve their populations
The pollinator conservation approach “Farming with Alternative Pollinators”: Success and drivers
No full textGlobal food security is heavily reliant on crop pollination. However, evidence on pollinator decline has been reported in all continents. Globally affordable conservation strategies need to be developed, as high-cost measures like European agri-environment schemes are not scalable in all countries. Here, we test, if a low-cost conservation approach named “Farming with Alternative Pollinators” (FAP) can benefit wild pollinator abundance and richness in agro-ecosystems and in crops, through establishment of marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP). The study was carried out in four Moroccan agro-climatic regions, during two years, using 6 main crops (pumpkin, zucchini, faba bean, tomato, eggplant and apple) and 201 sites. Additionally, we investigated how crop type, crop-MHEP composition (i.e. phylogenetic distances among crop and MHEP) and local climate can drive the success of the approach in comparison to monocultural fields. Based on 7097 recorded specimens, our results show that the wild pollinators of the entire FAP fields (i.e. 75% main crop and 25% MHEP) were significantly more abundant and species-rich than those of control fields (i.e. 100% main crop). Considering the main crop wild pollinators, FAP did not display any significant effect either on wild pollinator abundance or on pollinator richness. The mean phylogenetic distance between the main crop and MHEP, and climatic variables were not correlated with increase in wild pollinator abundance and richness in FAP fields. The crop type was found to influence the effect of the FAP approach. Our study provides strong evidence that FAP constitutes a relevant method for wild pollinator conservation in agro-ecosystems. Further research on additional environmental factors is necessary to outline the circumstances under which the FAP approach can positively affect wild pollinator communities
Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) : a tool to enhance agriculture resilience in the face of climate change
Full text linkWild vegetation and Marketable Habitat Enhancement Plants support pollinator diversity in Moroccan farmlands
Full text linkSeveral management practices have been suggested to mitigate the global pollinator decline in agro- ecosystems, including wildflower strips and Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP). FAP proposes to dedicate 25% of the field area to seed Marketable Habitat Enhancement Plants (MHEP) around the main crop, occupying 75% of the field. However, wild pollinators may not rely fully on the resources that fields provide due to differences in flying period and host- plant preferences, and need additional resources from wild flowering plant communities. Here we aim to compare wild pol- linator communities between FAP fields, monoculture of pollinator dependent crops and the nearby wild flowering plants. We developed two experimental trials with two main crops (faba bean and eggplant) in 16 fields in North- West Morocco and we com- pared wild pollinator richness and wild pollinator specialization between FAP fields, control fields and the nearby wild flowering plants. We recorded a significantly higher pollinator richness in FAP fields compared to wild flowering plants and monoculture. Pollinator specialization index (i.e. degree of interaction specialization at the species level) did not differ significantly between the three treatments in faba bean trial (i.e. FAP, control and wild plants), whilst in eggplant trial, wild plants harboured significantly more specialist species than FAP fields. Yet, no significant differences in pol- linator specialization index were reported between the other treatments in eggplant trial (i.e. FAP vs. control and control vs. wild plants). Moreover, 28% of the pollinator species collected, were only observed on wild plants, particularly thistles. These re- sults highlight the potential of FAP approach as a tool for pollinator conservation in farmlands. However, the FAP approach alone is not sufficient to cater the diverse pol- linators present in the agro- ecosystem, and hence, the maintenance of the surround- ing wild flowering plants is necessary to support pollinators in farmland
Wild vegetation and ‘farming with alternative pollinators’ approach support pollinator diversity in farmland
No full textSeveral management practices have been suggested to mitigate the global pollinator decline in agro-ecosystems, including wildflower strips and Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP). FAP proposes to dedicate 25% of the field area to seed Marketable Habitat Enhancement Plants (MHEP) around the main crop, occupying 75% of the field. However, wild pollinators may not rely fully on the resources that fields provide due to differences in flying period and host-plant preferences, and need additional resources from wild flowering plant communities. Here we aim to compare wild pollinator communities between FAP fields, monoculture of pollinator dependent crops and the nearby wild flowering plants. We developed two experimental trials with two main crops (faba bean and eggplant) in 16 fields in North-West Morocco and we compared wild pollinator richness and wild pollinator specialization between FAP fields, control fields and the nearby wild flowering plants. We recorded a significantly higher pollinator richness in FAP fields compared to wild flowering plants and monoculture. Pollinator specialization index (i.e. degree of interaction specialization at the species level) did not differ significantly between the three treatments in faba bean trial (i.e. FAP, control and wild plants), whilst in eggplant trial, wild plants harboured significantly more specialist species than FAP fields. Yet, no significant differences in pollinator specialization index were reported between the other treatments in eggplant trial (i.e. FAP vs. control and control vs. wild plants). Moreover, 28% of the pollinator species collected, were only observed on wild plants, particularly thistles. These results highlight the potential of FAP approach as a tool for pollinator conservation in farmlands. However, the FAP approach alone is not sufficient to cater the diverse pollinators present in the agro-ecosystem, and hence, the maintenance of the surrounding wild flowering plants is necessary to support pollinators in farmlands
Conserving wild bees for crop pollination: efficiency of bee hotels in Moroccan cherry orchards (Prunus avium)
No full textFood production is highly dependent on pollination services provided by insects; 75% of the leading global food crops need animals for successful production. Pollinators, including managed and wild bees, are declining in many parts of the world. The loss of natural habitats providing nesting sites is considered as one of the main factors driving the decline of crop-visiting wild bees. The researchers had hypothesized that providing bee hotels in cherry orchards may be a useful strategy to support visitors of cherry flowers (Prunus avium). To test this hypothesis, observation was made on the attractiveness of bee hotels to wild bees in cherry orchards in Sefrou Province (Morocco). Bee hotels were installed at the border of two cherry orchards. Surrounding landscapes were described and pollinator communities were observed and sampled within bee hotels, cherry flowers, and also within the surrounding landscape. Bumblebees (Bombus spp.), Mason bees (Osmia spp.), sand bees (Andrena spp.), and sweat bees (Lasioglossum spp.) are the most abundant genera representing almost two-thirds of all wild bee visitors of cherry trees. Mason bees (Osmia spp.) are the most abundant bees nesting in bee hotels with almost three-quarters of all insects recorded. Bee hotels could therefore be used to sustain or even increase cavity-nesting bees visiting cherry orchards in Morocco
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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