A novel application of the Price equation reveals that landscape diversity promotes the response of bees to regionally rare plant species

Bloom, Elias H., Northfield, Tobin D., and Crowder, David W. (2019) A novel application of the Price equation reveals that landscape diversity promotes the response of bees to regionally rare plant species. Ecology Letters, 22 (12). pp. 2103-2110.

[img] PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13406
 
6
1


Abstract

Bees are ecosystem service providers that are globally threatened by losses of plant diversity. However, effects of multi-species floral displays on bees in agro-ecosystems with variable landscape context remain poorly understood, hindering pollinator conservation tactics. We addressed this knowledge gap through a novel application of the modified Price equation to evaluate responses of bees to diverse floral communities on 36 farms in Washington, USA, over 3 years. We found that floral richness, not floral identity, was the best predictor of floral visits by bees. However, the benefits of regionally rare floral species (i.e. plants found at relatively few sites) were only fully realised when farms were embedded in diverse landscapes. Our analysis used the modified Price equation to demonstrate that plant diversity, rather than specific plant species, promotes pollinator visitation, and that diverse landscapes promote the response of pollinators to regionally rare plant species.

Item ID: 60870
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1461-0248
Keywords: Bees, complementarity, composition, landscape diversity, Price equation, regionally rare species
Copyright Information: © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.
Funders: National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), James Cook University, Western SARE
Projects and Grants: NSF GROW. Grant Number: 121477‐007, USDA Organic Transitions Program. Grant Number: 2014‐51106‐22096, USDA Predoctoral Fellowship. Grant Number: 2017‐67011‐26025, NSF GRFP Grant Number: 124006‐001, Western SARE Graduate Student Grant. Grant Number: GW15‐022
Date Deposited: 06 Nov 2019 07:52
FoR Codes: 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4102 Ecological applications > 410203 Ecosystem function @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 1
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page