TY - JOUR

T1 - Using ecological and field survey data to establish a national list of the wild bee pollinators of crops

AU - Hutchinson, Louise A.

AU - Oliver, Tom H.

AU - Breeze, Tom D.

AU - Bailes, Emily J.

AU - Brünjes, Lisa

AU - Campbell, Alistair J.

AU - Erhardt, Andreas

AU - Groot, G. Arjen de

AU - Földesi, Rita

AU - García, Daniel

AU - Goulson, Dave

AU - Hainaut, Hélène

AU - Hambäck, Peter A.

AU - Holzschuh, Andrea

AU - Jauker, Frank

AU - Klatt, Björn K.

AU - Klein, Alexandra-Maria

AU - Kleijn, David

AU - Kovács-Hostyánszki, Anikó

AU - Krimmer, Elena

AU - McKerchar, Megan

AU - Miñarro, Marcos

AU - Phillips, Benjamin B.

AU - Potts, Simon G.

AU - Pufal, Gesine

AU - Radzevičiūtė, Rita

AU - Roberts, Stuart P.M.

AU - Samnegård, Ulrika

AU - Schulze, Jürg

AU - Shaw, Rosalind F.

AU - Tscharntke, Teja

AU - Vereecken, Nicolas J.

AU - Westbury, Duncan B.

AU - Westphal, Catrin

AU - Wietzke, Alexander

AU - Woodcock, Ben A.

AU - Garratt, Michael P.D.

PY - 2021/8/1

Y1 - 2021/8/1

N2 - The importance of wild bees for crop pollination is well established, but less is known about which species contribute to service delivery to inform agricultural management, monitoring and conservation. Using sites in Great Britain as a case study, we use a novel qualitative approach combining ecological information and field survey data to establish a national list of crop pollinating bees for four economically important crops (apple, field bean, oilseed rape and strawberry). A traits data base was used to establish potential pollinators, and combined with field data to identify both dominant crop flower visiting bee species and other species that could be important crop pollinators, but which are not presently sampled in large numbers on crops flowers. Whilst we found evidence that a small number of common, generalist species make a disproportionate contribution to flower visits, many more species were identified as potential pollinators, including rare and specialist species. Furthermore, we found evidence of substantial variation in the bee communities of different crops. Establishing a national list of crop pollinators is important for practitioners and policy makers, allowing targeted management approaches for improved ecosystem services, conservation and species monitoring. Data can be used to make recommendations about how pollinator diversity could be promoted in agricultural landscapes. Our results suggest agri-environment schemes need to support a higher diversity of species than at present, notably of solitary bees. Management would also benefit from targeting specific species to enhance crop pollination services to particular crops. Whilst our study is focused upon Great Britain, our methodology can easily be applied to other countries, crops and groups of pollinating insects.

AB - The importance of wild bees for crop pollination is well established, but less is known about which species contribute to service delivery to inform agricultural management, monitoring and conservation. Using sites in Great Britain as a case study, we use a novel qualitative approach combining ecological information and field survey data to establish a national list of crop pollinating bees for four economically important crops (apple, field bean, oilseed rape and strawberry). A traits data base was used to establish potential pollinators, and combined with field data to identify both dominant crop flower visiting bee species and other species that could be important crop pollinators, but which are not presently sampled in large numbers on crops flowers. Whilst we found evidence that a small number of common, generalist species make a disproportionate contribution to flower visits, many more species were identified as potential pollinators, including rare and specialist species. Furthermore, we found evidence of substantial variation in the bee communities of different crops. Establishing a national list of crop pollinators is important for practitioners and policy makers, allowing targeted management approaches for improved ecosystem services, conservation and species monitoring. Data can be used to make recommendations about how pollinator diversity could be promoted in agricultural landscapes. Our results suggest agri-environment schemes need to support a higher diversity of species than at present, notably of solitary bees. Management would also benefit from targeting specific species to enhance crop pollination services to particular crops. Whilst our study is focused upon Great Britain, our methodology can easily be applied to other countries, crops and groups of pollinating insects.

KW - Agri-environment Schemes

KW - Apple

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Crop pollination

KW - Dominant pollinators

KW - Ecosystem services

KW - Field bean

KW - Oilseed rape

KW - Rare species

KW - Strawberry

U2 - 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107447

DO - 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107447

M3 - Article

VL - 315

JO - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

JF - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

SN - 0167-8809

M1 - 107447

ER -