Between perfect habitat and ecological trap: even wildflower strips mulched annually increase pollinating insect numbers in intensively used agricultural landscapes

• DOI: 10.1007/s10841-022-00383-6
• Publication Date: 2022-02-27T08:02:16Z
• Authors: Heiko Schmied; Larissa Getrost; Olaf Diestelhorst; Genevieve Maaßen; Lisa Gerhard
• Keywords: Animal ecology; Wildflower

Abstract The loss of biodiversity and biomass insects has a detrimental effect on eco-systems associated ecosystem services, e.g. pollination. For this reason, various nature conservation measures for the promotion are being created in agricultural landscapes. One those is so-called flower strip at edge fields. However, it repeatedly propagated community that by means annually mulched strips, species richness abundance pollinators intensively used areas cannot be increased. Furthermore, these might represent ecological traps. To check criticism, we surveyed one to three meter wide perennial wild strips areas, which have been years, upon abundance, numbers bees butterflies. By transect surveys, were recorded was calculated. We compared findings with reference field margins. Our results show an increase as well general butterflies Implications insect study shows small, able promote landscape. Further, our obtained measure does not inevitably trap or sink habitat most species.