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Validation of floral food resources for pollinators in agricultural landscape in SE Poland
Author(s) -
Jachuła Jacek,
Denisow Bożena,
Wrzesień Małgorzata
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.8761
Subject(s) - pollinator , arable land , nectar , species richness , ecology , foraging , biotope , geography , forage , habitat , population , biodiversity , agriculture , vegetation (pathology) , agroforestry , abundance (ecology) , pollination , biology , pollen , medicine , demography , pathology , sociology
BACKGROUND Proper management of bee pastures is considered an important activity for diversity of pollinators and conservation of the population size. In the present study, the floral composition and diversity, flowering spectrum and availability of food resources in natural and man‐made habitats in four rural municipalities in Lublin Upland, SE Poland were evaluated. The connection between pollinator‐friendly biotopes was also determined and some suggestions are made on creation/supplementation of bee pastures adapted to the arable land structure in eastern Poland (mean acreage 7.65 ha). RESULTS Forage species richness ( S ) differed among vegetation types: the highest S value was found in field margins, while mixed forests represented the lowest species richness (mean ± standard deviation = 37.8 ± 9.5 vs 16.5 ± 2.3). In all habitats, the most abundant flowering was recorded in May. Then the blooming abundance decreased until a complete decline at the end of summer. The mean distance between pollinator‐friendly biotopes is 2.4 ± 1.53 km, which is out of the flying range/foraging distance of most pollinators. CONCLUSION Shortages of nectar and pollen resources in the agricultural landscape of SE Poland are evident. Therefore it is assumed that the landscape structure requires support in terms of food niches for pollinators and creation/supplementation of bee pastures is necessary, e.g. six to nine patches of 0.025–0.3 ha each within an area of 100 ha. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry