Honeybees Increase Fruit Set in Native Plant Species Important for Wildlife Conservation |
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Authors: | Luis Cayuela Sarah Ruiz-Arriaga Christian P Ozers |
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Institution: | 1.Fundación Internacional para la Restauración de Ecosistemas (FIRE), Edificio de Ciencias Ambientales, Despacho B,Campus Universitario, Universidad de Alcalá,Madrid,Spain;2.área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología,Universidad Rey Juan Carlos,Móstoles, Madrid,Spain;3.Fondo para la Protección de Animales Salvajes (FAPAS),Llanes, Asturias,Spain |
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Abstract: | Honeybee colonies are declining in some parts of the world. This may have important consequences for the pollination of crops
and native plant species. In Spain, as in other parts of Europe, land abandonment has led to a decrease in the number of non
professional beekeepers, which aggravates the problem of honeybee decline as a result of bee diseases In this study, we investigated
the effects of honeybees on the pollination of three native plant species in northern Spain, namely wildcherry Prunus avium L., hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Jacq., and bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus L. We quantified fruit set of individuals from the target species along transects established from an apiary outwards. Half
the samples were bagged in a nylon mesh to avoid insect pollination. Mixed-effects models were used to test the effect of
distance to the apiary on fruit set in non-bagged samples. The results showed a negative significant effect of distance from
the apiary on fruit set for hawthorn and bilberry, but no significant effects were detected for wildcherry. This suggests
that the use of honeybees under traditional farming practices might be a good instrument to increase fruit production of some
native plants. This may have important consequences for wildlife conservation, since fruits, and bilberries in particular,
constitute an important feeding resource for endangered species, such as the brown bear Ursus arctos L. or the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus cantabricus L. |
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