Where is the UK's pollinator biodiversity? The importance of urban areas for flower-visiting insects
University of Bristol · University of Leeds · +4 more institutions
Abstract
Insect pollinators provide a crucial ecosystem service, but are under threat. Urban areas could be important for pollinators, though their value relative to other habitats is poorly known. We compared pollinator communities using quantified flower-visitation networks in 36 sites (each 1 km(2)) in three landscapes: urban, farmland and nature reserves. Overall, flower-visitor abundance and species richness did not differ significantly between the three landscape types. Bee abundance did not differ between landscapes, but bee species richness was higher in urban areas than farmland. Hoverfly abundance was higher in farmland and nature reserves than urban sites, but species richness did not differ significantly.…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 109.37
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 46
Authors
12Topics & keywords
- Pollinator
- Species richness
- Ecology
- Abundance (ecology)
- Geography
- Habitat
- Biodiversity
- Urban ecology
- Sustainable cities and communities
Funding
- WTWellcome Trust
- SGScottish Government
- SNScottish Natural Heritage
- NENatural England
- DFDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Government
- SRSight Research UKAward: NE/M006956/1
- BABiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilAwards: BB/I00047X/1, BB/I000364/1, BB/I000208/1, BB/I00047X/1, BB/I000305/1
- NENatural Environment Research CouncilAward: NE/M006956/1
- CFCentre for Ecology and Hydrology