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  • Forest and grassland habita...
    Vujanović, Dušanka; Losapio, Gianalberto; Mészáros, Minucsér; Popov, Snežana; Markov Ristić, Zlata; Mudri Stojnić, Sonja; Jović, Jelena; Vujić, Ante

    Ecological entomology, August 2023, 2023-08-00, 20230801, Letnik: 48, Številka: 4
    Journal Article

    Intensively managed agricultural landscapes often lack suitable habitats to support diverse wildlife, particularly harming pollinator communities. Besides mass flowering crops, remnant patches of natural and semi‐natural vegetation may play a key role in maintaining and conserving biodiversity. Yet, the effects of different natural habitats, including forests and grasslands, on different pollinator communities are poorly understood at the landscape scale. We examined the abundance, richness, and diversity of wild bees and hoverflies, two key pollinator groups, across a land‐use gradient spanning forest edges, grassland, wildflower strips, and sunflower monoculture. We also examined the distribution of hoverfly larvae trophic guilds and wild bee nesting traits across the above‐mentioned land‐use gradient. Finally, we evaluated the impact of landscape structure (forest, grassland, and water cover in the surrounding landscape) on pollinator community composition. Our results indicate that forest and grassland habitats supported a higher abundance and greater richness of pollinators than wildflower strips and sunflower monocultures. Furthermore, hoverflies were more sensitive to habitat and floristic homogenization than wild bees. Sunflower and wildflower habitats also hosted a lower diversity of larvae trophic guilds and wild bee nesting guilds as compared to forests and grasslands. Our study suggests that conserving and restoring forest and grassland habitats within agricultural mosaics may serve as the main ‘refuge’ for wild pollinators. Land use type (forest edge, grassland, sunflower, wildflower strip) had significant, strong effects on overall pollinator abundance. Sunflower monoculture and wild flower strips significantly decreased pollinator abundance relative to forest edges. The abundance of wild bees and hoverflies decreased from forest edges to grasslands. Forest cover exhibited different effects on wild bee and hoverfly richness. A stronger increase was noted in hoverfly richness and diversity with increasing forest cover as compared to wild bees.