The role of agricultural field margins in supporting wild bee populations

Abstract

Concerns about a global decline in poflinators have called for more knowladge about the drivers of wild pollinator abundance and diversity. In this study we observad pollinator foraging activity in 27 field margins, from 2014-2016, in order to investigate the role of nativa weeds in supporting wild pollinators in Maditerranean cereal agroecosystems. In total 175 different plant species were identified and 1,959 wild pollinators were observad foraging on margin flora. The most visited floral species were Papaver rhoeas L. (251 pollinator visits), Torilis arvensís (Huds.) (229 visits) and Malva sylvestris (141 visits). Pollinator abundance lncreasad with flower abundance, vegetation height and floral diversity. Pollinator visits increasad initially with open flower richness, but began to decrease when high richness likely resultad in lower densities of individual species.