More Than Meets the Eye? The Role of Annual Ornamental Flowers in Supporting Pollinators

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Erickson ◽  
S Adam ◽  
L Russo ◽  
V Wojcik ◽  
H M Patch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
Background Population ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Pollinator Populations

Abstract Ornamental flowers are commonly planted in urban and suburban areas to provide foraging resources for pollinator populations. However, their role in supporting broad pollinator biodiversity is not well established as previous studies have been conducted in urban landscapes with pollinator communities that are distinct from those in natural systems. We observed pollinator visitation patterns to five ornamental annual plant genera and their cultivars over multiple years at two semi-natural sites in Pennsylvania to understand their potential for supporting diverse pollinator communities. There was significant variation in visitor abundance and diversity by season and year for many annual ornamental cultivars. Within some genera, cultivars had similar visitor abundance, diversity, and main visitor taxa, while cultivars in other genera varied greatly in these measures. We observed only polylectic (pollen generalist) bee species visiting annual ornamentals, despite the presence of oligolectic (pollen specialist) bee species in the background population. We conclude that the attractiveness of annual ornamental plants likely depends on both cultivar characteristics and environmental context. While their role in supporting complex pollinator populations is limited both based on the number of and dietary breadth of the species they support, ornamental plants may nonetheless provide long-lasting supplemental foraging resources for the generalist pollinator communities characteristic of urban and suburban environments.

scholarly journals Herbaceous perennial ornamental plants can support complex pollinator communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Erickson ◽  
H. M. Patch ◽  
C. M. Grozinger
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Ecological Community ◽  
Landscape Plant ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Herbaceous Perennial

AbstractHuman-designed landscapes can host diverse pollinator communities, and the availability of floral resources is central to supporting insect biodiversity in highly modified environments. However, some urban landscapes have relatively few pollinator-attractive plant species and management in urban environments rarely considers the function of these plants in generating and supporting a stable ecological community. Evaluations of 25 cultivars within five commercially popular herbaceous perennial ornamental plant genera (Agastache, Echinacea, Nepeta, Rudbeckia, and Salvia) revealed variation in the total and proportional abundance of visitors attracted. These varieties supported multiple pollinator functional groups, however bees were the primary visitors to in this system. Cultivars were assessed according to their function within a plant–pollinator network. Comparisons of artificial networks created with the six most attractive and six least attractive cultivars demonstrated that a planting scheme using the most attractive cultivars would attract nearly four times as many bee species, including several specialists and rare species. Plant diversity in the landscape was correlated with abundance and diversity of pollinator visitors, demonstrating that community context shapes a plant’s relative attractiveness to pollinators. We conclude that herbaceous perennial cultivars can support an abundance and diversity of pollinator visitors, however, planting schemes should take into consideration the effects of cultivar, landscape plant diversity, floral phenology, floral area, and contribution to a stable ecological community.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the importance of ornamental plants for pollinators in urban and suburban areas in Stuttgart, Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Marquardt ◽  
Lydia Kienbaum ◽  
Lea Annina Kretschmer ◽  
Anja Penell ◽  
Karsten Schweikert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Insect Pollinator ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pollinating Insects

AbstractUrban landscapes are often characterized by a wide range of diverse flowering plants consisting of native and exotic plants. These flower-rich habitats have proven to be particularly valuable for urban pollinating insects. However, the ability of ornamental plants in supporting urban pollinator communities is still not well documented. For this study, we established flower beds at 13 different urban testing sites, which were planted with identical sets of ornamental garden plants. The pollinator visitation patterns were then observed throughout the summer seasons. Over a two-year period, a total of 10,565 pollinators were recorded with wild bees (> 50%, excluding bumblebees) being the most abundant pollinator group. Our results revealed that (I) the assortment of ornamental plants was visited by a high number of urban pollinators for collecting pollen and nectar, and (II) the pollinator abundance and composition varied significantly within the tested ornamental plants. These differences occurred not only among plant species but to the same extent among cultivars, whereby the number of pollinators was positively correlated with number of flowering units per plant. By using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) and redundancy analysis (RDA) we identified further significant impacts of the two variables year and location on the insect pollinator abundance and richness. Despite of the local and yearly variations, our approach provided a good and field-applicable method to evaluate the pollinator friendliness in ornamental plants. Such tools are urgently required to validate labels like ‘bee friendly’ or ‘pollinator friendly’ used by plant breeding companies.

scholarly journals Porphyrin and phthalocyanine-based Metal Organic Frameworks beyond metal-carboxylates

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddhartha De ◽  
Thomas Devic ◽  
Alexandra Fateeva
Keyword(s):  
Porous Materials ◽  
Metal Organic Frameworks ◽  
Metal Carboxylates ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Metal Organic

Given the ubiquitous role of porphyrins in natural systems, these molecules and related derivatives such as phthalocyanines are fascinating building units to achieve functional porous materials. Porphyrin-based MOFs have been...

The role of backyard farms in two West African urban landscapes

2018 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 34-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imogen Bellwood-Howard ◽  
Martina Shakya ◽  
Gabin Korbeogo ◽  
Johannes Schlesinger
Keyword(s):  
West African ◽  
Urban Landscapes

Pollinator gardens more than triple in visitation rate and diversity of flower-visiting insects than other ornamental plantings in Kingston, Ontario

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marika Vogelzang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Visitation Rate ◽  
Queen's University ◽  
Flower Visiting ◽  
Pollinator Populations

In this study I determined the effectiveness of pollinator gardens by testing if visitation rate and diversity of flower-visiting insects is higher in pollinator gardens compared to other ornamental plantings. I observed pollinator visitation for individual plant taxa, per unit area, in three different pollinator gardens, eight ornamental gardens and eight ornamental planters on the Queen’s University campus in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Visitation was about 4- times higher in pollinator gardens compared to the other two ornamental garden types and visitor richness (the number of types of pollinators) in pollinator gardens was about 6- times higher compared to ornamental gardens, and about 3- times higher compared toornamental planters. The results of this study conclude that the planting of pollinator gardens is an effective way of supporting pollinator populations in urban areas.

scholarly journals Bulb Mites Rhizoglyphus echinopus (Fumouze and Robin) Associated with Subterranean Termite (Isoptera) in Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ademar Ferreira Silva ◽  
Zeneida Teixeira Pinto ◽  
Rebecca Leal Caetano ◽  
César Carriço ◽  
Tayra Pereira Sato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Mite Species ◽  
Subterranean Termite ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract. Four bulb mites deutonymphs (hypopus) from Rhizoglyphus echinopus (Fumouze & Robin) (Acari: Acaridae) were found attached to the head of a subterranean termite belonging to Coptotermes genus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These mite species are commonly associated with ornamental plants and trees with bulbs, corms and tubers. All four hypopus were found attached to the surface of termite’s head. Results from this study provided an insight on the phoretic relationship of mites and termites, indicating the role of the latter in the dispersion of the first.Ácaros do Bulbo Rhizoglyphus echinopus (Fumouze and Robin) Associados com Cupim Subterrâneo (Isoptera) no BrasilResumo. Quatro deutoninfas de ácaros do bulbo (hipopus) da espécie Rhizoglyphus echinopus (Fumouze & Robin) (Acari: Acaridae) foram encontradas fixadas na cabeça do cupim subterraneo pertencente ao gênero Coptotermes no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Estas espécies de ácaros estão comumente associadas a plantas ornamentais e plantas com bulbos e turbéculos. As quatros hipopus foram encontradas fixadas na superfície da cabeça do cupim. Os resultados desse estudo fornecem uma visão sobre a relação forética de ácaros e cupins, indicando o papel deste último na dispersão do primeiro.

scholarly journals First Occurrence of a Rust Fungus on English Daisy (Bellis perennis) in North America

Plant Disease ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 562-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. T. Koike ◽  
M. Scholler ◽  
Arthur Herbaria ◽  
Kriebel Herbaria
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Rust Fungus ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
First Record ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Senecio Vulgaris ◽  
Common Groundsel

English daisy (Bellis perennis, family Asteraceae) is a flowering plant native to Europe. It is widely used as an ornamental in North America but is also a weed in lawns in the western and eastern United States. In December 2000, plants growing in urban landscapes in Monterey County, CA, were infected with rust. Orange aecia containing aeciospores that measured 14 to 18 × 12.5 to 15 μm developed profusely on leaves. Severely diseased leaves wilted and collapsed. Other spore states (pycnia, uredosori, and telia) were not observed. Based on the size and ornamentation of the aeciospores, reduced white peridium, apperance of the peridial cells, and arrangement of sori, we identified the pathogen as Puccinia lagenophorae Cooke (1,3), a rust fungus native to Australia and New Zealand that since 1960 has been introduced to other continents (2). On English daisy, the disease has been reported only in Australia and Europe (1). The pathogen also occurs on numerous other plants of the subfamily Asteroideae (family Asteraceae) (2). The occurrence of P. lagenophorae on English daisy follows the recent, first-time detection of the same pathogen on common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) in California (3). To test cross infectivity, a spore suspension of a rust isolate from common groundsel was prepared and applied to various ornamental plants known to be hosts of P. lagenophorae. Inoculated plants were kept in a humidity chamber for 48 h, then maintained in a greenhouse. After 9 to 14 days, aecia developed on English daisy, cineraria (S. cruentus), and common groundsel but did not develop on dusty miller (S. cineraria) or pot marigold (Calendula officinalis). In addition, a single telium, surrounded by aecia, was observed on one of the infected English daisy plants. The telium contained two-celled teliospores that measured 31 to 36.5 × 16 to 19 (-22) μm and one-celled mesospores that measured 22 to 34 × 13.5 to 16 μm. At point of attachment, the widths of the stalks measured 7 to 8.5 (-9.5) μm. Some of the spores had surface ridges. The morphological features of the telio- and mesospores agree with those described for P. lagenophorae. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first record of a rust fungus on English daisy in North America. The inoculation experiments indicated that the rusts on English daisy and common groundsel are not biologically separated, casting doubt on the taxonomic concept of Weber et al. (4) that considered the rust on English daisy to be a distinct species, P. distincta McAlpine (although they did not examine type material of either P. lagenophorae or P. distincta). References: (1) M. Scholler. Sydowia 49:174, 1997. (2) M. Scholler. J. Plant Dis. Prot. 105:239, 1998. (3) M. Scholler and S. T. Koike. Plant Dis. 85:335, 2001. (4) R. W. S. Weber et al. Mycol. Res. 102:1227, 1998.

scholarly journals PERAN PEMERINTAH DAN KADER MASYARAKAT DALAM PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT UNTUK PENGOLAHAN SAMPAH

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Erdi Ferdiansyah ◽  
Arsiyah Arsiyah
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Organic Waste ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Processing Waste ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Inorganic Waste

The purpose of this study to describe and analyze the role of government and Sumringah Ngampelsari interests group on waste management basedempowerment in the Ngampelsari village. This study used qualitative approach. The results of this study indicated that the processing and utilization of organic waste is done by simple composting technology. In order to maximize the results of processing waste become compost, the community maintain ornamental plants and medicinal plants. While, inorganic waste to be processed into valuable goods. Waste management based on empowerment is provided by guidance about awareness to the citizens to cultivate their waste and used compost to plantornamental plants, traditional plants and provided of bins in their neighborhood.

Temporary urban landscapes and urban gardening: re-inventing open space in Greece and Switzerland

2019 ◽  
pp. 59-73
Author(s):  
Sofia Nikolaidou
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Urban Gardening ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Access Rights

New forms of urban gardening are gaining a momentum in cities transforming the conventional use and functions of open green and public space. They often take place through informal and temporary (re)use of vacant land consisting part of greening strategies or social inclusion policy through new modes of land use management, green space governance and collaborative practices. Particular emphasis is placed on shifted meanings of the notion of open public space by referring to its openness to a diversity of uses and users that claim it and relates to the questions of access rights, power relations among actors, negotiations and the so called right to use and re-appropriate land. By using examples drawn from the Greek and Swiss case, this chapter underlines differences and similarities in urban gardening practices, social and institutional contexts, collaborative governance patterns, motivations, levels of institutionalisation, openness and inclusiveness of space. More specifically it calls attention to the critical role of the temporary nature of these initiatives in relation to their multifunctional, spatial and socio-political aspects that affect new configurations of urban green areas and public space as well as related planning practices.

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