10.5061/DRYAD.RT166
Lindström, Sandra A.M.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Herbertsson, Lina
Lund University
Rundlöf, Maj
Lund University
Bommarco, Riccardo
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Smith, Henrik G.
Lund University
Data from: Experimental evidence that honeybees depress wild insect
densities in a flowering crop
Dryad
dataset
2016
flies
interspecific competition
Apoidea
oilseed rape
Bibionidae
Brachycera
crop pollinators
Syrphidae
2016-10-26T17:27:40Z
2016-10-26T17:27:40Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1641
136705 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
While addition of managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) improves pollination
of many entomophilous crops, it is unknown if it simultaneously suppresses
the densities of wild insects through competition. To investigate this, we
added 624 honeybee hives to 23 fields of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)
over 2 years and made sure that the areas around 21 other fields were free
from honeybee hives. We demonstrate that honeybee addition depresses the
densities of wild insects (bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies,
marchflies, other flies, and other flying and flower-visiting insects)
even in a massive flower resource such as oilseed rape. The effect was
independent of the complexity of the surrounding landscape, but increased
with the size of the crop field, which suggests that the effect was caused
by spatial displacement of wild insects. Our results have potential
implications both for the pollination of crops (if displacement of wild
pollinators offsets benefits achieved by adding honeybees) and for
conservation of wild insects (if displacement results in negative fitness
consequences).
Lindstrom_WOSR1112_Insect_dataNumber of insects per field, group, visit
number and transect. Aggregation level: summed per segment 1-4. The file
contains fieldID, year of study, landscape class, honey bee treatment,
oilseed rape cultivar type, visit number and
transect.Lindstrom_WOSR1112_Field_areaField area of the study
fields.Lindstrom_WOSR1112_Meta_dataDescription of tha factors included in
Lindstrom_WOSR1112_Insect_data and Lindstrom_WOSR1112_Field_area.
South Sweden