Lerch, Doris ; Blüthgen, Nico ; Mody, Karsten (2024)
Home sweet home: Evaluation of native versus exotic plants as resources for insects in urban green spaces.
In: Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 2024, 5 (3)
doi: 10.26083/tuprints-00028285
Artikel, Zweitveröffentlichung, Verlagsversion
 | Es ist eine neuere Version dieses Eintrags verfügbar. |
Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract)
1. Insect decline and loss of biodiversity not only affect large‐scale agricultural landscapes, but are increasingly recognized in urban environments. It is undisputed that a greater supply of flowers in urban green spaces can provide insects with more food and habitat. However, it is still controversial whether native wild plants or non‐native ornamental plants and varieties are the right choice.
2. To answer this question we investigated the number of insects interacting with different types of plants: twelve ornamental and six related wild perennials. In this context, the number of flower visitors per plant species and plot was recorded at 10‐minute observation intervals, as well as the feeding damage caused by insect herbivores on the leaves and stems of the study plants. We established 18 plant species in ten independent study plots in the city of Darmstadt, Germany. The plants were six native wild plant species, six ornamental plant species related to the wild plants from the same genus or family and six exotic ornamental plant species from other genera and families than the wild plants.
3. Native insects (wild bees, flies, beetles, wasps) that feed on pollen and nectar visited wild perennials significantly more often (67% of all visits) than related ornamental (24%) and unrelated exotic plants (9%). In contrast, honey bees (Apis mellifera) showed no preferences to any of the three target plant groups and interacted with other plant species than most of the native insects in our study according to analyses of interaction networks.
4. The assessment of leaf damage caused by insect herbivores on the individual plants confirmed a similar and significant difference in the insects' choices. Leaves from wild plants showed the highest herbivory (mean 2.3% of the leaf area), followed by related ornamental plants (0.8%), whereas unrelated exotic plants were hardly consumed (0.1%) by herbivores.
5. Practical implication. Our study shows that in urban green spaces, both flower‐visiting and leaf‐feeding insects are more likely to use native wild plants as a food source than closely related and exotic ornamental plants.
| Typ des Eintrags: | Artikel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erschienen: | 2024 | ||||
| Autor(en): | Lerch, Doris ; Blüthgen, Nico ; Mody, Karsten | ||||
| Art des Eintrags: | Zweitveröffentlichung | ||||
| Titel: | Home sweet home: Evaluation of native versus exotic plants as resources for insects in urban green spaces | ||||
| Sprache: | Englisch | ||||
| Publikationsjahr: | 13 November 2024 | ||||
| Ort: | Darmstadt | ||||
| Publikationsdatum der Erstveröffentlichung: | 25 September 2024 | ||||
| Ort der Erstveröffentlichung: | Hoboken | ||||
| Verlag: | Wiley | ||||
| Titel der Zeitschrift, Zeitung oder Schriftenreihe: | Ecological Solutions and Evidence | ||||
| Jahrgang/Volume einer Zeitschrift: | 5 | ||||
| (Heft-)Nummer: | 3 | ||||
| Kollation: | 15 Seiten | ||||
| DOI: | 10.26083/tuprints-00028285 | ||||
| URL / URN: | https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/28285 | ||||
| Zugehörige Links: | |||||
| Herkunft: | Zweitveröffentlichung DeepGreen | ||||
| Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract): | 1. Insect decline and loss of biodiversity not only affect large‐scale agricultural landscapes, but are increasingly recognized in urban environments. It is undisputed that a greater supply of flowers in urban green spaces can provide insects with more food and habitat. However, it is still controversial whether native wild plants or non‐native ornamental plants and varieties are the right choice. 2. To answer this question we investigated the number of insects interacting with different types of plants: twelve ornamental and six related wild perennials. In this context, the number of flower visitors per plant species and plot was recorded at 10‐minute observation intervals, as well as the feeding damage caused by insect herbivores on the leaves and stems of the study plants. We established 18 plant species in ten independent study plots in the city of Darmstadt, Germany. The plants were six native wild plant species, six ornamental plant species related to the wild plants from the same genus or family and six exotic ornamental plant species from other genera and families than the wild plants. 3. Native insects (wild bees, flies, beetles, wasps) that feed on pollen and nectar visited wild perennials significantly more often (67% of all visits) than related ornamental (24%) and unrelated exotic plants (9%). In contrast, honey bees (Apis mellifera) showed no preferences to any of the three target plant groups and interacted with other plant species than most of the native insects in our study according to analyses of interaction networks. 4. The assessment of leaf damage caused by insect herbivores on the individual plants confirmed a similar and significant difference in the insects' choices. Leaves from wild plants showed the highest herbivory (mean 2.3% of the leaf area), followed by related ornamental plants (0.8%), whereas unrelated exotic plants were hardly consumed (0.1%) by herbivores. 5. Practical implication. Our study shows that in urban green spaces, both flower‐visiting and leaf‐feeding insects are more likely to use native wild plants as a food source than closely related and exotic ornamental plants. |
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| Freie Schlagworte: | biodiversity, herbivores, honey bee, insects, leaf damage, native plants, non‐bees, non‐native plants, pollinator, urban green space | ||||
| ID-Nummer: | Artikel-ID: e12380 | ||||
| Status: | Verlagsversion | ||||
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-282857 | ||||
| Sachgruppe der Dewey Dezimalklassifikatin (DDC): | 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 333.7 Natürliche Ressourcen, Energie und Umwelt 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 570 Biowissenschaften, Biologie 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 580 Pflanzen (Botanik) 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 590 Tiere (Zoologie) |
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| Fachbereich(e)/-gebiet(e): | 10 Fachbereich Biologie 10 Fachbereich Biologie > Ecological Networks |
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| Hinterlegungsdatum: | 13 Nov 2024 13:08 | ||||
| Letzte Änderung: | 14 Nov 2024 06:49 | ||||
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| Suche nach Titel in: | TUfind oder in Google | ||||
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- Home sweet home: Evaluation of native versus exotic plants as resources for insects in urban green spaces. (deposited 13 Nov 2024 13:08) [Gegenwärtig angezeigt]
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