Journal article

Publication year: 2003

Pages: 1-12

Journal: Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz

Volume number: 75

Issue number: 1

URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260190407_Host_plant_preference_of_flower_visitors_in_a_mosaic_landscape

Publisher: Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz

Abstract: 

We compared the flower visitors of 22 flowering plants by means of observation techniques. The study was carried out on the slopes of four hills situated in the Lahn-Dill-Bergland (Central Hesse, Germany). Centaurea jacea and Knautia arvensis had the broadest range of visiting taxa and are thus important for most flower visitors in small-scaled agricultural landscapes. The fact that honeybees deviated from this pattern confirms that this domestic species rapidly shifts between the most profitable nectar sources. In contrast to other European studies, our results indicate that the preference of bumblebees is only loosely related to the life span of plants and rather relies on optimal energy gain. Eight groups of plants could be established by means of PCA and ANOVAs: wild bee plants, bumblebee plants, bumblebee/honeybee plants, honeybee plants, hover fly plants, Diptera plants, Coleoptera plants and »universal« plants. We identified plant species that are most suited for a taxon-specific approach to the study of flower visitors in small-scaled agricultural landscapes. It is concluded that the criteria for selecting target plants for monitoring flower visitors should include the region-specific preferences of the faunal taxa under consideration. Moreover, our data confirm the suitability of standardised observation techniques for comparative studies on flower visitors.

Harvard Citation style: Hirsch, M. and Wolters, V. (2003) Host plant preference of flower visitors in a mosaic landscape, Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz, 75(1), pp. 1-12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260190407_Host_plant_preference_of_flower_visitors_in_a_mosaic_landscape

APA Citation style: Hirsch, M., & Wolters, V. (2003). Host plant preference of flower visitors in a mosaic landscape. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Naturkundemuseums Görlitz. 75(1), 1-12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260190407_Host_plant_preference_of_flower_visitors_in_a_mosaic_landscape