Proximity to natural habitat and flower plantings increases insect populations and pollination services in South African apple orchards

Introducing areas of wildflower vegetation within crop fields has been shown to enhance pollinator activity and pollination services to crops, and findings in Europe showed an interaction effect between floral treatments and landscape context. Natural fynbos patches in the South African Cape Floristic Region (CFR) are potential reservoirs for beneficial insects that could enhance pollinator populations and crop pollination in commercial apple orchards. However, the effect of proximity to natural habitat and floral enhancement treatments on crop pollinators and yield are yet to be fully tested in southern temperate regions. To elucidate the impact of enhanced floral resources to apple flower visitors and crop yield, we established small experimental patches of flowers in non-productive areas of commercial apple (Malus domestica) orchards in the CFR. Experimental orchards were embedded in landscapes with varying proportions of natural habitat within 1 km. We used pollinator exclusion e...已有研究证实，在农田中布设野生草本植被群落，可提升传粉者（pollinator）活跃度与作物传粉服务效能；欧洲地区的相关研究还揭示了花卉增强处理与景观背景之间的交互效应。南非开普植物区（Cape Floristic Region, CFR）内的自然凡波斯灌丛（fynbos）斑块，可作为益虫的潜在庇护所，助力商业化苹果园中传粉者种群扩增与作物传粉效率提升。然而，邻近自然生境与花卉增强处理对作物传粉者及产量的影响，在南温带地区尚未得到充分验证。 为阐明增强型花源资源对苹果花访花者与作物产量的影响，我们在开普植物区（CFR）内商业化栽培苹果（Malus domestica）园的非生产区域，设置了小型花卉实验斑块。实验果园嵌入于1公里范围内自然生境占比各异的景观格局中。本研究采用传粉者排除……