| 1. |
- Hederström, Veronica, et al.
(författare)
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White clover pollinators and seed set in relation to local management and landscape context
- 2024
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Ingår i: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. - 0167-8809 .- 1873-2305. ; 365
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bees are declining, which is worrisome since they both have intrinsic conservation value and play a major role as pollinators in both natural and managed ecosystems. Land use change and lack of suitable habitats are often suggested as driving forces of bee decline. To propose mitigation measures to halt bee decline, it is important to understand how land use relates to bee abundance and diversity, and to explore consequences for their provision of pollination services. White clover, Trifolium repens, is an outcrossing mass-flowering crop, which could serve as an abundant, although ephemeral, food resource for bees. We investigated how the bee community in 39 fields of white clover grown for seed, related to local field management (organic, conventional without insecticides and conventional with insecticides) and landscape context (proportion semi-natural land), and how this pollinator community related to white clover seed set. The honey bee, Apis mellifera, was the most commonly observed bee species, and two generalist bumble bee species, Bombus terrestris and B. lapidarius, were the subsequently most common. We observed fewer non-Apis bees, and a lower bee species richness in organic white clover seed fields compared to conventional fields independent of insecticide treatment. Bee species richness in both conventional and organic fields were positively related to the proportion of semi-natural land in the landscape, likely because of a larger species pool in such landscapes. Initial seed set in immature inflorescences was positively related to bee abundance, whereas final seed set in mature inflorescences was unrelated to bee abundance, possibly as a consequence of seed-eating weevils consuming a large proportion of the seeds. We conclude that both bee visitation and seed set in white clover benefit from conventional management and that landscapes rich in semi-natural habitats will make future crop production more resilient. The observed positive relationship between bee abundance and initial seed set suggests that if we can mitigate pest impacts and increase bee abundance in clover seed fields, the final seed yield can be increased. Thus, bee decline should be considered and mitigated both to maintain biodiversity in general and for crop seed production specifically.
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| 2. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 3. |
- Nord, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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The effectiveness of area protection to capture coastal bird richness and occurrence in the Swedish archipelago
- 2019
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Conservation. - : Elsevier BV. - 2351-9894. ; 17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Protected areas are a key component in biodiversity conservation strategies, but evaluations of how effective they are in capturing species diversity is lacking for many ecosystems. We compared different protection types (animal sanctuaries, nature reserves and unprotected areas) using data on species richness and occurrence of coastal breeding bird species in a large archipelago in the Baltic Sea. Data were from extensive inventories based on a grid with 1 x 1 km resolution covering 4646 km(2) on the East coast of Sweden. We focused on specialist species breeding exclusively in coastal habitats since these species are of specific conservation concern, but considered generalists, which also breeds in inland wetlands, as well. Animal sanctuaries had significantly higher species richness of specialist species than unprotected areas and nature reserves. Nature reserves had even lower richness of specialist species than unprotected areas. Further, a rarity-weighted diversity index showed that animal sanctuaries were better in capturing hotspots of bird diversity compared to nature reserves and unprotected areas. Hotspots, both protected and unprotected, were scattered throughout the entire archipelago. The rarity-weighted richness is therefore useful to identify gaps in the protected area network. Overall, we conclude that the establishment of animal sanctuaries has been a successful conservation measure for protecting specialist species in several aspects. Ongoing human exploitation of the Baltic archipelagos prompt further consideration of protecting still unprotected but species rich shorelines for the benefit of many coastal breeding birds.
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| 4. |
- Ranlund, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Epiphytic lichen responses to environmental change due to clear-cutting differ among tree taxa
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Vegetation Science. - : Wiley. - 1100-9233 .- 1654-1103. ; 29:6, s. 1065-1074
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Question Many species-rich communities are associated with a foundation species. While we often have detailed information about the foundation species, we know less about its associated species. We explore such a situation, comparing the responses of lichen species associated with different tree taxa, which differ in successional strategy, to the environmental change that takes place when the surrounding trees are clear-cut. Location Boreal forests in Sweden. Methods We illustrated general differences in lichen species composition among four tree taxa and three stand categories using ordination of species occurrences. To analyse responses to clear-cutting we modelled the occurrence probability individually for 144 epiphytic lichen species from the lower 2 m of 2,400 tree trunks of four tree taxa in 130 stands, and compared trees in closed-canopy forests with those retained in logged stands, using Bayesian hierarchical models. Results The composition of lichens on aspen trees deviated clearly from that on the other tree species. Also lichen responses to logging differed among main host tree taxa, where lichen species associated with birches, European aspen, and Scots pine increased in probability of occurrence on trees in logged areas compared to intact forest, while lichen species associated with Norway spruce decreased. We found that time lags for changes in occupancy existed primarily in the increase, but not in the decline, of the groups of lichens associated with different tree taxa. Conclusions Lichens associated with different tree taxa vary in their response to the environmental change brought about by logging, but in a way that differs from the differences in species composition among host trees. Our results highlight the importance of considering the taxa of trees in forest management for the conservation of their associated lichen species. The extent to which the ecology of foundation species influences their associated species merits further inquiry, since such knowledge may facilitate predictions of responses of associated species also in other species-rich communities.
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| 5. |
- Waldo, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Local attitudes towards management measures for the co-existence of seals and coastal fishery - A Swedish case study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Marine Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-597X. ; 118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Marine mammals and coastal fisheries are two features commonly associated with thriving marine environments, but it is also a case of wildlife impact on human interests. This paper analyses the seal-fisheries encounter in a Swedish Baltic Sea fishery. The problem concerns seals eating fish from the fishing gear which causes considerable economic losses to small-scale fishermen. This mixed-method study addresses local attitudes towards management measures that might be introduced. A questionnaire was sent to all households in three traditional fishing villages and interviews were conducted with local stakeholders. The results show a consensus that something needs to be done or the local fishery cannot continue. Economic compensation for lost catches is viewed as a short-term strategy, while investment subsidies for seal-proof gear are considered positive but problematic due to low efficiency of the new gear. The management measure viewed as most positive in the local context is hunting. In general, a more active management is perceived as urgent for the survival of the small-scale coastal fishery in the studied area.
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