Quantifying the production of plant pollen at the farm scale.
New Phytol
; 242(6): 2888-2899, 2024 Jun.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38622779
ABSTRACT
Plant pollen is rich in protein, sterols and lipids, providing crucial nutrition for many pollinators. However, we know very little about the quantity, quality and timing of pollen availability in real landscapes, limiting our ability to improve food supply for pollinators. We quantify the floral longevity and pollen production of a whole plant community for the first time, enabling us to calculate daily pollen availability. We combine these data with floral abundance and nectar measures from UK farmland to quantify pollen and nectar production at the landscape scale throughout the year. Pollen and nectar production were significantly correlated at the floral unit, and landscape level. The species providing the highest quantity of pollen on farmland were Salix spp. (38%), Filipendula ulmaria (14%), Rubus fruticosus (10%) and Taraxacum officinale (9%). Hedgerows were the most pollen-rich habitats, but permanent pasture provided the majority of pollen at the landscape scale, because of its large area. Pollen and nectar were closely associated in their phenology, with both peaking in late April, before declining steeply in June and remaining low throughout the year. Our data provide a starting point for including pollen in floral resource assessments and ensuring the nutritional requirements of pollinators are met in farmland landscapes.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pollen
/
Plant Nectar
Language:
En
Journal:
New Phytol
Journal subject:
BOTANICA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United kingdom
Country of publication:
United kingdom