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Data for "Plant identity determines pollinator, natural enemy, herbivore and decomposer abundances in flower plantings"

https://doi.org/10.5878/8q5t-3546
We evaluated 27 candidate plant species for their ability to host functionally important above- and below-ground organisms — pollinators, natural enemies, herbivores, and decomposers — and assessed how the plant traits floral area, timing of peak bloom, life cycle, and plant cover affect these groups. The study was conducted during two years in two sites. Pollinators (hoverflies and wild bees - including bumblebees and solitary bees) were surveyed with visual observations for 60s twice a week while the plot was in bloom. Leaf-dwelling arthropods (predators, parasitic wasps and herbivores) were collected using vacuum sampling (30s in a 1m by 1m quadrat) of the plots with open flowers. As below-ground organisms, nematodes (predators, herbivores and decomposers) were sampled at the end of each survey season taking a composite sample consisting on three samples per plot (2cm diameter, 15cm depth). All data were summed on the plot level per site and year. For the plant traits, floral area and plant cover surveys were recorded weekly in a 1m by 1m quadrat, within 2 days of sampling pollinators and leaf-dwelling arthropods. The timing of peak bloom for each plant species was defined as the average week number between the two consecutive weeks with the highest number of open floral units. The life cycles of the plant species were classified as annual or perennial (perennial and biennial). For further information, see methods in the manuscript Rodríguez-Gasol et al. ’Plant identity determines pollinator, natural enemy, herbivore and decomposer abundances in flower plantings’.
Download data and documentation (9 files / 187.59 KiB)

Data files

  • flower_cover_season.csv
    16.17 KiB
  • groundcover.csv
    17.84 KiB
  • leaf_suction.csv
    10.51 KiB
  • peakbloom.csv
    20.06 KiB
  • plant_list.csv
    1.24 KiB
  • pollinators.csv
    18.8 KiB
  • soil_fauna.csv
    18.25 KiB

Documentation files

  • flower_plots_end.Rmd
    75.84 KiB
  • flower_plots_end.txt
    8.89 KiB

Citation and access

Data access level:

Creator/Principal investigator(s):

Research principal:

Principal's reference number:

  • SLU.ekol.2024.4.4.IÄ-14

Data contains personal data:

No

Citation:

License:

Language:

Method and outcome

Unit of analysis:

Population:

Above and below-ground organisms: - Pollinators: hoverflies and wild bees (including bumblebees and solitary bees). - Leaf-dwelling arthropods: predators, parasitic wasps and herbivores. - Nematodes: predators, herbivores and decomposers). Plant traits: - Floral area: number of flowers multiplied by the average flora area in each plot. - Plant cover: percentage plant cover of the sown plant species in a 1m by 1m quadrat located in the center of each plot. - Timing of peak bloom: defined as the average week number between the two consecutive weeks with the highest number of open floral units. - Life cycle: annual or perennial (perennial and biennial) following Mossberg and Stenberg (2018).

Study design:

  • Ecological study
  • Experimental study
  • Randomised controlled trial (RCT)
  • Field trial
  • Observational study

Description of study design:

The study was conducted over two consecutive seasons, 2020-2021, at two sites, Lönnstorp in Scania county, southernmost Sweden and Lövsta in Uppsala county, south-central Sweden. Thirty plant species were grown in monospecific 5m by 2m plots in a complete randomized block design with four replications per site. Plots within blocks were separated by 2m, and blocks were separated from each other by 4m. The space in between plots was sown with winter wheat.

Sampling procedure:

Description of sampling:

Pollinators (hoverflies and wild bees - including bumblebees and solitary bees-) were surveyed with visual observations for 60s twice a week while the plot was in bloom. Leaf-dwelling arthropods (predators, parasitic wasps and herbivores) were collected using vacuum sampling (30s in a 1m by 1m quadrat) of the plots with open flowers. As below-ground organisms, nematodes (predators, herbivores and decomposers) were sampled at the end of each survey season taking a composite sample consisting on three samples per plot (2cm diameter, 15cm depth). All data were summed on the plot level per site and year.

Time period(s) investigated:

Variables:

63

Number of individuals/objects:

2050

Data format/data structure:

Species and taxons:

Data collections 4 collections

Data collection Field observation

Mode of collection:

Field observation

Description of the mode of collection:

Vacuum sampling (30s in a 1m by 1m quadrat, once a week for three consecutive weeks, while the target plant species in the plot was in bloom) for leaf-dwelling arthropods.

Time period(s) for data collection:

2020-07-01 - 2021-09-03

Data collector:

Source of the data:

  • Other

Temporal resolution:

7 day

Spatial resolution:

543 kilometres scale

Sample

Name:

Leaf dwelling arthropods

Description of sample:

Arthropods obtained by vacuum sampling stored in 70% ethanol.

Instrument

Name:

Modified leaf vacuum

Description of the instrument:

Modified leaf vacuum

Name:

Quadrat

Description of the instrument:

1m by 1m quadrat located at the center of each plot used to define the area in which to do the vacuum sampling.

Data collection Field observation

Mode of collection:

Field observation

Description of the mode of collection:

Visual observations (60 s, twice a week, while the target plant species in the plot was in bloom) for pollinators.

Time period(s) for data collection:

2020-07-01 - 2021-09-03

Data collector:

Source of the data:

  • Other

Temporal resolution:

7 day

Spatial resolution:

543 kilometres scale

Sample

Name:

Pollinators

Description of sample:

Captured individuals from pollinator observations. Pinned, identified and stored

Instrument

Name:

Pollinator net

Description of the instrument:

Pollinator net used to collect the unkown pollinators observed during the visual observations

Data collection Field observation

Mode of collection:

Field observation

Description of the mode of collection:

Floral area and plant cover were estimated using a 1m by 1m quadrat located at the center of ach plot. For floral area, in each plot, the number of floral units was counted and then multiplied by the average floral area. A floral unit was equal to an individual flower in most species, but for Asteraceae and clovers (Trifolium spp.) we counted each inflorescence as a floral unit. Average floral area was estimated in each plot by measuring the diameter (actinomorphic or composite flowers) or length and width (zygomorphic flowers) of five floral units of the target plant species. Plant cover was estimated as the percentage plant cover of the sown plant species.

Time period(s) for data collection:

2020-07-01 - 2021-09-03

Data collector:

Source of the data:

  • Other

Temporal resolution:

7 day

Spatial resolution:

543 kilometres scale

Instrument

Name:

Caliper

Description of the instrument:

To estimate the floral area. We measured the diameter (actinomorphic or composite flowers) or length and width (zygomorphic flowers) of five floral units of the target plant species in each plot. Surveys were performed weekly within 2 days of sampling pollinators and leaf-dwelling arthropods while the target species was in bloom

Name:

Quadrat

Description of the instrument:

1m by 1m quadrat located at the center of each plot used to define the area in which to do the vacuum sampling.

Data collection Field observation

Mode of collection:

Field observation

Description of the mode of collection:

Soil samples consisting on a composite sample made of three samples per plot (at 1.5m, 2.5m and 3.5m distance along a central transect along the length of the plot; 2cm diameter, 15cm depth).

Time period(s) for data collection:

2020-09-21 - 2021-10-03

Data collector:

Source of the data:

  • Other

Temporal resolution:

1 year

Spatial resolution:

543 kilometres scale

Sample

Name:

Nematodes

Description of sample:

Nematodes obtained with the soil corers, exctracted with modified Baermann funnels (Viketoft et al. 2005), heat-killed and fixated in formalin. Viketoft, M., Palmborg, C., Sohlenius, B., Huss-Danell, K., Bengtsson, J., 2005. Plant species effects on soil nematode communities in experimental grasslands. Appl. Soil Ecol. 30, 90-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2005.02.007.

Instrument

Name:

Soil corer

Description of the instrument:

2 cm diameter

Geographic coverage

Geographic location:

Geographic description:

The study was conducted over two consecutive seasons 2020-2021 at two sites, Lönnstorp in Scania county, southernmost Sweden (55°40'08.1"N 13°06'49.4"E) and Lövsta in Uppsala county, south-central Sweden (59°50'34.1"N 17°48'34.5"E).

Administrative information

Responsible department/unit:

Department of Ecology

Funding

Funding agency:

Award number:

2019-00461

Award title:

Flower Strips 2.0: Managing ecosystem services and disservices above and below ground

Funding agency:

Award number:

O-19-23-298

Award title:

SamZoner 2.0 – Optimization of multifunctional buffer zones for improved biological control and pollination

Funding agency:

Award number:

2021-00164

Funding information:

This study has been made possible by the Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science (SITES), in this case, SITES Lönnstorp Research Station at SLU.

Topic and keywords

Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2025:

Keywords:

Publications

Citation:

Neus Rodríguez-Gasol, Fabian A. Boetzl, Elodie Chapurlat, Johan A. Stenberg, Mattias Jonsson, Ola Lundin, Maria Viketoft (2026). Plant identity determines pollinator, natural enemy, herbivore, and decomposer abundances in flower plantings. Ecosphere. 17 (1), e70519. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70519Opens in a new tab

Contact

Maria ViketoftMaria.Viketoft@slu.seOpens in a new tab
SLU Arkivarkiv@slu.seOpens in a new tab

Metadata

Versions

Version:

2

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5878/8q5t-3546Opens in a new tab

  • Variable(s) added:

    Pollinator species richness variables have been added

Published:

Version:

1

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5878/001q-v042Opens in a new tab

Published:

doris
slu
Published:|Updated: