Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms
Family farms can benefit from the presence of a diverse set of native pollinators and associated pollination services. In the present study we assessed the effect of flower visitor richness and visitation rate by honeybees and native insects on mandarin production (Citrus reticulata `Criolla´), in t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179122000652 |
| _version_ | 1797755094660284416 |
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| author | Marcos Monasterolo Natacha P. Chacoff Ángel D. Segura Analía Benavidez Pablo Schliserman |
| author_facet | Marcos Monasterolo Natacha P. Chacoff Ángel D. Segura Analía Benavidez Pablo Schliserman |
| author_sort | Marcos Monasterolo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Family farms can benefit from the presence of a diverse set of native pollinators and associated pollination services. In the present study we assessed the effect of flower visitor richness and visitation rate by honeybees and native insects on mandarin production (Citrus reticulata `Criolla´), in ten citrus family farms located in the Dry Chaco region of northwest Argentina. An exclusion experiment was conducted to explore how pollinators influence the fruit set and quality of `Criolla´ mandarin. The influence of features such as local richness and abundance of flowering plants, farm size, and surrounding natural/semi-natural habitats in the diversity of flower visitors was also evaluated. Fruit set in open pollination branches was three times higher than in bagged branches, where flower visitors were excluded. Moreover, the mandarin fruit set increased with a higher native visitation rate, and mandarin quality (fruit weight and size) decreased with a higher honeybee visitation rate. Flower visitor diversity was higher in farmlands with a greater proportion of surrounding natural and semi-natural habitats. Our results demonstrate the negative effects of excessive honeybee visitation on citrus fruit quality and highlight the importance of native pollinators and natural habitat conservation to increase the fruit set and quality of mandarin in family farms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:41:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af23534c3c0a4088acb4a97594470b2e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1439-1791 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:41:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-af23534c3c0a4088acb4a97594470b2e2023-08-04T05:46:35ZengElsevierBasic and Applied Ecology1439-17912022-11-01647988Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farmsMarcos Monasterolo0Natacha P. Chacoff1Ángel D. Segura2Analía Benavidez3Pablo Schliserman4Centro Regional de Energía y Ambiente para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CREAS), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Prado 366, K4700AAP San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina; Corresponding author.Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, ArgentinaCentro Regional de Energía y Ambiente para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CREAS), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Prado 366, K4700AAP San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, ArgentinaCentro Regional de Energía y Ambiente para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CREAS), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Prado 366, K4700AAP San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, ArgentinaCentro Regional de Energía y Ambiente para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CREAS), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Prado 366, K4700AAP San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, ArgentinaFamily farms can benefit from the presence of a diverse set of native pollinators and associated pollination services. In the present study we assessed the effect of flower visitor richness and visitation rate by honeybees and native insects on mandarin production (Citrus reticulata `Criolla´), in ten citrus family farms located in the Dry Chaco region of northwest Argentina. An exclusion experiment was conducted to explore how pollinators influence the fruit set and quality of `Criolla´ mandarin. The influence of features such as local richness and abundance of flowering plants, farm size, and surrounding natural/semi-natural habitats in the diversity of flower visitors was also evaluated. Fruit set in open pollination branches was three times higher than in bagged branches, where flower visitors were excluded. Moreover, the mandarin fruit set increased with a higher native visitation rate, and mandarin quality (fruit weight and size) decreased with a higher honeybee visitation rate. Flower visitor diversity was higher in farmlands with a greater proportion of surrounding natural and semi-natural habitats. Our results demonstrate the negative effects of excessive honeybee visitation on citrus fruit quality and highlight the importance of native pollinators and natural habitat conservation to increase the fruit set and quality of mandarin in family farms.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179122000652Pollination serviceCitrusMandarin productivityFlower visitorsSpatial scales |
| spellingShingle | Marcos Monasterolo Natacha P. Chacoff Ángel D. Segura Analía Benavidez Pablo Schliserman Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms Basic and Applied Ecology Pollination service Citrus Mandarin productivity Flower visitors Spatial scales |
| title | Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms |
| title_full | Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms |
| title_fullStr | Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms |
| title_short | Native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms |
| title_sort | native pollinators increase fruit set while honeybees decrease the quality of mandarins in family farms |
| topic | Pollination service Citrus Mandarin productivity Flower visitors Spatial scales |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179122000652 |
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