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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Dairy Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #435260
Research Project: Developing Sustainable Forage and Cover Crop Systems for Dairy Farms

Location: Dairy Forage Research

Title: Enhanced pollinator communities in crop-adjacent habitats with increased floral availability in Midwestern agricultural landscapes

Author
item GAMBEL, JESSICA - University Of Wisconsin
item GRATTON, CLAUDIO - University Of Wisconsin
item Duff, Alison

Submitted to: Entomology Society America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Row crops, such as corn and soybeans, dominate agroecosystems in the Midwestern United States. Because these crops generally do not attract pollinating insects, agricultural landscapes in the region can be largely deficient in pollinator resources depending on the amount of semi-natural habitat present. Enhancing biodiversity in non-crop farm areas, however, may help alleviate resource scarcities and thus bolster pollinator communities. In this study, we evaluated how crop-adjacent habitats varied in floral resource availability for pollinators, comparing paired farm sites of prairie habitats containing native flowering plants to cool-season grass habitats with few flowering forbs. In each habitat, we surveyed flowering plant abundance and richness, as well as recorded and collected pollinating bees, throughout the summer growing season. We found that plant species richness and floral abundance increased over the season and was greater in prairies than in grass habitats, although floral production in grasses increased by the end of the growing season (usually in the form of introduced plant species). Moreover, both habitats experienced low floral availability at the beginning of the season. Bee abundance was greater in prairies than in grasses while bee species richness was greater in prairies until the end of the season when species richness increased in grass habitats. In summary, no matter the habitat type, more early-season flowering plants are needed to ensure floral resource availability for pollinators in the beginning of the growing season. Additionally, if introduced plants are removed from grass habitats, native species should replace them to provide ample pollinator forage.