The Attractiveness of Five Common Mediterranean Weeds to Pollinators

Concerns about a global decline in pollinators have called for more knowledge the factors influencing wild pollinator abundance and diversity agroecosystems. Agricultural intensification has been identified as main cause of this “global crisis”, particularly due to reductions natural areas holding critical floral nesting resources. Maintaining native plants agricultural landscapes (e.g., field margins) is often recommended cost-effective efficient method conservation. In study, role common flowers, considered weeds, supporting Mediterranean agroecosystem was investigated. This work involved two-year trial compare five weed species cereal agroecosystems: Convolvulus arvensis L., Daucus carota Malva sylvestris Papaver rhoeas Sonchus oleraceus L. The goal attractiveness these species, mixture all five, different flower-visiting insect groups order assess their value pollinators. Overall, D. had highest number visits, followed by P. rhoeas. C. arvensis, M. sylvestris, S. oleraceus, which lower numbers visits. On basis overall low risk invasiveness, carota, rhoeas, are most likely contribute positively conservation Our results also suggest that it advantageous flowers sown purpose be grown clumps, rather than highly intermingled, improved visitation rates.