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1. Early snowmelt advances flowering phenology and disrupts the drivers of pollinator visitation in an alpine ecosystem

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00315-x  

   Rose-Person, Annika; Spasojevic, Marko J; Forrester, Chiara; Bowman, William D; Suding, Katharine N; Oldfather, Meagan F; Rafferty, Nicole E (June 2024, Alpine Botany)

   Abstract Climate change is altering interactions among plants and pollinators. In alpine ecosystems, where snowmelt timing is a key driver of phenology, earlier snowmelt may generate shifts in plant and pollinator phenology that vary across the landscape, potentially disrupting interactions. Here we ask how experimental advancement of snowmelt timing in a topographically heterogeneous alpine-subalpine landscape impacts flowering, insect pollinator visitation, and pathways connecting key predictors of plant-pollinator interaction. Snowmelt was advanced by an average of 13.5 days in three sites via the application of black sand over snow in manipulated plots, which were paired with control plots. For each forb species, we documented flowering onset and counted flowers throughout the season. We also performed pollinator observations to measure visitation rates. The majority (79.3%) of flower visits were made by dipteran insects. We found that plants flowered earlier in advanced snowmelt plots, with the largest advances in later-flowering species, but flowering duration and visitation rate did not differ between advanced snowmelt and control plots. Using piecewise structural equation models, we assessed the interactive effects of topography on snowmelt timing, flowering phenology, floral abundance, and pollinator visitation. We found that these factors interacted to predict visitation rate in control plots. However, in plots with experimentally advanced snowmelt, none of these predictors explained a significant amount of variation in visitation rate, indicating that different predictors are needed to understand the processes that directly influence pollinator visitation to flowers under future climate conditions. Our findings demonstrate that climate change-induced early snowmelt may fundamentally disrupt the predictive relationships among abiotic and biotic drivers of plant-pollinator interactions in subalpine-alpine environments. 

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2. Planting gardens to support insect pollinators

   https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13271  

   Majewska, Ania A.; Altizer, Sonia (July 2019, Conservation Biology)

   Global insect pollinator declines have prompted habitat restoration efforts, including pollinator-friendly gardening. Gardens can provide nectar and pollen for adult insects and offer reproductive resources, such as nesting sites and caterpillar host plants. We conducted a review and meta-analysis to examine how decisions made by gardeners on plant selection and garden maintenance influence pollinator survival, abundance, and diversity. We also considered characteristics of surrounding landscapes and the impacts of pollinator natural enemies. Our results indicated that pollinators responded positively to high plant species diversity, woody vegetation, garden size, and sun exposure and negatively to the separation of garden habitats from natural sites. Within-garden features more strongly influenced pollinators than surrounding landscape factors. Growing interest in gardening for pollinators highlights the need to better understand how gardens contribute to pollinator conservation and how some garden characteristics can enhance the attractiveness and usefulness of gardens to pollinators. Further studies examining pollinator reproduction, resource acquisition, and natural enemies in gardens and comparing gardens with other restoration efforts and to natural habitats are needed to increase the value of human-made habitats for pollinators. 

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3. The effect of shade tree species on bird communities in central Kenyan coffee farms

   Kammerichs-Berke, D (October 2021, Bird conservation international)

   Atkinson, Phil (Ed.)

   Shade coffee is a well-studied cultivation strategy that creates habitat for tropical birds while also maintaining agricultural yield. Although there is a general consensus that shade coffee is more “bird-friendly” than a sun coffee monoculture, little work has investigated the effects of specific shade tree species on insectivorous bird diversity. This study involved avian foraging observations, mist netting data, temperature loggers, and arthropod sampling to investigate bottom-up effects of two shade tree taxa - native Cordia sp. and introduced Grevillea robusta - on insectivorous bird communities in central Kenya. Results indicate that foliage-dwelling arthropod abundance, and the richness and overall abundance of foraging birds were all higher on Cordia than on Grevillea. Furthermore, multivariate analyses of the bird community indicate a significant difference in community composition between the canopies of the two tree species, though the communities of birds using the coffee understory under these shade trees were similar. In addition, both shade trees buffered temperatures in coffee, and temperatures under Cordia were marginally cooler than under Grevillea. These results suggest that native Cordia trees on East African shade coffee farms may be better at mitigating habitat loss and attracting insectivorous birds that could promote ecosystem services. Identifying differences in prey abundance and preferences in bird foraging behavior not only fills basic gaps in our understanding of the ecology of East African coffee farms, it also aids in developing region-specific information to optimize functional diversity, ecosystem services, and the conservation of birds in agricultural landscapes. 

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4. Local and Landscape Factors Influence Plant-Pollinator Networks and Bee Foraging Behavior across an Urban Corridor

   https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020362  

   Pardee, Gabriella L; Ballare, Kimberly M; Neff, John L; Do, Lauren Q; Ojeda, DianaJoyce; Bienenstock, Elisa J; Brosi, Berry J; Grubesic, Tony H; Miller, Jennifer A; Tong, Daoqin; et al (February 2023, Land)

   Given widespread concerns over human-mediated bee declines in abundance and species richness, conservation efforts are increasingly focused on maintaining natural habitats to support bee diversity in otherwise resource-poor environments. However, natural habitat patches can vary in composition, impacting landscape-level heterogeneity and affecting plant-pollinator interactions. Plant-pollinator networks, especially those based on pollen loads, can provide valuable insight into mutualistic relationships, such as revealing the degree of pollination specialization in a community; yet, local and landscape drivers of these network indices remain understudied within urbanizing landscapes. Beyond networks, analyzing pollen collection can reveal key information about species-level pollen preferences, providing plant restoration information for urban ecosystems. Through bee collection, vegetation surveys, and pollen load identification across ~350 km of urban habitat, we studied the impact of local and landscape-level management on plant-pollinator networks. We also quantified pollinator preferences for plants within urban grasslands. Bees exhibited higher foraging specialization with increasing habitat heterogeneity and visited fewer flowering species (decreased generality) with increasing semi-natural habitat cover. We also found strong pollinator species-specific flower foraging preferences, particularly for Asteraceae plants. We posit that maintaining native forbs and supporting landscape-level natural habitat cover and heterogeneity can provide pollinators with critical food resources across urbanizing ecosystems. 

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5. Impact of Agrivoltaic Shade on Beet Curly Top Virus and Yield in Chile Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

   https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI18537-25  

   Joukhadar, Israel; Estrada, Mariela; Velasco-Cruz, Ciro; Coon, Danise; Lavrova, Olga; Thompson, Marisa; Guzman, Ivette; Walker, Stephanie (June 2025, HortScience)

   Curtovirusspp., a group of widely distributed geminiviruses, are among the most significant plant pathogens in the United States. Beet curly top virus (BCTV), vectored by the beet leafhopper [Circulifer(Neoaliturus)tenellusBaker], causes severe economic losses in crops such as tomatoes, peppers, dry beans, sugar beets, melons, and leafy greens, particularly in the western United States. In New Mexico, chile (Capsicum annuum) is vulnerable, with infected plants exhibiting symptoms such as stunting, chlorotic and curled leaves, misshapen fruits, reduced yields, and plant death. Yield losses can reach up to 50% in some years. Current management strategies, including pesticide applications, provide limited protection, leaving growers with substantial losses. Research indicates beet leafhoppers prefer full sun and avoid shaded areas, suggesting potential for innovative pest management strategies. Agrivoltaic systems (AVSs), which combine photovoltaic (PV) installations with agriculture, increase field shade and could potentially deter crop pests. However, the effect of AVS on pest management and chile crop yields remains underexplored. This study evaluated the impact of AVS shade on chile yield and plant growth, beet leafhopper abundance, and BCTV incidence. In 2023 and 2024, ‘NuMex Odyssey’, a New Mexico type chile cultivar, was grown in PV module–shaded and full sun replications at New Mexico State University’s Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center. PV modules provided shade to plants during the morning hours (0630 to 1330 HR), resulting in an 11% reduction in mean light intensity compared with the full sun replications. Full sun replications had more marketable green yield, while PV shaded replications exhibited significantly lower BCTV-affected fruit in 2024 and beet leafhopper abundance in both 2023 and 2024. These findings suggest that shading can reduce beet leafhopper abundance and BCTV incidence, offering potential benefits for chile cultivation. 

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