Quality over quantity: buffer strips can be improved with select native plant species

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Entomology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Buffer strips are important for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• Current buffer strip plant compositions may not be optimal for beneficial insects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of plant diversity in buffer strips on beneficial insect communities.
• To compare the effectiveness of different plant community compositions for attracting beneficial insects.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a 2-year field experiment with nine buffer strips varying in plant diversity.
• Compared insect communities in buffers with single species, prairie reconstruction species, and beneficial insect-attracting species.
• Measured insect diversity, abundance, and relationship with plant diversity and floral resources.

Main Results:

• A positive relationship was observed between plant community diversity, flower abundance, and beneficial insect diversity/abundance.
• Buffers with species selected for insect attraction yielded more beneficial insects than prairie reconstruction communities.
• Single-species buffers had the lowest beneficial insect diversity and abundance.

Conclusions:

• Plant communities in existing buffers are often suboptimal for beneficial insects.
• Incorporating diverse, flowering perennial native species can enhance buffer strips as beneficial insect habitat.
• Optimizing buffer strips requires intentional selection of attractive native species, even at lower diversity levels.
• Prairie reconstruction plant communities may lack optimal species or densities for supporting diverse beneficial insects.