Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
103
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
103 results for “insect pollinator”
Data from: Direct and indirect effects of urbanization, pesticides, and wild insect pollinators on mango yield
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Insect pollinators show constancy for different flower traits between the most‐ and less‐preferred plants: a case study of the long‐proboscid tangle‐veined fly
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Effects of urban horticulture on insect pollinator community structure, central Arizona Phoenix: site locations
Insects that pollinate flowering plants are often considered "keystone species," animals that play extremely important roles in ecosystem functioning such that their absence would have more widespread and far-reaching effects than their abundance alone would indicate. For example, the absence of pollinating insects would translate to a severe reduction in plant reproduction, which would in turn affect not only the plants but also seed-eating animals, herbivorous animals, predators of the herbivores, and so on in a trophic cascade. Such a scenario would impact not only wildlife but also human populations because insects pollinate the majority of human food-plants. While the importance of these relationships is acknowledged, surprisingly, little is known about how insect pollinator communities are affected by environmental changes, such as global climate change or urban development. There has recently been a call for research on insect pollinator communities, citing a pressing need to obtain baseline information in the face of probable future environmental changes. The Sonoran Desert has one of the most diverse insect communities in the world (particularly for members of the Order Hymenoptera [bees, wasps, and ants], which perform the lion's share of pollination duties for both native and crop plants). This community may be threatened from the presence of the exotic honeybee and from habitat alteration in the form of urban development. We propose to conduct a pilot study to examine how the pollinator community differs under different forms of urban land use in the Phoenix metropolitan area. We have three research questions: (1) How does the ratio of native species to the exotic honeybee differ among natural desert, urban desert remnants, and residential areas that also have flowering plants? (2) How does insect pollinator community structure (richness and abundance) differ among natural desert, urban desert remnants, and residential areas? and (3) How does insect poll
Effects of urban horticulture on insect pollinator community structure in the central Arizona-Phoenix area
Insects that pollinate flowering plants are often considered "keystone species," animals that play extremely important roles in ecosystem functioning such that their absence would have more widespread and far-reaching effects than their abundance alone would indicate. For example, the absence of pollinating insects would translate to a severe reduction in plant reproduction, which would in turn affect not only the plants but also seed-eating animals, herbivorous animals, predators of the herbivores, and so on in a trophic cascade. Such a scenario would impact not only wildlife but also human populations because insects pollinate the majority of human food-plants. While the importance of these relationships is acknowledged, surprisingly, little is known about how insect pollinator communities are affected by environmental changes, such as global climate change or urban development. There has recently been a call for research on insect pollinator communities, citing a pressing need to obtain baseline information in the face of probable future environmental changes. The Sonoran Desert has one of the most diverse insect communities in the world (particularly for members of the Order Hymenoptera [bees, wasps, and ants], which perform the lion's share of pollination duties for both native and crop plants). This community may be threatened from the presence of the exotic honeybee and from habitat alteration in the form of urban development. We propose to conduct a pilot study to examine how the pollinator community differs under different forms of urban land use in the Phoenix metropolitan area. We have three research questions: (1) How does the ratio of native species to the exotic honeybee differ among natural desert, urban desert remnants, and residential areas that also have flowering plants? (2) How does insect pollinator community structure (richness and abundance) differ among natural desert, urban desert remnants, and residential areas? and (3) How does insect poll
Data from: Leaf herbivory imposes fitness costs mediated by hummingbird and insect pollinators
Plant responses induced by herbivore damage can provide fitness benefits, but can also have important costs due to altered interactions with mutualist pollinators. We examined the effects of plant responses to herbivory in a hummingbird-pollinated distylous shrub, Palicourea angustifolia. Through a series of field experiments we investigated whether damage from foliar herbivores leads to a reduction in fruit set, influences floral visitation, or alters floral traits that may influence pollinator preference or pollinator efficiency. Foliar herbivory by a generalist grasshopper led to reduced fruit set in branches that were directly damaged as well as in adjacent undamaged branches on the same plant. Furthermore, herbivory resulted in reduced floral visitation from two common hummingbird species and two bee species. An investigation into the potential mechanisms behind reduced floral visitation in induced plants showed that foliar herbivore damage resulted in shorter styles and lower nectar volumes. This reduction in style length could reduce pollen deposition between different floral morphs that is required for optimal pollination in a distylous plant. We did not detect any differences in the volatile blends released by damaged and undamaged branches, suggesting that foliar herbivore-induced changes in floral morphology and rewards, and not volatile blends, are the primary mechanism mediating changes in visitation. Our results provide novel mechanisms for how plant responses induced by foliar herbivores can lead to ecological costs.
Multiple metrics of latitudinal patterns in insect pollination and herbivory for a tropical-temperate congener pair
<p>The biotic interactions hypothesis posits that biotic interactions are more important drivers of adaptation closer to the equator, evidenced by "stronger" contemporary interactions (e.g. greater interaction rates) and/or patterns of trait evolution consistent with a history of stronger interactions. Support for the hypothesis is mixed, but few studies span tropical and temperate regions while experimentally controlling for evolutionary history. Here, we integrate field observations and common garden experiments to quantify the relative importance of pollination and herbivory in a pair of tropical-temperate congeneric perennial herbs. <i>Phytolacca rivinoides</i> and <i>P. americana</i> are pioneer species native to the Neotropics and the eastern USA, respectively. We compared plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions between three tropical populations of <i>P. rivinoides </i>from Costa Rica and three temperate populations of <i>P. americana</i> from its northern range edge in Michigan and Ohio. For some metrics of interaction importance, we also included three subtropical populations of <i>P. americana</i> from its southern range edge in Florida. This approach confounds species and region but allows us, uniquely, to measure complementary proxies of interaction importance across a tropical-temperate range in one system. To test the prediction that lower-latitude plants are more reliant on insect pollinators, we quantified floral display and reward, insect visitation rates, and self-pollination ability (autogamy). To test the prediction that lower-latitude plants experience more herbivore pressure, we quantified herbivory rates, herbivore abundance, and leaf palatability. We found evidence supporting the biotic interactions hypothesis for most comparisons between <i>P. rivinoides</i> and north-temperate <i>P. americana</i> (floral display, insect visitation, autogamy, herbivory, herbivore abundance, and young-leaf palatability). Results for subtropical <i>P. americana</i> populations, however, were typically not intermediate between <i>P. rivinoides</i> and north-temperate <i>P. americana</i>, as would be predicted by a linear latitudinal gradient in interaction importance. Subtropical young-leaf palatability was intermediate, but subtropical mature leaves were the least palatable, and pollination-related traits did not differ between temperate and subtropical regions. These nonlinear patterns of interaction importance suggest future work to relate interaction importance to climatic or biotic thresholds. In sum, we found that the biotic interactions hypothesis was more consistently supported at the larger spatial scale of our study.</p>
Data from: The population genomic signature of environmental selection in the widespread insect-pollinated tree species Frangula alnus at different geographical scales
The evaluation of the molecular signatures of selection in species lacking an available closely related reference genome remains challenging, yet it may provide valuable fundamental insights into the capacity of populations to respond to environmental cues. We screened 25 native populations of the tree species Frangula alnus subsp. alnus (Rhamnaceae), covering three different geographical scales, for 183 annotated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Standard population genomic outlier screens were combined with individual-based and multivariate landscape genomic approaches to examine the strength of selection relative to neutral processes in shaping genomic variation, and to identify the main environmental agents driving selection. Our results demonstrate a more distinct signature of selection with increasing geographical distance, as indicated by the proportion of SNPs (i) showing exceptional patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation (outliers) and (ii) associated with climate. Both temperature and precipitation have an important role as selective agents in shaping adaptive genomic differentiation in F. alnus subsp. alnus, although their relative importance differed among spatial scales. At the 'intermediate' and 'regional' scales, where limited genetic clustering and high population diversity were observed, some indications of natural selection may suggest a major role for gene flow in safeguarding adaptability. High genetic diversity at loci under selection in particular, indicated considerable adaptive potential, which may nevertheless be compromised by the combined effects of climate change and habitat fragmentation.
Plant species with the trait of continuous flowering do not hold core roles in a Neotropical lowland plant-pollinating insect network
<p>Plant-animal interaction science repeatedly finds that plant species differ by orders of magnitude in the number of interactions they support. The identification of plant species that play key structural roles in plant-animal networks is a global conservation priority, however, in hyperdiverse systems such as tropical forests, empirical datasets are scarce. Plant species with longer reproductive seasons are posited to support more interactions compared to plant species with shorter reproductive seasons but this hypothesis has not been evaluated for plant species with the longest reproductive season possible at the individual plant level, the continuous flowering phenology. Resource predictability is also associated with promoting specialization, and therefore continuous flowering may instead favor specialist interactions. Here we use quantitative pollinating insect-plant networks constructed from countryside habitat of the Tropical Wet forest Life Zone and modularity analysis to test if species that share the trait of continuous flowering hold core roles in mutualistic networks. With a few exceptions, most<span> plant species sampled within our network were assigned to the role of peripheral. All but one network had significantly high modularity scores and each continuous flowering plant species was in a different module. Our work reveals that the continuous flowering plant species differed in some networks in their topological role, and that more evidence was found for the phenology to support specialized subsets of interactions. Our findings suggest that the conservation of Neotropical pollinating insect communities may require planting species from each module rather than identifying and conserving network hubs. </span></p>
An insect-pollinated species in a wind-pollinated genus: case study of the endemic plant, Laramie chickensage (Artemisia simplex)
<p><em>Artemisia simplex</em><span> (Laramie chickensage) is an imperiled, endemic plant in southeastern Wyoming, USA. To fill critical information gaps, we measured its seed viability and pollination mechanisms, measures that are lacking for many rare and endemic plants yet critical for the perpetuation of species. </span><em>Artemisia simplex</em><span> cover varied among sites and occupied 5.5% (range: 1.3–14.6%) of the area on average. This unique plant typically produced viable seeds under ambient conditions but did not self-pollinate. Characteristics of the flower and pollen suggest that </span><em>A. simplex</em><span> is primarily animal-pollinated, and we found that both wind and animals transported pollen to the plant, but wind alone produced fewer seeds. Members of the sagebrush genus are widely known to be wind-pollinated; however, we demonstrated that this species of sagebrush is largely animal</span><span class="ins cts-1">-</span><span>pollinated. </span><span class="ins cts-1">Plant c</span><span>onservation and management plans must consider the mode of pollen transfer, especially when considering the decline of insect pollinators. Pollination provides information about the persistence of plant populations through sexual reproduction, which produces the genetic variation needed for healthy populations.</span></p>
Supplementary material 1 from: Picanço A, Gil A, Rigal F, Borges PAV (2017) Pollination services mapping and economic valuation from insect communities: a case study in the Azores (Terceira Island). Nature Conservation 18: 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.18.11523
Supporting information : Explanation note: Description of the landscape disturbance index methodological approach according to Cardoso et al. (2013).
Proximity to natural habitat and flower plantings increases insect populations and pollination services in South African apple orchards
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Introducing areas of wildflower vegetation within crop fields has been shown to enhance pollinator activity and pollination services to crops, and findings in Europe showed an interaction effect between floral treatments and landscape context. Natural fynbos patches in the South African Cape Floristic Region (CFR) are potential reservoirs for beneficial insects that could enhance pollinator populations and crop pollination in commercial apple orchards. However, the effect of proximity to natural habitat and floral enhancement treatments on crop pollinators and yield are yet to be fully tested in southern temperate regions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>To elucidate the impact of enhanced floral resources to apple flower visitors and crop yield, we established small experimental patches of flowers in non-productive areas of commercial apple (<i>Malus domestica</i>) orchards in the CFR. Experimental orchards were embedded in landscapes with varying proportions of natural habitat within 1 km. We used pollinator exclusion experiments to determine the benefits of insect pollination on apple yield, quality and economic value. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>We found that the primary pollinators of apple flowers in the region is the endemic Cape honey bee<i>, Apis mellifera capensis</i>. Floral plantings enhanced overall pollinator abundance and honey bee flower visitation within the orchards, and positively affected apple size and economic value. Increased landscape complexity had a significantly positive effect on wild bees but not on honey bees. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><i>Synthesis and applications</i>. We demonstrate that presence of floral plantings within orchards enhances pollinator activity within apple orchards and apple quality. This sustainable management practice may represent a profitable choice for growers, which could increase pollination services while reducing reliance on renting hives. These practices can indirectly contribute to increased landscape-scale resilience and connectivity, while also benefiting pollinators within the remaining natural habitat.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Data for: Spontaneous choices for insect-pollinated flower shapes by wild non-eusocial halictid bees
<p>The majority of angiosperms require animal pollination for reproduction and insects are the dominant group of animal pollinators. Bees are considered one of the most important and abundant insect pollinators. Research into bee behaviour and foraging decisions has typically centred on managed eusocial bee species, <i>Apis mellifera</i> and <i>Bombus terrestris</i>. Non-eusocial bees are understudied with respect to foraging strategies and decision-making, such as flower preferences. Understanding whether there are fundamental foraging strategies and preferences which are features of insect groups can provide key insights into the evolution of flower-pollinator co-evolution. In the current study, <i>Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium</i> and <i>L. </i>(<i>Parasphecodes</i>) sp., two native Australian generalist halictid bees, were tested for flower shape preferences between native insect-pollinated and bird-pollinated flowers. Each bee was presented with achromatic images of either insect-pollinated or bird-pollinated flowers in a circular arena. Both native bee species<b> </b>demonstrated a significant preference for images of insect-pollinated flowers. These preferences are similar to those found in <i>A. mellifera</i>, suggesting that flower shape preference may be a deep-rooted evolutionary occurrence within bees. With growing interest in the sensory capabilities of non-eusocial bees as alternative pollinators, the current study also provides a valuable framework for further behavioural testing of such species.</p>
Figure 6 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 6. Adults of species of Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) Amazula suavis; (b) Dischista cincta; (c) Dischista rufa; (d) Discopeltis bellula; (e) Leucocelisa methystina; (f) Leucocelis vitticollis; (g) Mausoleopsis amabilis; (h–j) three colour forms of Clinteroides permutans; (k) Pachnoda sinuata flaviventris (l) Pedinorrhina trivittata; (m) Rhabdotis albinigra; (n, o) two colour forms of Phoxomela umbrosa; (p) Phoxomeloides laticincta. Photos by A.P. Marais.
Figure 7 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 7. Adults of species of Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on flowers in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa.(a) Pedinorrhina trivittata on flowers of Peltophorum africanum; (b) Leucocelis amethystina on flowers of Acacia nilotica; (c) Leucocelis vitticollis on flowers of Peltophorum africanum; (d) Mausoleopsis amabilis on flowers of Peltophorum africanum; (e) Amazula suavis on flowers of Terminalia sericea; (f) Rhabdotis albinigra on flowers of Flueggea virosa; (g) Phoxomela umbrosa on flowers of Dalbergia melanoxylon: (h) Dischista cincta on flowers of Flueggea virosa.
Figure 3 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 3. Our sampling activities included visual inspection of flowering trees and shrubs, and photographic documentation of insect pollinators and floral visitors (left image), as well as insect specimen voucher collection (right image).
Figure 13 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 13. Plant-pollinator food web diagram for trees and shrubs that flower during the early rainy season in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. The diagram links the known or likely pollinator species (right-hand side of diagram) with their associated plant species (left-hand side of diagram). Connectance values (defined as the number of observed interactions for a species, divided by the number of possible interactions for that species) for individual plant species ranged between 0.06 and 0.46, with an average connectance value across all plant species of 0.19 (standard deviation of 0.13). Connectance values for individual pollinator species ranged between 0.04 and 0.67, with an average connectance value across all pollinator species of 0.20 (standard deviation of 0.17).
Figure 12 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 12. Summary of floral colouration and floral phenology characteristics for flowering tree and shrub species that we observed in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. Numbers indicate percentages of the 27 tree and shrub species included in this study.
Figure 10 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 10. Adults of species of the carpenter bee genus Xylocopa (Hymenoptera: Apidae) observed in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) X. caffra female; (b) X. caffra male; (c) X. inconstans female; (d) X. inconstans male; (e) X. flavorufa female; (f) X. lugubris female; (g) X. flavorufa male.
Figure 11 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 11. Characteristic growth forms of common tree and shrub species in the Skukuza Ranger District, Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa. (a) Peltophorum africanum; (b) Terminalia prunioides; (c) Terminalia sericea; (d) Grewia flavescens; (e) Acacia exuvialis; (f) Acacia nigrescens; (g) Acacia tortilis; (h) Dichrostachys cinerea; (i) Ziziphus mucronata.
Figure 2 in Natural history of a South African insect pollinator assemblage (Insecta: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera): diagnostic notes, food web analysis and conservation recommendations
Figure 2. Schematic diagram showing our sampling framework as deployed along the road segments listed in the Appendix, centred along tourist roads, gravel roads and firebreak roads in the Skukuza Ranger District of the Kruger National Park. Floral visitors of flowering trees and shrubs located within 30 m of the road edge in each road segment were surveyed as part of our field effort.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.