Are empidine dance flies major flower visitors in alpine environments? A case study in the Alps, France.

ABSTRACT: Pollination is one of the most important ecosystem services and bees the most important pollinators. As a population decline of bees has been documented in numerous regions of the world, it is crucial to develop understanding on other possible pollinators. Here, we study the potential pollination impact of Diptera, and among them Empidinae, in an alpine environment, where the abundance of bees is naturally lower. Interactions between 19 entomophilous plants and their flower visitors were recorded in a subalpine meadow in the French Alps during six weeks. Visitation frequencies were used to build the flower-visitor network. Our results show that interactions between flies and plants are dominant; flies represent more than 60% of all visitors, with 54% of them being Empidinae. We especially

SUBMITTER: Lefebvre V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4261866 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature