Flower Power 2.0
Insect populations experience a dramatic decline in recent decades, with an extinction rate nearly eight times higher than that of mammals and birds. Nearly 80% of flowers worldwide depend on pollination by insects. They are attracted to flowers due to the supply of nectar and pollen, serving as a food source. Insects are central in most ecosystems including In Austria, four out of five animal species are insects, and among the estimated 40’000 Austrian insect species, at least one-third strongly relies on flowers either as juveniles and/or adults.
Apart from pollinating flowers insects act as decomposers promoting soil health, as well as predators or parasitoids that naturally control arable pests. A high insect diversity is therefore particularly important in terms of the resilience of their ecosystem services to climate change.
Due to the large area covered, the composition of agricultural areas is highly relevant for the preservation of insect biodiversity. One way to promote insects is to create flower strips, which are being introduced throughout Austrian agricultural areas. Nowadays, various types of flower strips are being established, with species compositions specific to local conditions aiming in a more sustainable plant cover and attractivity for insects.
However, an evaluation of existing flower strips in terms of their promotion of insect diversity is still pending – among other things, due to methodological limitations, as insects are difficult to identify and observe. This makes it very time-consuming to comprehensively evaluate flower strips.
DNA methods make it possible to involve farmers and the general public in surveys using citizen science, enabling the participation of important stakeholders and Austria-wide data collection within a short time frame. By detecting the DNA-traces left by insects on plants, we can track visitor diversity in agricultural landscapes without the necessity to catch them. In doing so we can examine many different flower strips in parallel - this is only possible with the assessment of species via environmental DNA (eDNA) in combination with citizen science. In doing this, we are opening up new opportunities for direct comparison of different types of flower mixtures under a variety of structural, landscape and cultivation conditions.
Project Aims:
1. Measurement of functional plant and insect biodiversity in flower strips by farmers and citizens as a basis for optimised flower strip species composition and management
2. Evaluation of biodiverse flower strips and development of optimised seed mixtures that promote the greatest possible insect diversity and thus ensure ecosystem services for agriculture
3. Raising awareness of the importance of flower strips for promoting insect biodiversity for site-adapted and resilient agriculture and networking stakeholders within and outside agriculture
Future project ideas are about to extend this approach from farmers to beekeepers, agricultural organizations and other stakeholders to conduct independent sampling campaigns in agroecosystems across Austria.
Farmers as “Citizen Scientists”
In this insect monitoring program across flower strips in Austria, farmers are participating as "citizen scientists". Data collection will be carried out directly by them using easy handling eDNA collection kits which are then molecularly analysed to assess the insect-plant interactions. Using this standardized and non-invasive tool we gain deep insights in the functionality of flower strips in supporting insect diversity. By directly involving farmers and key stakeholders, the aim is to increase visibility, awareness and acceptance of flower strips as a biodiversity-promoting management measure and to make Austrian agriculture more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Pilot Study (2023-2024) Flower Power 1.0
The focus of this pilot study was on testing the combined approach of eDNA and citizen science for the assessment of plant-insect interactions in flower strips.
AAE members involved in the project: Michael Traugott (PI),Corinna Wallinger, Oskar Ragnar Rennstam Rubbmark, Georg Teischinger, Marjana Ljubisavljevic, Sabrina Gurten
Funding: The project is financed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism and the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.
