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Citizen science data reveals the need for keeping garden plant recommendations up-to-date to help pollinators

Biology

Citizen science data reveals the need for keeping garden plant recommendations up-to-date to help pollinators

H. B. Anderson, A. Robinson, et al.

A groundbreaking study led by Helen B. Anderson and colleagues reveals the inadequacies of current pollinator-friendly plant recommendations in urban areas, based on UK-wide citizen science data from BeeWatch. With significant discrepancies identified, the authors emphasize the need for dynamic, species-specific planting strategies to bolster pollinator conservation efforts.

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Abstract
Widespread concern over declines in pollinating insects has led to numerous recommendations of which pollinator-friendly plants to grow. Using 6,429 UK-wide citizen science records (BeeWatch) of bumblebee–plant interactions, the study compared actual plant use (334 plant species) with practitioner lists of bumblebee-friendly (376 plants from 14 sources) and pollinator-friendly plants (465 plants from 9 sources). Correlation between practitioner bumblebee-friendly lists and BeeWatch records was modest (r=0.57), and similar for pollinator-friendly lists (r=0.52). Practitioner pollinator- and bumblebee-friendly lists were highly similar (r=0.75), indicating low specificity. BeeWatch data showed strong species-specific plant use and that even popular plants (e.g., lavender) accounted for at most 11% of records for any one bumblebee species. The authors call for dynamic, up-to-date planting recommendations driven by live citizen science data with options to tailor to pollinator species or groups.
Publisher
Scientific Reports
Published On
Nov 24, 2020
Authors
Helen B. Anderson, Annie Robinson, Advaith Siddharthan, Nirwan Sharma, Helen Bostock, Andrew Salisbury, Stuart Roberts, René van der Wal
Tags
pollinators
bumblebees
conservation
urban planting
citizen science

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