Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate whether sown wild flower strips can act as dispersal corridors for flying insects as butterflies and bumblebees and thus have an effect on species diversity in nearby grasslands. Wild flower strips are sown by farmers in Switzerland and in other European countries as subsidised measures to enhance biodiversity. To study whether these sown wild flower strips can function as corridors in the chosen area in Switzerland is very suitable, since the strips are very similar in flower composition, age and height due to the controlled application of the same seed mix. In this project several factors that can influence the possible use of these strips by the studied insect groups will be considered: the available species pool and abundance in nearby grasslands, environmental factors as pesticide use, and spatial factors (distance to nearby grasslands, size of strips, adjacent land use). The project will investigate how the presence of flower strips influences species diversity in nearby grasslands in the context of metacommunity research. The study will be carried out by recording species composition of butterflies and bumblebees in the strips and grasslands in the study area, observing insect behaviour and carrying out mark-release, recapture experiments. The field data will be used to develop a model of metacommunity dynamics which is expected to provide useful information on the importance of mass-effects as a process maintaining biodiversity.
Sweden