תוצאות חיפוש: מאמר

There is compelling evidence that more diverse ecosystems deliver greater benefits to people, and these ecosystem services have become a key argument for biodiversity conservation. However, it is unclear how much biodiversity is needed to deliver ecosystem services in a cost-effective way. Here they show that, while the contribution of wild bees to crop production is significant, service delivery is restricted to a limited subset of all known bee species. 

We studied the diet of 20 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) pairs breeding in three habitats (alfalfa fields, date plantations, and villages) in the same agricultural region in the Jordan Valley, Israel.

Insect pollination is essential for almond production, and most growers rely exclusively on honeybees for pollination. However, the number of honeybee hives has declined drastically over the last few decades and their efficiency in pollinating almond might be limited. Wild bee communities inhabiting the habitats surrounding almond orchards may provide significant pollination services to almond, but this has yet to be studied. 

It was tested how natural and semi-natural habitats surrounding almond orchards in Israel influence: pest control services by parasitoids, pest predation dis-services by the Almond wasp, and seed predation dis-services by granivorous birds.

Complementarity between species in the use of flower resources can enhance the pollination services of diverse pollinator communities. To test for complementarity, they studied fine-scale patterns of flower visitation and contribution to seed set of the three locally dominant bee species, visiting confection, sunflower in central Israel.

Loss and fragmentation of foraging habitats, and extreme seasonality in the flowering phenology of wild plants, limit honeybee populations in Israel. This problem can be alleviated by the planting of bee forage plants in forests, parks, and along roadsides. To provide recommendations for such planting, they combined a literature survey and qualitative evaluations of experts to compile a list of 266 local wild plant species that have high food potential for bees.

We develop an empirical framework for evaluating the profitability of the use of barn owls to control rodent populations by locating nesting boxes in agricultural areas. Barn owls’ behavior is incorporated into the analysis by estimated functions that relate agricultural production to the birds’ spatial patterns of hunting and nesting choices. The model was developed based on agricultural and zoological data collected in a kibbutz in northern Israel.

Recent declines in honey bee populations have created deficiencies in agricultural pollination, and motivated the search for alternatives to traditional honey bee colonies. Mini-nucleus colonies (mininucs), small honey bee hives containing a few hundred workers, are easier and cheaper to set up, maintain and transport than regular sized colonies.it was tested whether mininucs can provide effective agricultural pollination in enclosures.

This paper presents a comprehensive economic analysis of recycling organic wastes through composting.

Crop fields can harbor large populations of agrobionts, which may spill over into nearby semi-desert. they tested the influence of percentage area of agricultural fields on spider assemblages in semi-desert habitat of agroecosystems in the northwestern Negev desert, Israel.