• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 2019

Pollinators play important roles for crop production as well as maintenance of wild plants' reproduction. Pollinator dependency in Korean agriculture have increased, but the degradation of habitat quality pose significant threats to pollination in agroecosystem. Provisioning flower habitat is one of the major activities to increase pollinator abundance and richness. We tested the effect of flower habitat supplementation on the pollinator, pest and natural enemy abundance in pepper field. Results showed that Hymenopteran pollinators were more abundant in the pepper plots close to the flower habitat. Among natural enemies, the similar pattern from pollinators was observed to parasitoids in the family of Eulophidae, but not to those of Ichneumonidae. There were no statistically significant differences of insect pests like aphids and thrips, as well as pepper production among plots in the pepper field. Even limited spatial scale, this study showed supplementing the flowering plant habitat to the agricultural landscape could conserve and boost pollinators and natural enemies, and possibly resulting better fruit production by pollination service.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.171-174
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• 2014

Agriculture in Bangladesh is slowly transforming to the production of high-value fruit and vegetable crops to satisfy the nutrient requirements of their large size population, and this transformation is creating new challenges as regards improving and maintaining the productivity and crop quality. The country has a declining trend of insect pollinators due to habitat loss, land use changes, monoculture-dominated agriculture, and the excessive and indiscriminate use of pesticides. Such pollinator deficiencies can cause reduced yields, thereby threatening the subsistence of marginal farmers. In Bangladesh, growers enjoy free pollination services from the naturally occurring insect populations. While honeybees pollinate mustard, onions, and melons, many other hymenopterans, coleopterans, hemipterans, dipterans, and thysanopterans also visit the crop fields, making these insects significant for the food security, environment, and economy of the nation. Therefore, attention should be given to public policy, research, and human resource development that promotes knowledge and appreciation of the conservation and utilization of insect pollinators.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.126-135
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• 2022

Background: Pollinators are important ecological elements due to their role in the maintenance of ecosystem health, wild plant reproduction, crop production and food security. The pollinator-plant interaction supports the preservation of plant and animal populations and it also improves the yield in pollination dependent crops. Having knowledge about the plant-pollinator interaction is necessary for development of pesticide risk assessment of pollinators and conservation of endangering species. Results: Traditional methods to discover the relatedness of insects and plants are based on tracing the visiting pollinators by field observations as well as palynology. These methods are time-consuming and needs expert taxonomists to identify different groups of pollinators such as insects or identify flowering plants through palynology. With pace of technology, using molecular methods become popular in identification and classification of organisms. DNA metabarcoding, which is the combination of DNA barcoding and high throughput sequencing, can be applied as an alternative method in identification of mixed origin environmental samples such as pollen loads attached to the body of insects and has been used in DNA-based discovery of plant-pollinator relationship. Conclusions: DNA metabarcoding is practical for plant-pollinator studies, however, lack of reference sequence in online databases, taxonomic resolution, universality of primers are the most crucial limitations. Using multiple molecular markers is preferable due to the limitations of developed universal primers, which improves taxa richness and taxonomic resolution of the studied community.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.62-75
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• 2022

Background: Pollinators help plants to reproduce and support economically valuable food for humans and entire ecosystems. However, declines of pollinators along with population growth and increasing agricultural activities hamper this mutual interaction. Nectar and pollen are the major reward for pollinators and flower morphology and volatiles mediate the specialized plant-pollinator interactions. Limited information is available on the volatile profiles attractive to honey bees and bumblebees. In this study we analyzed the volatile organic compounds of the flowers of 9 different plant species that are predominantly visited by honey bees and bumblebees. The chemical compositions of the volatiles were determined using a head space gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method, designed to understand the plant-pollinator chemical interaction. Results: Results showed the monoterpene 1,3,6-octatriene, 3,7-dimethyl-, (E) (E-𝞫-ocimene) was the dominating compound in most flowers analyzed, e.g., in proportion of 60.3% in Lonicera japonica, 48.8% in Diospyros lotus, 38.4% Amorpha fruticosa and 23.7% in Robinia pseudoacacia. Ailanthus altissima exhibited other monoterpenes such as 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol (𝞫-linalool) (39.1%) and (5E)-3,5-dimethylocta-1,5,7-trien-3-ol (hotrienol) (32.1%) as predominant compounds. Nitrogen containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were occurring principally in Corydalis speciosa; 1H-pyrrole, 2,3-dimethyl- (50.0%) and pyrimidine, 2-methyl- (40.2%), and in Diospyros kaki; 1-triazene, 3,3-dimethyl-1-phenyl (40.5%). Ligustrum obtusifolium flower scent contains isopropoxycarbamic acid, ethyl ester (21.1%) and n-octane (13.4%) as major compounds. In Castanea crenata the preeminent compound is 1-phenylethanone (acetophenone) (46.7%). Conclusions: Olfactory cues are important for pollinators to locate their floral resources. Based on our results we conclude monoterpenes might be used as major chemical mediators attractive to both honey bees and bumblebees to their host flowers. However, the mode of action of these chemicals and possible synergistic effects for olfaction need further investigation.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2019

Pollination is an important ecosystem service involved in plant breeding and reproduction. This study analyzed the pollination network, which is the interaction between flowering plants and flower-visiting insects in the agricultural landscape. Flower-visiting insects from blossoms of flowering crops and surrounding plants were quantitatively surveyed during summer time. The pollinator species and abundance on each flowering plant were analyzed. A total of 2,381 interactions were indentified with 154 pollinators on 30 species of plants. Species richness of the pollinators was highest in Coleoptera (34%) followed by Hymenoptera (28%), Diptera (28%) and Lepidoptera (10%). Apis mellifera dominated (50%) followed by Calliphora vomitoria (5.3%) and Xylocopa appendiculata among pollinators, and remaining wild pollinators provided complex interaction. Among plants, Platycodon grandiflorum, Perilla frutescen and Fagopyrum esculentum harbored most pollinators and showed highest interaction frequencies. In the modular analysis, Apis mellifera was located as a hub-species which connect the interaction of others, implying most important role in the network. This results provide the basic information on the pollinator species associated with each crop and pollinator habitat in which plant provide the nectar, pollen and habitat resources for wild pollinators.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2018

Background: Temperature-driven variation in pollinator assemblage and activity are important information, especially at high altitudes, where rising temperature trends exceed global levels. Temporal patterns of pollinators in a flowering season can be used as a proxy to predict the changes of high-altitude plants' mutualistic relationships. We observed a spring temperature change in one population of a high-altitude endemic species, Megaleranthis saniculifolia on Mt. Sobaeksan, and related it to pollinator assemblage and activity changes. Methods: This study was conducted at two sites, each facing different slopes (NE and NW), for two times in the spring of 2013 (early-flowering, April 27-28, vs. mid-flowering, May 7-8, 2013). We confirmed that the two sites were comparable in snowmelt regime, composition of flowering plants, and flower density, which could affect pollinator assemblage and activity. Pollinator assemblage and activity were investigated at three quadrats ($1m^2$ with 5-m distance) for each site, covering a total of 840 min observation for each site. We analyzed correlations between the temperature and visitation frequency. Results: Twelve pollinator species belonging to four orders were observed for M. saniculifolia at both sites during early- and mid-flowering times. Diptera (five species) and hymenopteran species (four species) were the most abundant pollinators. Pollinator richness increased at both sites toward the mid-flowering time [early vs. mid = 7 (NE) and 3 (NW) vs. 9 (NE) and 5 (NW)]. Compared to the early-flowering time, visitation frequency showed a fourfold increase in the mid-flowering time. With the progression of spring, major pollinators changed from flies to bees. Upon using data pooled over both sites and flowering times, hourly visitation frequency was strongly positively correlated with hourly mean air temperature. Conclusions: The spring temperature change over a relatively brief flowering period of M. saniculifolia at high altitudes can alter pollinator assemblages through pollinator dominance and visitation frequency changes. Thus, this study emphasizes information on intra- and inter-annual variations in the mutualistic relationship between pollinators and M. saniculifolia to further assess the warming impacts on M. saniculifolia's reproductive fitness.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.200-209
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• 2012

To search for the co-relationships between insect-pollinators and the plant species of Asteraceae, insects visiting in flower and the flowers in Korea, were studied from April 2010 to October 2011. The sum of flower visiting degrees are shown 38 in Lepidoptera, 38 in Diptera, 36 in Hymenoptera, and the lowest 6 in Coleoptera, respectively. 65 insect species are identified pollinators, Hymenoptera 13 species(Apidae 11 sp., Formicidae 2 sp.), Lepidoptera 29 species(Pieridae 5sp., Nymphalidae 12 sp., Satyridae 3 sp., Hesperirdae 3 sp., Lycaenidae 2 sp., Danaidae 1 sp., Moth 2 sp.), Diptera 16 species(Tachinidae 1 sp., Syrphidae 12 sp., Muscidae 1sp., Others 2 sp.), and Coleoptera 6 species(Cetoniidae 1 sp., Cermbycidae 3 sp., Chrysomelidae 1 sp., Mordellidae 1 sp.). 31 pollinator species visits the flower of $Erigeron$ $annuus$, next 15 pollinator species does the flower of $Eupatorium$ $japonicum$, and then 13 pollinator species does the flower of $Aster$ $ageratoides$. Only 2 pollinator species visit the flower of $Tephroseris$ $kirilowii$, $Ixeridium$ $dentatum$, $Inula$ $britannica$ var. $japonica$, $Carduus$ $crispus$, $Ligularia$ $fischeri$, $Ainsliaea$ $acerifolia$, $Synurus$ $deltoides$, $Cirsium$ $setidens$, $Crepidiastrum$ $enticulatum$ and $Dendranthema$ $boreale$. Pollinators of Lepidoptera visit more frequently white flower than yellow or purple one. This study found out that mutualisic relations between plants and insect pollinators is carried out in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2013

This research was carried out for revealing the co-relationships between insect-pollinators and the plant species of Labiatae and Umbelliferae, insects visiting in flower and the flowers in Korea, were studied from April 2010 to August 2012. The sum of flower visiting degrees in Labiatae are shown 21 in Hymenoptera, 16 in Lepidoptera, and the lowest 1 in Diptera and Coleoptera, respectively. The sum of flower visiting degrees in Umbelliferae are shown 27 in Diptera, 24 in Hymenoptera, 21 in Coleoptera, and 13 in Lepidoptera, respectively. 17 pollinator species visited the flower of Angelica gigas, next 15 pollinator species did the flower of Agastache rugosa, 13 pollinator species did the flower of Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina. 13 pollinator species foraged on the flower of Peucedanum terebinthaceum. and then 11 pollinator species on the flower of Angelica dahurica. Only 1 pollinator species visited the flower of Clinopodium chinense var. grandiflora and Isodon excisus. Pollinators of Coleoptera and Diptera visit more frequently to the flowers of Umbelliferae than those of Labiatae. Pollinators of Lepidoptera and Diptera visit more frequently white flower than purple one. This study found out that mutualistic relations between plants and insect pollinators in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2003.08a
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• pp.139.4-139
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• 2003

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.29-41
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• 2020

Wild pollinators provide important pollination services for crops. However, their geographical ranges and impact on pollination services have not been fully explored within the scope of Korean agricultural land. This study aims to identify spatial supply-demand mismatches across orchard fields in the context of assessing pollination service risk. We first used National Ecosystem Survey data and a species distribution model (MaxEnt) to develop the geographic range of each of 32 wild pollinators belonging to three families (Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera). We then summed the modeled presence probability of each species to obtain a measure of spatially explicit pollinator richness. This modeled richness, defined as pollination supply, was compared with the summed area of orchard fields at the municipal boundary level to identify areas with supply-demand mismatches. The study found that Lepidoptera showed the highest species richness (8.3±1.5), followed by Hymenoptera (4.3±0.8) and Diptera (3.5±0.8) species. Median orchard area was 1.5 ㎢ (range of 0-176.7 ㎢) among 250 municipal regions in South Korea. The municipal regions were divided into three categories (tertiles) of low, middle, and high pollination supply and demand according to, respectivley, average polliator richness and orhard area. Finally, we found that 55 municipal regions (accounting for 49% of national orchard land) potentially faced high risk of pollination deficits, 81 regions (48% of national orchard land) faced intermediate risk, and 63 regions faced low risk (3% of national orchard land). In conclusion, this study revealed significant mismatch between pollination supply and demand and developed risk assessment map will guide our future efforts on pollinator habitat conservation and monitoring to conserve crop pollination services.