DOI: 10.5061/dryad.n8pk0p33t
title: The combined effects of resource landscapes and herbivory on pollination services in agro-ecosystems

description: We apply a resource landscape approach to map the spatial distribution of
 floral resources across landscapes using neighbourhood modelling and
 empirical data on floral availability at specific land-use types. In each
 of 25 Mediterranean landscapes, spanning a gradient of
 natural-agricultural land use intensity, we established a pair of arrays
 of potted phytometer plants (White Wall-rocket, Diplotaxis erucoides) that
 were either aphid-infested or aphid-free. In each array, we recorded the
 activity of insect flower visitors and subsequent seed-set. At the same
 time, we also recorded the relative flower abundance in dominant land uses
 at 1 km radii around each array.
description: Fieldwork was conducted for one month between early March to
 Early April in 2017 and 2018, coinciding with the peak activity season of
 pollinators. In each array of phytometer plants, we recorded the activity
 of insect flower visitors and subsequent seed-set. At the same time, we
 also recorded the relative flower abundance in dominant land uses at 1 km
 radii around each array. Seed-set data were collected
 from phytometer plants in 2017 and 2018. We monitored the seed set by
 opening mature pods and recording the number of fully developed seeds. The
 seed set was averaged for each combination of experimental patch and
 year. The frequency of pollinator visits to the
 phytometer plant flowers was recorded in 2017. To measure pollinator visit
 frequency, phytometer flowers in each patch were observed for two
 consecutive days, beginning 24 hours after plants were placed in the
 field. At each site, the total number of flowers in the patch was counted
 in the early morning hours, before commencing data collection. On each
 day, 7 to 15 observation rounds of 15 minutes each were conducted per
 patch between 8 AM to 4 PM, alternating between the aphid-infested and
 aphid-free patches. Flower visitors were classified as honeybees, wild
 bees, or non-bee pollinators (mainly flies). Pollinator visitation
 frequency was then calculated as the total number of visits per
 experimental patch divided by the number of flowers and observation rounds
 in the patch. Flower cover in each of the six land-use
 types was estimated visually in 96-159 randomly-placed 1m-diameter circles
 per land-use type, distributed across sites (15-40 circles per site); a
 total of 339 and 380 individual circles were sampled in 2017 and 2018,
 respectively. We calculated mean flower availability for each land-use
 type and combined these estimates with land-use maps within a 1 km radius
 of each study site.
description: # **The combined effects of resource landscapes and herbivory on
 pollination services in agro-ecosystems**
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n8pk0p33t](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n8pk0p33t) ## **Seed set data for 2017&2018 (seedset\_2017&2018.csv)** Seed-set data were collected in 2017 and 2018 from phytometer plants. We monitored the seed set by opening mature pods and recording the number of fully developed seeds. The seed set was averaged for each combination of experimental patch and year. Each line is the mean seed set in a single plot and treatment (Aphid / No_Aphid) per year. ## **Pollinator visitation data (pollinator\_visitation.csv)** Pollinator visitation frequency was calculated in 2017 for each pollinator group (“honeybee”, “wild bee”, “other” - non-bee pollinators) and all visitors combined (“total”) as the total number of visits per experimental patch and treatment (Aphid / No_Aphid), divided by the number of flowers and observation rounds in the patch. Each line is the mean visit frequency in a single plot and treatment (Aphid / No_Aphid). ## Flower cover index for each land use type and year (flower\_cover\_.txt) Flower cover in each of the six land-use types was estimated visually in 96-159 randomly-placed 1m-diameter circles per land-use type, distributed across sites (15-40 circles per site); a total of 339 and 380 individual circles were sampled in 2017 and 2018, respectively. We calculated mean flower availability for each land-use type and combined these estimates with land-use maps within a 1 km radius of each study site. Each line is the flower cover for each sampling circle (“circle”) in each plot (“plot_name”) and land-use type (“habitat”) for each year.