DOI: 10.5061/dryad.tp0d0
title: Data from: Modest enhancements to conventional grassland diversity improve the provision of pollination services

description: 1. Grassland for livestock production is a major form of land use
 throughout Europe and its intensive management threatens biodiversity and
 ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes. Modest increases to
 conventional grassland biodiversity could have considerable positive
 impacts on the provision of ecosystem services, such as pollination, to
 surrounding habitats. 2. Using a field-scale experiment in which grassland
 seed mixes and sward management were manipulated, complemented by surveys
 on working farms and phytometer experiments, the impact of conventional
 grassland diversity and management on the functional diversity and
 ecosystem service provision of pollinator communities were investigated.
 3. Increasing plant richness, by the addition of both legumes and forbs,
 was associated with significant enhancements in the functional diversity
 of grassland pollinator communities. This was associated with increased
 temporal stability of flower–visitor interactions at the community-level.
 Visitation networks revealed pasture species Taraxacum sp. (Wigg.) and
 Cirsium arvense (Scop.) to have the highest pollinator visitation
 frequency and richness. 4. Increased sward richness was associated with an
 increase in the pollination of two phytometer species; Fragaria × ananassa
 and Silene dioica, but not Vicia faba. Enhanced functional diversity,
 richness and abundance of the pollinator communities associated with more
 diverse neighbouring pastures were found to be potential mechanisms for
 improved pollination. 5. Synthesis and applications. A modest increase in
 conventional grassland plant diversity with legumes and forbs, achievable
 with the expertise and resources available to most grassland farmers,
 could enhance pollinator functional diversity, richness and abundance.
 Moreover, our results suggest that this could improve pollination services
 and consequently surrounding crop yields (e.g. strawberry) in
 agro-ecosystems.
description: Field experiment
 plant-pollinator data 20112011 pollinator survey
 data from the field experiment (North Wyke Wide-scale Enhancement of
 Biodiversity Project) including dates, grassland plot treatments, survey
 times, plant species and the associated visiting pollinator species. Each
 row shows a plant-pollinator interaction.Field experiment poll data
 2011.xlsxFarm pollinator data
 20122012 grassland
 pollinator survey data across 10 farms (20 fields). Each row shows a
 plant-pollinator interaction surveyed on the fields of each
 farm.Farm
 poll data 2012.xlsxFarm plant data
 20122012 grassland plant
 survey data (species level) across 10 farms (20 fields). Transect
 monitoring.Farm plant-pollinator
 data 20132013 pollinator survey
 data (species level) across 10 farms (one field per farm). Each row
 represents a plant-pollinator interaction.Farm poll data
 2013.xlsxFarm plant survey data
 20132013 grassland plant
 survey data (species level) across 10 farms (one field per farm). Transect
 monitoring.Farm plant data
 2013.xlsxVicia faba seed count
 and weight (phytometer experiment)Phytometer experiment
 measuring pollination of bean plants via seed set in relation to the
 adjacent grassland.Bean seed count and
 weight.xlsxFragaria × ananassa
 fruit class and weight (phytometer experiment)Phytometer experiment
 measuring pollination of Fragaria × ananassa plants via fruit class and
 weight in relation to the adjacent grassland.Strawberry fruit class and
 weight.xlsxSilene dioica seed count
 (phytometer experiment)Phytometer experiment
 measuring pollination of Silene dioica plants via seed set in relation to
 the adjacent grassland.Red campion seed
 number.xlsx