Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Different Agricultural Crops and Wild Flowering Plants in Korea: Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Animal-mediated pollination plays an important functional role in most terrestrial ecosystems and provides a key ecosystem service vital to the maintenance of both wild and agricultural plant communities as most angiosperms are pollen-limited and rely on animals for sexual reproduction (Potts et al., 2010; Albrecht et al., 2012). A large proportion of the human diet depends directly or indirectly on animal pollination (Klein et al., 2007; Albrecht et al., 2012; Garibaldi et al., 2013).

Insects are the primary animal-mediated pollinators of 80% of all plant species in Europe, including most fruits, many vegetables and some biofuel crops and include diverse species of Hymenoptera (bees, solitary species, bumblebees, pollen wasps and ants), Diptera (bee flies, houseflies, hoverflies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Coleoptera (flower beetles), and other insects. Although managed bee hives are increasing worldwide, insect pollinators are considered to be in a state of decline due to a range of recent and projected environmental changes, such as habitat loss and climate change, with unknown consequences for pollination service delivery (Potts et al., 2010).

In Korea, Ko et al. (1977) first examined the diversity and frequency of insect pollinators visiting apple, pear and peach in Seoul and Suwon and reported 26 insect species in three orders and honey bee (Apis mellifera) was the most dominant species to visit fruits. Woo et al. (1986a, b) surveyed visiting insects to apple, pear and peach in 4 areas across Korea and reported different insect diversity depending on fruits: 12 families and 22 species of Hymenoptera and 10 families and 17 species of Diptera visited apple flowers; 13 families and 17 species of Hymenoptera and 10 families and 22 species of Diptera visited pear flowers; and 13 families and 19 species of Hymenoptera and 9 families and 16 species of Diptera visited peach flowers. Lee et al. (2000) reported 68 insect species in 27 families and 6 orders that visited apple flowers in Gyungsangbuk-do province and the Hymenoptera comprised more than half (51.2%) of the total insects and honey bee was the dominant pollinator. Kim and Hwang (2009) recorded insect pollinators visiting peach and pear in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do province: 11 species in 6 families and 4 orders visiting peach and 17 species in 11 families and 5 orders visiting pear and identified Apis mellifera as the major insect pollinator. Recently Kim et al. (2012, 2013) reported insect pollinator diversity visiting flowers of Asteraceae, Labiatae and Umbelliferae.

We reviewed insect pollinators visiting fruits and flowers in different orchards and wild fields across Korea during the last three decades. The purpose of the study was to see the pattern of diversity of insect pollinators and interactions between insects and plants. We hope that this review can be the baseline data to set up research plans on ecology and conservation of insect pollinators in Korea.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched the literatures dealing with the diversity of insect pollinators in domesticated and wild plants in the peer-reviewed scientific journals in Korea (Korean journal of Apiculture, Korean Journal of Environmental Ecology) published since 1977. We recorded the diversity of insect pollinators and their visiting fruits and flowers. Fourteen papers were retrieved mostly from fruit crops and horticultural crops (12) and wild plants (2), respectively (Hong et al., 1989; Kang et al., 2003; Kang et al., 2009, Kim et al., 2005; Kim et al., 2009; Kim et al., 2012, 2013; Ko et al., 1977; Kwon et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2000; Lee et al., 2007; Lee et al., 2008; Woo et al., 1986a, b). Fruit crops include apple, pear, peach, persimmon and wild berry, horticultural crops include strawberry, tomato and sunflower, while the wild plants include 30 wild flowers. Occurrence of each flower visiting insects on each crop was marked as record. Different sampling methods were employed but we grouped those into direct observation, sweep net collection and trapping with pollinator trap or water pan trap.

Table 1.

Dominant flower visiting insect species

RESULTS

A total of 368 identified species in 115 families of 7 orders were recorded to serve as pollinators in 43 different fruits and flowers in orchards and wild fields (Fig. 1, Appendix 1 include all listed species including unidentified species). The most diverse insect pollinators were the species of Hymenoptera (110 species, 373 records), followed by Diptera (104 species, 219 records), Coleoptera (88 species, 111 records) and Lepidoptera (47 species, 97 records). The dominant insect pollinator was the honey bee (Apis mellifera, 34 records) followed by Eristalis cerealis (Diptera, 26 records), Tetralonia nipponensis (Hymenoptera, 12 records), Xylocopa appendiculata (Hymenoptera, 12 records), Eristalis tenax (Diptera, 11 records), Helophilus virgatus (Diptera, 11 records), and Artogeia rapae (Lepidoptera, 10 records) (Table 1). Detailed lists were provided with Appendix 1 and 2. The main insect pollinators are bees (Hymenoptera) since bees spend most of their life in collecting pollen, a source of protein that they feed to their developing offspring and nectar, a concentrated energy source (Aizen and Harder, 2009). Honey bee is the best known and widely managed pollinator. In addition there are hundreds of other species of bees, mostly solitary ground nesting species, that contribute some level of pollination services to crops and are very important in natural plant communities (Garibaldi et al., 2013). Among bees, the diversity at the genus level showed that Andrena was the most diverse with more than 21 species, followed by 14 species of Lasioglossum, 8 Bombus, 6 Nomada, and 5 Osmia species.

Flies are considered to be the second most important insect order for both flower visiting and pollination (Larson et al., 2001). A number of dipteran insects are used commercially around the world as pollinators for specific crops, including the use of Eristalis hoverflies on peppers, and calliphorid flies on canola, sunflower, buckwheat, garlic, lettuce and peppers, and other crops (Larson et al., 2001; Defra, 2014). In Korea, the dominant dipteran genus was Drosophila with 5 species followed by 4 species of Paragus and 3 species of Calliphora, Eristalis, Helophilus, Pipiza, Sphaerophoria, and Syrphus, respectively. Drosophilidae have been associated with pollination of Genoplesium (Orchidaceae) in Australia (Bishop 1996; Larson et al., 2001). In addition Drosophilidae and sympatric Nitidulidae (Coleoptera) are known to vector yeasts between flowers of many Convolvulaceae, Hibiscus, and other plants that possess campanulate flowers in the Nearctic, Neotropical, and Australo-Pacific regions (Lachance et al., 2001; Larson et al., 2001; Defra, 2014).

Beetles were the third diverse flower visiting insects group (Fig. 1). Beetles are the largest insect group and pollinate a wide range of plant species with various reproductive characters, pollinating 88% of the 240,000 flowering plants (Endress, 1994). In Australia, 23% of the beetle families (28 families) include the flower visiting insects, while 51% of the dipteran families (44 families) comprise the flower visiting insects (Armstrong, 1979). In Korea about 71 species in 27 families were identified as the flower visiting beetle species.

Fig. 1.

Distribution of pollinating insect order in family, species (identified and unidentified species) and record levels from the literature review.

Fig. 2.

Frequency distribution of flower visiting insects along with different crops and wild plants. Plants with lower frequency were excluded.

In the present review 43 butterflies visited flowers of diverse crops and wild plants. In addition only four species of moths (Adelidae, Geometridae and Zygaenidae) were recorded (Appendix 1). Many sphingid and noctuid moths that visit flowers of wild plants during daytime were, however not included in the studies that we surveyed.

Among the plants, most pollinators were observed as visiting major fruits such as apple, pear, and peach, followed by some horticultural crops (Fig. 2). Meanwhile the insect pollinators on wildflowers were relatively uncommon, except an exotic herb, Erigeron annuus (Fig. 2). This does not exactly reflect the field condition, but more the study intensity because this review was confined to the record counting rather than density estimation. Based on plant types, record frequency of Hymenoptera was highest in fruit crops (Fig. 3) indicating that diversity of bee pollinators on fruit crops is higher than horticultural crops or wild plants. From wild plants, higher frequencies of Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera as well as Coleopteran insects were relatively higher (Fig. 3). This is the important finding in terms of pollinator conservation because diverse plant flower morphology and nutritional availability provoke the wild pollinator diversity. In contrast, pollinator diversity from horticultural crops were low (Fig. 3), partially because of the nature of cultivation of those crops inside the greenhouse.

There are basically three types of sampling; direct observation, sweep net collection and trapping with pollinator trap or water pan trap (Fig. 4). Depending on the insect order, different methodologies were empl oyed. For lepidopteran insects, visual observation was dominant, while the other taxa were collected by sweep netting. It is interesting to see that trapping with water pan or pollinator trap was mostly employed to study bee diversity (Fig. 4).

The role of insect pollinators in diverse ecological systems including agriculture is important (Garibaldi et al., 2013). About 75% of global food crops are at least partially dependent on animal pollinators and majority of them are insects. Here we reviewed the diversity of insect pollinators, and found that bees, bumblebees and syrphid flies are most important pollinator groups. However, we found that wild plants harbored low frequency of insect pollinators but, with high taxonomic diversity, which may imply some important context for conservation and enhancement of wild pollinators. Further, we need more detailed research on diversity of pollinators and biological interactions between plants and pollinators in diverse ecosystems.

Fig. 3.

Frequency distribution of insect orders on different types of plants: fruit tree, horticultural crops and wild plants.

Fig. 4.

Frequency distribution of sampling methods of each flower visiting insect order.

Acknowledgments

This research was partly supported from NIE research grant on evaluation of pollination service and RDA Agenda research project (PJ010487).

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