eprintid: 10110815 rev_number: 16 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/10/11/08/15 datestamp: 2020-09-28 15:27:49 lastmod: 2021-09-22 22:24:52 status_changed: 2020-09-28 15:27:49 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Walton, R creators_name: Sayer, C creators_name: Bennion, H creators_name: Axmacher, J title: Open-canopy ponds benefit diurnal pollinator communities in an agricultural landscape: implications for farmland pond management ispublished: inpress divisions: UCL divisions: B03 divisions: C03 divisions: F26 note: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ abstract: 1. Declines in pollinating invertebrates across intensively cultivated landscapes linked to reductions in flower-rich habitats constitute a key threat to biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services. Over recent decades, many ponds in agricultural landscapes have become overgrown with woody vegetation, resulting in heavily shaded, flower-poor pond basins and margins. Restoration of farmland ponds through removal of sediment and encroaching woody vegetation (canopy management) from pond margins greatly enhances freshwater biodiversity. Nevertheless, the consequences of pond management for pond-margin plants and pollinating insects remain poorly understood. Here, we studied these effects for ponds in Norfolk, eastern England. 2. We compared richness, abundance and composition of pollinating insects (hymenopterans and syrphids) and insect-pollinated plant communities between open-canopy pond systems subjected to either (i) long-term regular management of woody vegetation or (ii) recent restoration by woody vegetation and sediment removal with those communities at (iii) ponds dominated by woody vegetation. 3. Canopy management increased the richness and abundance of pollinators and insect-pollinated plants. Pollinator richness and abundance was best explained by improvements in flower resources at open-canopy ponds. Management most strongly influenced hymenopteran communities. 4. Ponds represent important semi-natural habitats for insect-pollinated plant and pollinator communities in farmland. To enhance food resources, diversity and abundance of diurnal pollinators, conservation management at ponds should aim for mosaics of ponds at different successional stages with a high proportion of early successional open-canopy ponds. Agricultural ponds are emerging as important habitats not only for aquatic biodiversity, but also for terrestrial species, thus warranting their prioritisation in future agri-environment schemes. date: 2020-09-24 date_type: published publisher: Wiley-Blackwell official_url: https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12452 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1815386 doi: 10.1111/icad.12452 lyricists_name: Axmacher, Jan lyricists_name: Bennion, Helen lyricists_name: Sayer, Carl lyricists_name: Walton, Richard lyricists_id: JCAXM98 lyricists_id: HBENN58 lyricists_id: CSAYE52 lyricists_id: REWAL56 actors_name: Axmacher, Jan actors_id: JCAXM98 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: Insect Conservation and Diversity citation: Walton, R; Sayer, C; Bennion, H; Axmacher, J; (2020) Open-canopy ponds benefit diurnal pollinator communities in an agricultural landscape: implications for farmland pond management. Insect Conservation and Diversity 10.1111/icad.12452 <https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12452>. (In press). Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10110815/1/ICDIV-20-0106.R2_Proof_hi.pdf