Flower power in the city: Replacing roadside shrubs by wildflower meadows increases insect numbers and reduces maintenance costs.

摘要: Massive declines in insect biodiversity and biomass are reported from many regions habitats. In urban areas, creation of native wildflower meadows is one option to support insects reduce maintenance costs green spaces. However, benefits for conservation may depend on previous land use, the size location new meadows. We show effects conversion roadside plantings-from exotic shrubs into meadows-on (1) abundance 13 arthropod taxa-Opiliones, Araneae, Isopoda, Collembola, Orthoptera, Aphidoidea, Auchenorrhyncha, Heteroptera, Coleoptera, Nematocera, Brachycera, Apocrita, Formicidae-and (2) changes costs. assessed influence vegetation type (meadow vs. woody), meadow age, size, (distance city boundary), mowing regime. found many, but not all, taxa profiting terms activity pitfall traps density standardized suction samples. Arthropod number was 212% higher 260% samples compared woody vegetation. The increased independent isolation spaces most taxa. regime strongly affected several taxa, with an increase 63% total unmown mown spots. Costs space were fivefold lower than Our study shows that different occur replacement by can significantly abundance, especially if management permits temporarily (3) be considerably reduced converting plantings Considering groups arthropods, our provides insights possible measures arthropods environments.