Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32808477›Full record

ArticleEcology letters2020

The effectiveness of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control, pollination services and crop yield: a quantitative synthesis.

Matthias Albrecht, David Kleijn, Neal M Williams, Matthias Tschumi, Brett R Blaauw, Riccardo Bommarco, Alistair J Campbell, Matteo Dainese, Francis A Drummond, Martin H Entling and 34 more

Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract readLetter
In one paragraph

Article in Ecology letters, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 105 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
105citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
114.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

105 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 597 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Biodiversity isn't measured in tons: Making sense of nature in the context of sustainable agriculture.Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America · 2026
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45 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

44 authors at 20 institutions in 11 countries.

Matthias AlbrechtAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-5518-3455
David KleijnPlant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, Wageningen, 6708PB, The Netherlands.
Neal M WilliamsDepartment of Entomology and Nematology and Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Matthias TschumiAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-7991-7780
Brett R BlaauwDepartment of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA.
Riccardo BommarcoDepartment of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, Uppsala, 75007, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-8888-0476
Alistair J CampbellLaboratório de Entomologia, Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, Pará, CEP 66095-903, Brazil.
Matteo DaineseInstitute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, Bozen/Bolzano, 39100, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7052-5572
Francis A DrummondSchool of Biology And Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA.
Martin H EntlingiES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstr. 7, Landau, D-76829, Germany.
Dominik GanserAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-4456-9621
G Arjen de GrootWageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands.
Dave GoulsonSchool of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.
Heather GrabDepartment of Entomology, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1073-8805
Hannah HamiltonSchool of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.
Felix HerzogAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.
Rufus IsaacsDepartment of Entomology and EEBB Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Katja JacotAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.
Philippe JeanneretAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.
Mattias JonssonDepartment of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, Uppsala, 75007, Sweden.
Eva KnopAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.
Claire KremenInstitute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Douglas A LandisDepartment of Entomology and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Gregory M LoebDepartment of Entomology, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA.
Lorenzo MariniDAFNAE, University of Padova, viale dell'Università 16, Padova, 35020, Italy.
Megan McKercharInstitute of Science & the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.
Lora MorandinPollinator Partnership, 475 Sansome Street, 17th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94111, USA.
Sonja C PfisteriES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstr. 7, Landau, D-76829, Germany.
Simon G PottsCentre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2045-980X
Maj RundlöfDepartment of Biology, Lund University, Lund, 223 62, Sweden.
Hillary SardiñasDepartment of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Amber SciligoDepartment of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Carsten ThiesAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Teja TscharntkeAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4482-3178
Eric VenturiniWild Blueberry Commission of Maine, 5784 York Complex, Suite 52, Orono, Maine, 04469, USA.
Eve VeromannEstonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu, 51006, Estonia.ORCID 0000-0002-0977-5270
Ines M G VollhardtAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Felix WäckersLancaster Environnent Centre, Lancaster University, LA1 4YQ, UK.
Kimiora WardDepartment of Entomology and Nematology and Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Duncan B WestburyInstitute of Science & the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.
Andrew WilbyLancaster Environnent Centre, Lancaster University, LA1 4YQ, UK.
Megan WoltzDepartment of Entomology and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Steve WrattenBio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand.
Louis SutterAgroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, CH-8046, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-2626-216X
Agroscope · CHUniversity of Göttingen · DECornell University · USGreat Lakes Bioenergy Research Center · USLancaster University · GBSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences · SEUniversity of Bern · CHUniversity of California, Berkeley · USUniversity of California, Davis · USUniversity of Koblenz and Landau · DEUniversity of Maine · USUniversity of Sussex · GBUniversity of Worcester · GBWageningen University & Research · NLBrazilian Agricultural Research Corporation · BREstonian University of Life Sciences · EEEurac Research · ITLincoln University · NZLund University · SEMichigan State University · US

Funding

AgBioResearchBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Syngenta UK 1518739Estonian Research Council Institutional Research Funding project IUT36-2EU COST FA1307 "SUPER-B"EU FP7Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental ResearchHauser and Sur-La-Croix foundationsInsect Pollinators Initiative UK Crop pollination project funded by BBSRC, Defra, NERC, the Scottish Government and the Wellcome Trust BB/1000348/1Michigan State University AgBioResearchNational Science Foundation Long-term Ecological Research Program DEB 1832042SMOOPS project funded by BBSRC, Worldwide Fruit Limited, Avalon and Syngenta BB/P003664/1Tertiary Education Commission through the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University, New ZealandUnited States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Research Initiative 2011-51181-30673University of Maine School of Biology and EcologyUSDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education programWellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Floral plantings are promoted to foster ecological intensification of agriculture through provisioning of ecosystem services. However, a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of different floral plantings, their characteristics and consequences for crop yield is lacking. Here we quantified the impacts of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control (18 studies) and pollination services (17 studies) in adjacent crops in North America, Europe and New Zealand. Flower strips, but not hedgerows, enhanced pest control services in adjacent fields by 16% on average. However, effects on crop pollination and yield were more variable. Our synthesis identifies several important drivers of variability in effectiveness of plantings: pollination services declined exponentially with distance from plantings, and perennial and older flower strips with higher flowering plant diversity enhanced pollination more effectively. These findings provide promising pathways to optimise floral plantings to more effectively contribute to ecosystem service delivery and ecological intensification of agriculture in the future.

Indexed as

EcosystemPollinationAgricultureBeesBiodiversityEuropeFlowersNew ZealandNorth AmericaPest Controlagri-environment schemesAgroecologybee pollinatorsconservation biological controlecological intensificationfarmland biodiversityfloral enhancementsnatural pest regulationpollination reservoirssustainable agriculturewildflower strips

Identifiers

PMID32808477
PMCPMC7540530
OpenAlexW3047183373

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.