Plant-insect partnership in wetland ecosystems

位于福井县的Nakaikemi沼泽是日本西部仅存的为数不多的天然低地沼泽之一，拥有许多濒危沼泽动植物。1994~1995年，对沼泽地35科植物的开花物候和嗜花昆虫群落进行了研究。4月中旬至10月中旬，在花卉上采集到昆虫纲8目215种936只。嗜花昆虫群落以双翅目为主(58%)，膜翅目(26%)、半翅目(6%)、鳞翅目(5%)和鞘翅目(5%)相对稀少。食蚁科是最丰富的科，也可能是最重要的传粉剂。蜜蜂群落的特征是以地上筑巢蜜蜂属Hylaeus(Colletidae)为优势种，其中最丰富的物种是一种罕见的稀有记录物种。Nakaikemi沼泽被认为是稀有的重要湿地栖息地，不仅栖息着许多濒危植物和嗜花昆虫物种，而且还培育了独特的昆虫-花卉关系。一些原本由大黄蜂授粉的植物物种的存在表明，沼泽地应该作为一个连接沼泽地和邻近林地的整体生态系统进行保护。日本的盐沼、滩涂和红树林等不同类型的湿地也进行了植物-昆虫相互作用的研究。

Nakaikemi marsh, located in Fukui Prefecture, is one of only a few natural lowland marshlands left in western Japan, and harbors many endangered marsh plants and animals. Flowering phenology and anthophilous insect communities on 64 plant species of 35 families were studied in the marsh in 1994-95. A total of 936 individuals of 215 species in eight orders of Insecta were collected on flowers from mid April to mid October. The anthophilous insect community was characterized by dominance of Diptera (58% of individuals) and relative paucity of Hymenoptera (26%), Hemiptera (6%), Lepidoptera (5%), and Coleoptera (5%). Syrphidae was the most abundant family and probably the most important pollination agents. Bee community was characterized by dominance of an abovegroud nesting bee genus, Hylaeus (Colletidae), the most abundant species of which was a minute, rare little-recorded species. Nakaikemi marsh is regarded as a rare, important wetland habitat not only harboring many endangered plant and anthophilous insect species but also fostering unique insect-flower relationships. The presence of some plant species originally pollinated by bumblebees nesting at forest floor suggests that the marshland should be conserved as a whole ecosystem uniting the marshland and the neighboring woodlands.Plant-insect interactions were studied also in various types of wetlands, e.g., salt marshes, tidal flats and mangroves in Japan.