Artificial Pond Habitats Placed in an Australian Berry Farm Support Invertebrate Diversity Including Pollinating Flies
). Eristaline fly eggs appeared within 9 days of deployment, larvae within 17 days, and pupation occurred within 38 days of deployment within the adjacent soil and grass. Overall, this study demonstrates that artificial ponds could act as multifunctional habitats that support invertebrate communities and provide a simple, scalable way to enhance on-farm insect biodiversity while supporting pollinating flies. Future research directions could include broader-scale designs that maintain eristaline populations while reducing pest taxa.
Authors
- Jelena Preradović
- Abby E. Davis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0942-8439)
- Lena A. Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6014-4079)
- Blake M. Dawson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3953-8719)
- Raylea Rowbottom (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3162-9368)
- Romina Rader
Institutions
- Services Australia (AU)
- Michigan State University (US)
- University of New England (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Ecology and Evolution
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73423
- Primary Topic
- Diptera species taxonomy and behavior
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Australian Government
- Hort Innovation
- University of New England
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture