Solar Panels as Novel Nest Sites for the European Paper Wasp .

Solar energy facilities are rapidly expanding in their land-use footprint worldwide, with significant implications for biodiversity. Although the impacts of conventional solar development are often negative for biodiversity, it is possible for some species to take advantage of the novel anthropogenic structures and microhabitats provided by solar facilities. We describe the frequent nesting of non-native European paper wasps () at two solar facilities in the Central Valley of California (USA), conducting nest censuses to further investigate population density and nest siting behaviour.

Gardens reduce seasonal hunger gaps for farmland pollinators.

Gardens can benefit pollinators living in surrounding farmland landscapes, but the reason for their value is not clear. Gardens are no different from many semi-natural farmland habitats in terms of the of floral resources (pollen and nectar) they produce, but the of their resource supply is very different, which may explain their value. We show that gardens provide 15% of overall annual nectar in farmland landscapes in Southwest UK, but between 50% and 95% during early spring and late summer when farmland supplies are low.

The Effect of Wind Exposure on the Web Characteristics of a Tetragnathid Orb Spider.

Studies on spiders in their natural habitats are necessary for determining the full range of plasticity in their web-building behaviour. Plasticity in web design is hypothesised to be important for spiders building in habitats where environmental conditions cause considerable web damage. Here we compared web characteristics of the orb spider (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) in two different forest habitats differing in their wind exposure.