Corrigendum to: Interactions between the introduced European honey bee and native bees in urban areas varies by year, habitat type and native bee guild

Recent pollinator declines have focused efforts on their conservation which require clear estimates of pollination value to agriculture. Our socio-economic producer surveys and agronomic field research data were used to present a new way of estimating ecosystem service value of native pollinators. Using two regionally important U.S.A. crops, Maine wild blueberry and Massachusetts cranberry as models, we present perceived values of native bee pollinators from both consumer and producers. Wild blueberry’s Replacement Cost (RC) was greater than Attributable Net Income (ANI), since greater rented honey bee stocking densities are required. Attributable Net Income for native bees were similar for wild blueberry ($613/ha) and cranberry ($689/ha). Marginal Net Farm Income (MNFI) from incrementally adding more hives per ha was greater from stocking a third/fourth hive per ha for cranberry ($6,206) than stocking a ninth/tenth hive per ha for wild blueberry ($556), given greater responsiveness of yield, revenue, and profit to using rented honey bee hives in cranberry compared to wild blueberry. Both crops’ producers were only willing to annually invest $140–188/ha in native pollination enhancements on their farms, justifying government support. Consumers are willing to pay ~6.7 times more to support native bees than producers, supporting market-based support for invertebrate conservation.

Download Full-text

Decades of native bee biodiversity surveys at Pinnacles National Park highlight the importance of monitoring natural areas over time

10.1101/462986 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Joan M. Meiners ◽

Terry L. Griswold ◽

Olivia Messinger Carril

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Native Bees ◽

Natural Areas ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Agricultural Conversion ◽

Native Bee ◽

Bee Communities ◽

Over Time

AbstractThousands of species of bees are in global decline, yet research addressing the ecology and status of these wild pollinators lags far behind work being done to address similar impacts on the managed honey bee. This knowledge gap is especially glaring in natural areas, despite knowledge that protected habitats harbor and export diverse bee communities into nearby croplands where their pollination services have been valued at over $3 billion per year. Surrounded by ranches and farmlands, Pinnacles National Park in the Inner South Coast Range of California contains intact Mediterranean chaparral shrubland. This habitat type is among the most valuable for bee biodiversity worldwide, as well as one of the most vulnerable to agricultural conversion, urbanization and climate change. Pinnacles National Park is also one of a very few locations where extensive native bee inventory efforts have been repeated over time. This park thus presents a valuable and rare opportunity to monitor long-term trends and baseline variability of native bees in natural habitats. Fifteen years after a species inventory marked Pinnacles as a biodiversity hotspot for native bees, we resurveyed these native bee communities over two flowering seasons using a systematic, plot-based design. Combining results, we report a total of 450 bee species within this 109km2natural area of California, including 48 new species records as of 2012 and 95 species not seen since 1999. As far as we are aware, this species richness marks Pinnacles National Park as one of the most densely diverse places known for native bees. We explore patterns of bee diversity across this protected landscape, compare results to other surveyed natural areas, and highlight the need for additional repeated inventories in protected areas over time amid widespread concerns of bee declines.

Download Full-text

CSI Pollen: Diversity of Honey Bee Collected Pollen Studied by Citizen Scientists

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12110987 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 987

Author(s):

Robert Brodschneider ◽

Elfriede Kalcher-Sommersguter ◽

Sabrina Kuchling ◽

Vincent Dietemann ◽

Alison Gray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Mixed Models ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Sampling Period ◽

Corine Land Cover ◽

Bee Health ◽

Honey Bee Health ◽

Surrounding Landscape ◽

Bee Colonies

A diverse supply of pollen is an important factor for honey bee health, but information about the pollen diversity available to colonies at the landscape scale is largely missing. In this COLOSS study, beekeeper citizen scientists sampled and analyzed the diversity of pollen collected by honey bee colonies. As a simple measure of diversity, beekeepers determined the number of colors found in pollen samples that were collected in a coordinated and standardized way. Altogether, 750 beekeepers from 28 different regions from 24 countries participated in the two-year study and collected and analyzed almost 18,000 pollen samples. Pollen samples contained approximately six different colors in total throughout the sampling period, of which four colors were abundant. We ran generalized linear mixed models to test for possible effects of diverse factors such as collection, i.e., whether a minimum amount of pollen was collected or not, and habitat type on the number of colors found in pollen samples. To identify habitat effects on pollen diversity, beekeepers’ descriptions of the surrounding landscape and CORINE land cover classes were investigated in two different models, which both showed that both the total number and the rare number of colors in pollen samples were positively affected by ‘urban’ habitats or ‘artificial surfaces’, respectively. This citizen science study underlines the importance of the habitat for pollen diversity for bees and suggests higher diversity in urban areas.

Download Full-text

A multiscale assessment of Red-tailed Hawk reproductive success relative to urban density and habitat type

Journal of Urban Ecology ◽

10.1093/jue/juaa023 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Justin H White ◽

Jessi L Brown ◽

Zachary E Ormsby

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Nesting Success ◽

Arid Environments ◽

Hatch Date ◽

Urban Density ◽

Landscape Characteristics ◽

Suburban Areas ◽

Breeding Seasons

Abstract Despite the unique threats to wildlife in urban areas, many raptors have established successfully reproducing urban populations. To identify variations in raptor breeding ecology within an urban area, we compared metrics of Red-tailed Hawk reproductive attempts to landscape characteristics in Reno and Sparks, NV, USA during the 2015 and 2016 breeding seasons. We used the Apparent Nesting Success and logistic exposure methods to measure nesting success of the Red-tailed Hawks. We used generalized linear models to relate nesting success and fledge rate to habitat type, productivity to hatch date (Julian day) and hatch date to urban density. Nesting success was 86% and 83% for the respective years. Nesting success increased in grassland-agricultural and shrub habitats and decreased in riparian habitat within the urban landscape. Productivity was 2.23 and 2.03 per nest for the breeding seasons. Fledge rates were 72% and 77%, respectively, and decreased in riparian areas. Nestlings hatched earlier with increased urban density and earliest in suburban areas, following a negative quadratic curve. Nesting success and productivity for this population were high relative to others in North America. Productivity increased in habitats where ground prey was more accessible. We suggest that suburban areas, if not frequently disturbed, provide sufficient resources to sustain Red-tailed Hawks over extended periods. As urban expansion continues in arid environments globally, we stress that researchers monitor reproductive output across the urban predator guild to elucidate patterns in population dynamics and adaptation.

Download Full-text

Nutritional Value of Habitat for Moose on Urban and Military Lands

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/062014-jfwm-045 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 158-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joseph H. Welch ◽

Perry S. Barboza ◽

Sean D. Farley ◽

Donald E. Spalinger

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Industrial Development ◽

Ornamental Plants ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Model Potential ◽

Habitat Modification ◽

Available Nitrogen ◽

Winter Diet ◽

Nutrition And Diet ◽

Moose Population

Abstract Moose Alces alces are large and conspicuous animals valued for wildlife watching and hunting opportunities. However, near urban areas they can cause collisions with vehicles and damage to garden and ornamental plants. We studied a population of adult female moose that lives in and around both urban and industrial development on an active Army and Air Force base adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska, to evaluate nutrition and diet, map habitat quality, and model how habitat development affects the number of moose the landscape can support. Population density was moderate and hunter harvest was high in our study area, so we hypothesized that moose in our study area would be in similar condition to other healthy populations in Alaska. We also hypothesized that, in our study area, shrublands would support more moose than any other habitat type and that areas disturbed for urban development would be crucial to maintaining the local moose population. Rump fat depths, blood chemistries, and pregnancy rates in November and March for moose in our study area were consistent with populations in good to moderate condition. Microhistology of composite fecal samples indicated that willows Salix spp. dominated the summer diet, whereas the winter diet was divided among willows, birch Betula spp., and cottonwood Populus balsamifera. Low concentrations of available nitrogen in winter stems limited the number of moose that could be supported in our study area. Shrublands were the most valuable habitat type for moose, theoretically supporting 11–81 times more moose per hectare than any other habitat type. Shrublands were more concentrated within the developed portion of our study area than the surrounding undeveloped portions of the military base; and the access to shrublands in clearings, greenbelts, and parks sustains the productivity of this moose population despite the many disturbances of an urbanized landscape. Our habitat values can be used to model potential impacts of habitat modification on the number of moose the landscape can support.

Download Full-text

Population Structure of Harvested Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyotes (Canis latrans) on Prince Edward Island, Canada

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v126i4.1374 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 126 (4) ◽

pp. 288 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wendela Wapenaar ◽

Fiep De Bie ◽

David Johnston ◽

Ryan M. O'Handley ◽

Herman W. Barkema

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Wildlife Management ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

Prince Edward Island ◽

Canis Latrans ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Wild Canids ◽

Agricultural Areas

An understanding of the population dynamics and habitat of wild Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyotes (Canis latrans) is a prerequisite to wildlife management. This information is also important in assessing the risk these wild canids pose to the public and domestic animals. On Prince Edward Island, information on age, sex, reproductive activity, and habitat use of 271 Red Foxes and 201 Coyotes was collected in the hunting and trapping season of 2004–2005. The estimated age of Red Foxes and Coyotes ranged from 0.5 to 13.5 years. A large proportion of harvested Red Foxes and Coyotes (58% and 48%, respectively) consisted of juveniles. The sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1 for either species. Average litter size was 5.0 and 5.2 for Red Foxes and Coyotes, respectively. Number of placental scars ranged from 0 to 7 in Red Foxes and from 0 to 11 in Coyotes. Agricultural areas were the main habitat type (52%) of harvested Red Foxes. For harvested Coyotes, forest was the main habitat (44%), followed closely by agricultural areas (43%). Urban areas were a significant part (13%) of the habitat of Red Foxes. These data can be used to monitor population dynamics over time, provide information for wildlife management, and provide information on potential risk areas for disease transmission by wild canids.

Download Full-text

A Native Bee, Melissodes tepaneca (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Benefits Cotton Production

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11080487 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 487 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Isaac L. Esquivel ◽

Robert N. Coulson ◽

Michael J. Brewer

Keyword(s):

Cropping Systems ◽

Native Bees ◽

Cotton Production ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Whole Plant ◽

Weight Yield ◽

Native Bee ◽

Cotton Plants ◽

Yield Gain ◽

Plant Basis

The cotton agroecosystem is one of the most intensely managed, economically and culturally important cropping systems worldwide. Native pollinators are essential in providing pollination services to a diverse array of crops, including those which have the ability to self-pollinate. Cotton, which is autogamous, can potentially benefit from insect-mediated pollination services provided by native bees within the agroecosystem. Examined through two replicated experiments over two years, we hypothesized that native bees facilitated cross-pollination, which resulted in increased lint of harvested bolls produced by flowers exposed to bees and overall lint weight yield of the plant. Cotton bolls from flowers that were caged and exposed to bees, flowers that were hand-crossed, and bolls from flowers on uncaged plants exposed to pollinators had higher pre-gin weights and post-gin weights than bolls from flowers of caged plants excluded from pollinators. When cotton plants were caged with the local native bee Melissodes tepaneca, seed cotton weight was 0.8 g higher on average in 2018 and 1.18 g higher on average in 2019 than when cotton plants were excluded from bees. Cotton production gains from flowers exposed to M. tepaneca were similar when measuring lint and seed separately. Cotton flowers exposed over two weeks around the middle of the blooming period resulted in an overall yield gain of 12% to 15% on a whole plant basis and up to 24% from bolls produced from flowers exposed directly to M. tepaneca. This information complements cotton-mediated conservation benefits provided to native pollinators by substantiating native bee-mediated pollination services provided to the cotton agroecosystem.

Download Full-text

Evaluating bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) diversity using Malaise traps in coffee landscapes of Costa Rica

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/tce.2013.16 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 145 (4) ◽

pp. 435-453 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

H.T. Ngo ◽

J. Gibbs ◽

T. Griswold ◽

L. Packer

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Community Analysis ◽

Small Scale ◽

Native Bees ◽

Bee Diversity ◽

Coffee Agroecosystems ◽

Malaise Traps ◽

Site Types

AbstractEven though Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica Linnaeus, Rubiaceae) can self-pollinate, bees are important pollinators, without which there is lower fruit quality and yield. We studied bee diversity in coffee agroecosystems in Costa Rica during two coffee flowering seasons (2005 and 2006). Malaise traps were used as a passive sampling method to collect bees during coffee blooms. We collected 1012 bee individuals from three different site types: nonagricultural fields and shaded and unshaded coffee farms. Unshaded coffee farms had significantly higher species richness (S) and number of bee individuals (n) than did the shaded coffee farms and nonagricultural sites. Overall bee diversity did not differ among site types but evenness (J′) was significantly lower in unshaded coffee farms. Using a more detailed community analysis, there was a significant association between functional groups and habitat type with more species and individuals of small-bodied ground-nesting bees (Lasioglossum (Dialictus) Robertson) associated with unshaded coffee farms. A large proportion (49%) of bees collected were of this subgenus, which was never before reported as common in coffee agroecosystems. Further studies should establish whether Dialictus is important in coffee pollination. We propose strategies involving conservation of native bees through simple habitat management for small-scale coffee farms that may improve crop quality and quantity.

Download Full-text

Native bees buffer the negative impact of climate warming on honey bee pollination of watermelon crops

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.12264 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (10) ◽

pp. 3103-3110 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Romina Rader ◽

James Reilly ◽

Ignasi Bartomeus ◽

Rachael Winfree

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Climate Warming ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Native Bees ◽

Bee Pollination

Download Full-text

THE FIDELITY OF COMMERCIALLY REARED COLONIES OF BOMBUS IMPATIENS CRESSON (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) TO LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY IN SOUTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent128957-5 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 128 (5) ◽

pp. 957-958 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Troy L. Whidden

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

New Brunswick ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Bombus Impatiens ◽

Crop Pollination ◽

Vaccinium Angustifolium ◽

Lowbush Blueberry ◽

Native Bee

Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait., V. myrtilloides Michx.) growers often use colonies of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) to supplement native bee populations for pollination. Native bee fauna is thought to be insufficient in number and too unpredictable, in terms of numbers, from year to year to be relied on for adequate crop pollination (Kevan and LaBerge 1978; Mackenzie and Winston 1984; Mohr and Kevan 1987; Kevan 1988; Eck 1988).

Download Full-text