scholarly journals Interannual bumble bee abundance is driven by indirect climate effects on floral resource phenology

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1507-1515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane E. Ogilvie ◽  
Sean R. Griffin ◽  
Zachariah J. Gezon ◽  
Brian D. Inouye ◽  
Nora Underwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Climate Effects ◽  
Floral Resource ◽  
Bee Abundance

scholarly journals Floral resource availability from groundcover promotes bee abundance in coffee agroecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1815-1826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaleigh Fisher ◽  
David J. Gonthier ◽  
Katherine K. Ennis ◽  
Ivette Perfecto
Keyword(s):  
Resource Availability ◽  
Coffee Agroecosystems ◽  
Floral Resource ◽  
Bee Abundance

scholarly journals Native bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) pollinators vary in floral resource use across an invasion gradient

2017 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Gillespie ◽  
J. Bayley ◽  
E. Elle
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Local Plants ◽  
Floral Resource

AbstractIntegration of pollinator-dependent invasive plants into native pollination networks can have direct and indirect effects on local plant and pollinator communities. Impacts on local plants are well documented; however effects on native pollinators have gained less attention. We examine these issues in habitat fragments of the endangered oak-savannah ecosystem in British Columbia, Canada. We measured pollen collection by native bumble bees (Bombus Latreille; Hymenoptera: Apidae) and the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus; Hymenoptera: Apidae) foraging on two common native plants in habitat fragments with varying invasive (Cytisus scoparius (Linnaeus) Link; Fabaceae) density. The Bombus species with the largest workers had higher proportions of invasive pollen on their bodies and in their corbiculae than smaller workers. Honey bees rarely collected C. scoparius pollen. While some native bumble bees species collect an increasing proportion of C. scoparius pollen with increasing C. scoparius density, this did not translate into an increased potential for pollination. Rather, measures of effective pollination decline with C. scoparius density. Overall, our results suggest that some bee species may be better at finding resources at highly invaded sites. Apis mellifera is likely not playing a major role in facilitating the spread of C. scoparius in our region. Rather C. scoparius is visited by a complement of native bumble bees that are similar to pollinators in the native range of this plant.

Bumble bee (Bombus spp.) diversity differs between forested wetlands and clearcuts in the Acadian forest

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 1399-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delaney R. Brooks ◽  
Joseph J. Nocera
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Forested Wetlands ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Acadian Forest ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Pan Traps ◽  
Bee Abundance

Bumble bees (species of Bombus Latreille, 1802) are important pollinators that are generally in population decline, but species presence and relative abundance are unknown in forested wetlands of the Acadian forest. To address this knowledge gap, we sampled bumble bees in forested wetlands and harvested sites (clearcuts) using vane and pan traps. We collected 617 specimens representing 11 species. We also included observations from iNaturalist (n = 70) in disturbed sites. We found that species-specific abundance in Acadian forested wetlands differed significantly from that in harvested sites. Wet coniferous forests with moderate to high herbaceous cover had greater overall bumble bee abundance than harvest sites. Species interactions may also influence community structure: sites with higher abundance of Bombus borealis Kirby, 1837 and B. ternarius Say, 1837 had fewer B. fervidus (Fabricius, 1798); B. flavidus Eversmann, 1852; and B. terricola Kirby, 1837. Differences in presence and abundance of bumble bee species may be explained by forested wetlands having a greater variety of flowering plants than forest harvest sites.

scholarly journals Pollen Diet Composition Impacts Early Nesting Success in Queen Bumble Bees Bombus impatiens Cresson(Hymenoptera: Apidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristal M Watrous ◽  
Michelle A Duennes ◽  
S Hollis Woodard
Keyword(s):  
Larval Growth ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Floral Resource

Abstract Bumble bees are generalist pollinators that typically collect floral rewards from a wide array of flowering plant species. Among the greatest threats to wild bumble bee populations worldwide, many of which are declining, is a loss of floral resource abundance and diversity in the landscapes they inhabit. We examined how composition of pollen diet impacts early nesting success in laboratory-reared queens of the bumble bee Bombus impatiens. Specifically, we provided queens and their young nests with one of three pollen diets, each of which was dominated by a single pollen type, and explored how this diet treatment influenced the length of time until queens initiated nests, total counts of brood in the nest at the end of the experiment (8 wk later), and the size and weight of adult offspring produced. We found that the amount of later-stage brood (pupae and/or adults) produced by recently-initiated nests was strongly impacted by pollen diet. For example, on average 66% fewer later-stage brood were found in nests provided with the Cistus pollen Linnaeus (Cistaceae), relative to the predominantly Asteraceae pollen. This finding suggests that particular pollen diet compositions may delay larval growth, which delays colony development and may ultimately be detrimental for young nests. This study sheds light on how one of the leading stressors for bumble bees (nutritional stress) may negatively impact populations through its influence on brood production during the nest-founding stage of the colony cycle.

Comparing the efficacy of agri-environment schemes to enhance bumble bee abundance and diversity on arable field margins

2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. CARVELL ◽  
W. R. MEEK ◽  
R. F. PYWELL ◽  
D. GOULSON ◽  
M. NOWAKOWSKI
Keyword(s):  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Field Margins ◽  
Arable Field ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Bee Abundance

scholarly journals Landscape Integrity Eclipses Local Effects of Floral Resource Availability on Bumble Bee (Bombus Spp.) Abundance in a Water-Limited Island Ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Simon ◽  
Brian M. Starzomski
Keyword(s):  
Resource Availability ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Late Season ◽  
Habitat Integrity ◽  
Matrix Habitat ◽  
Bee Community ◽  
Floral Resource

Abstract ContextHabitat loss threatens to exacerbate climate change impacts on pollinator communities, particularly in Mediterranean-type ecosystems where late season floral resource availability is limited by seasonal drought. While gardens have been found to supplement floral resources in water-limited urban landscapes, less is known about the role of natural habitat diversity in sustaining late season floral resources in more intact landscapes. ObjectivesWe investigated the importance of habitat integrity and diversity for bumble bees in a water-limited ecosystem, observing bumble bee community response to seasonal drought across gradients of disturbance and soil moisture.MethodsWe applied hierarchical models to estimate the effects of local site conditions versus landscape scale estimates of matrix habitat on bumble bee abundance. Floral resources, soil moisture, and other environmental variables were sampled along randomly distributed belt transects. Geospatial estimates of matrix habitat were derived from terrestrial ecosystem data. Bumble bees were sampled with blue vane traps.ResultsIn the late season we found that modified wet areas supported more floral resources and bumble bee workers as compared to dry semi-natural environments. Wetlands also supported more late season floral resources and bumble bee workers, though the latter effect was not significant. Despite higher levels of late season floral resources in modified wet environments, modified matrix habitat was negatively associated, and natural matrix positively associated, with workers in June and late-flying queens in July and August. We also detected differences in bumble bee community composition in disturbed versus undisturbed environments.ConclusionsThough wet modified habitats sustained the highest levels of late season floral resource availability and worker abundances in our study, bumble bee diversity and abundance were limited primarily by the availability of natural matrix habitat at the landscape scale. The conservation of natural habitat integrity and diversity can help support critical nesting and foraging habitat, and should be prioritized in efforts to foster the resilience of pollinator communities.

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