A comparison of wild bee communities in sown flower strips and semi‐natural habitats: A pollination network approach

During the study, the honeybee effects on wild bees were tested and hypothesized that smaller distances from beehives will increase competitions between honeybees and wild bees, while greater distances will have a deleterious effect on competition. The impact on species richness and diversity was tested with distances from beehives, considering that this may differ when large and small wild bee species are considered separately. Altogether 158 species and 13,164 individuals were collected, from which 72% (9,542 individuals) were Apis mellifera. High variation in abundances was detected from one year to another, and the species turnover by sites was 67% in site A, 66% in site V, and 63% in site F. This last one was the site with the previous contact with honeybees. Considering distances from beehives, significant decreases in small bee species diversity were detected from one year to another at each distance except site F, 250 m from hives. The changes in species diversity and community structure of small bee species are detected from one year to another.

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Wooded Semi-Natural Habitats Complement Permanent Grasslands in Supporting Wild Bee Diversity in Agricultural Landscapes

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11110812 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 812

Author(s):

Justine Rivers-Moore ◽

Emilie Andrieu ◽

Aude Vialatte ◽

Annie Ouin

Keyword(s):

Selection Index ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Bee Communities ◽

The Impact

Loss of semi-natural habitats (SNH) in agricultural landscapes affects wild bees, often negatively. However, how bee communities respond varies and is still unclear. To date, few studies have used precise descriptors to understand these effects. Our aim was to understand the respective and complementary influences of different wooded and herbaceous habitats on wild bee communities. We selected thirty 500-m radius landscapes on a gradient of a percentage of wooded SNH in south-western France. At each landscape, we sampled wild bees in spring 2016 and plants in spring 2015 and 2016 at the forest edge, in a hedgerow, and in a permanent grassland. Pollen carried by the most abundant bee species was collected and identified. Using beta diversity indices, we showed that wild bee community composition differs between the three SNH types, and especially between herbaceous and wooded SNH. Based on Jacobs’ selection index, we showed that pollen of some plant species recorded in wooded SNH are preferentially selected by wild bees. Studying the impact of the loss of each SNH type on the global bee-pollen interaction network, we found that wooded SNH contributed to its resilience, enabling specific plant–bee interactions. Overall, our results underline the non-negligible contribution of wooded SNH to the diversity of wild bees in agricultural landscapes, and thus the importance of maintaining different types of SNH.

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Comparison of wild bee communities of three semi-natural meadow habitats at Harghita–Covasna Region, Transylvania, Romania

Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae ◽

10.17109/azh.67.2.161.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 161-175

Author(s):

Imre Demeter ◽

Adalbert Balog ◽

Zsolt Józan ◽

Miklós Sárospataki

Keyword(s):

Sampling Site ◽

Plant Reproduction ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Diverse Species ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Bee Communities ◽

High Diversity

In the temperate climate wild bees are the most important pollinator organisms. Pollination is essential for the communities of semi-natural habitats since this ecosystem service directly affects plant reproduction. The diversity of wild bees living in such areas is remarkably high, but they are susceptible to various anthropogenic influences.In our study, the composition and structure of wild bee communities were examined in Romania (Transylvania) at three semi-natural areas near Filia, Merești and Vârghiș. The surveyed areas were used as extensive meadows under relatively low but slightly different anthropogenic influence levels. We collected bees in these areas at several places (9 sampling points/area) by individual netting four times during the season. In the studied areas, 129 bee species were found, which makes up about 18% of the approximately 726 wild bee species registered in Romania. In addition to the high number of species, we also observed high diversity values. Our results showed that, even at our sampling site closest to the human settlements, the extensive use of the surveyed areas as meadows allows the development of diverse, species-rich bee communities.

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Influence of Nesting Characteristics on Health of Wild Bee Communities

Annual Review of Entomology ◽

10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-024955 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 39-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alexandra Harmon-Threatt

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Nest Site ◽

Site Conditions ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Nesting Biology ◽

Habitat Disturbances ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Growth Development ◽

Bee Communities ◽

Nest Initiation

Nest site availability and quality are important for maintaining robust populations and communities of wild bees. However, for most species, nesting traits and nest site conditions are poorly known, limiting both our understanding of basic ecology for bee species and conservation efforts. Additionally, many of the threats commonly associated with reducing bee populations have effects that can extend into nests but are largely unstudied. In general, threats such as habitat disturbances and climate change likely affect nest site availability and nest site conditions, which in turn affect nest initiation, growth, development, and overwintering success of bees. To facilitate a better understanding of how these and other threats may affect nesting bees, in this review, I quantify key nesting traits and environmental conditions and then consider how these traits may intersect with observed and anticipated changes in nesting conditions experienced by wild bees. These data suggest that the effects of common threats to bees through nesting may strongly influence their survival and persistence but are vastly understudied. Increasing research into nesting biology and incorporating nesting information into conservation efforts may help improve conservation of this declining but critical group.

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Identity of mass-flowering crops moderates functional trait composition of pollinator communities

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-021-01261-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nicole Beyer ◽

Felix Kirsch ◽

Doreen Gabriel ◽

Catrin Westphal

Keyword(s):

Faba Bean ◽

Management Practices ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Flower Morphology ◽

Landscape Diversity ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Mass Flowering ◽

Wild Bee

Abstract Context Pollinator declines and functional homogenization of farmland insect communities have been reported. Mass-flowering crops (MFC) can support pollinators by providing floral resources. Knowledge about how MFC with dissimilar flower morphology affect functional groups and functional trait compositions of wild bee communities is scarce. Objective We investigated how two morphologically different MFC, land cover and local flower cover of semi-natural habitats (SNH) and landscape diversity affect wild bees and their functional traits (body size, tongue length, sociality, foraging preferences). Methods We conducted landscape-level wild bee surveys in SNH of 30 paired study landscapes covering an oilseed rape (OSR) (Brassica napus L.) gradient. In 15 study landscapes faba beans (Vicia faba L.) were grown, paired with respective control landscapes without grain legumes. Results Faba bean cultivation promoted bumblebees (Bombus spp. Latreille), whereas non-Bombus densities were only driven by the local flower cover of SNH. High landscape diversity enhanced wild bee species richness. Faba bean cultivation enhanced the proportions of social wild bees, bees foraging on Fabaceae and slightly of long-tongued bumblebees. Solitary bee proportions increased with high covers of OSR. High local SNH flower covers mitigated changes of mean bee sizes caused by faba bean cultivation. Conclusions Our results show that MFC support specific functional bee groups adapted to their flower morphology and can alter pollinators` functional trait composition. We conclude that management practices need to target the cultivation of functionally diverse crops, combined with high local flower covers of diverse SNH to create heterogeneous landscapes, which sustain diverse pollinator communities.

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Improving Habitat Quality at the Local and Landscape Scales Increases Wild Bee Assemblages and Associated Pollination Services in Apple Orchards in China

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.621469 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Panlong Wu ◽

Piaopiao Dai ◽

Meina Wang ◽

Sijie Feng ◽

Aruhan Olhnuud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Wild Bee ◽

Wide Range ◽

Bee Diversity ◽

Landscape Scales

Bees provide key pollination services for a wide range of crops. Accumulating evidence shows the effect of semi-natural habitats at the landscape level and local management practices on bee diversity in fields. However, most of the evidence is derived from studies in North America and Europe. Whether this paradigm is applicable in China, which is characterized by smallholder-dominated agricultural landscapes, has rarely been studied. In this study, we aimed to investigate how bee diversity affected apple production, and how landscape and local variables affected bee diversity and species composition on the Northern China Plain. The results showed that bees significantly increased apple fruit set compared to bagged controls. Wild bee diversity was positively related to apple seed numbers. Higher seed numbers reduced the proportion of deformed apples and thus increased fruit quality. Wild bee abundance was positively correlated with flowering ground cover, and both the abundance and species richness of wild bees were positively affected by the percentage of semi-natural habitats. We conclude that apple quality can benefit from ecological intensification comprising the augmentation of wild bees by semi-natural habitats and flowering ground cover. Future pollination management should therefore reduce the intensification level of management at both the local and landscape scales.

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Local changes in communities of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea, Apiformes): 30 years later

Polish Journal of Entomology ◽

10.2478/pjen-2014-0025 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 83 (4) ◽

pp. 325-351 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Józef Banaszak ◽

Halina Ratyńska

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Plant Succession ◽

Permanent Plots ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Increasing Trend ◽

Quantitative Changes ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

Bee Communities ◽

Forest Habitats

ABSTRACT Changes in communities of wild bees (Apiformes) were studied in relation to changes in vegetation in six permanent plots (natural forest habitats in the Wielkopolska National Park, and semi-natural habitats in the agricultural landscape near Turew) at the end of four decades (starting from the late 1970s). In 2008-2010, as many as 100 species of Apiformes were recorded there, which is more than reported in earlier decades. The most stable bee communities were those in forest habitats (oak-hornbeam forest, oak forest). Substantial qualitative and quantitative changes in vegetation and bee communities were recorded only after the renaturalisation of a former xerothermic grassland, which had become overgrown with shrubs and trees as a result of plant succession. Human interference (e.g. the felling of some trees growing along a road, clearance of understorey shrubs, ploughing of roadside margins) at selected refuge habitats in the agricultural landscape led to short-term fluctuations in bee abundance and diversity, but an increasing trend in abundance was noted.

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