scholarly journals Foraging distances in six species of solitary bees with body lengths of 6 to 15 mm, inferred from individual tagging, suggest 150 m-rule-of-thumb for flower strip distances

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 105-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela M. Hofmann ◽  
Andreas Fleischmann ◽  
Susanne S. Renner

Bees require suitably close foraging and nesting sites to minimize travel time and energy expenditure for brood provisioning. Knowing foraging distances in persistent (‘healthy’) populations is therefore crucial for assessing harmful levels of habitat fragmentation. For small bees, such distances are poorly known because of the difficulty of individual tagging and problems with mark-recapture approaches. Using apiarist’s number tags and colour codes, we marked 2689 males and females of four oligolectic and two polylectic species of Osmiini bees (Megachilidae, genera Chelostoma, Heriades, Hoplitis, Osmia) with body lengths of 6 to 15 mm. The work was carried out in 21 ha-large urban garden that harbours at least 106 species of wild bees. Based on 450 re-sightings, mean female flight distances ranged from 73 to 121 m and male distances from 59 to 100 m. These foraging distances suggest that as a rule of thumb, flower strips and nesting sites for supporting small solitary bees should be no further than 150 m apart.

Sociobiology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heberson Martins ◽  
Patricia Rebouças ◽  
Vinina Ferreira

Sleep aggregations have been registered for some species of solitary bees and wasps. In this note we describe the aggregation behaviour of Centris xanthomelaena Moure & Castro bees in their inactive periods. The dormitories were discovered close to the bee nesting sites, in a Caatinga area. We monitored the males and females at the sleeping site for 16 consecutive days in July 2017. We observed that females of C. xanthomelaena spent the night outside their nests, indry branches of Mimosa tenuifl ora (Fabaceae). Furthermore, males and females have shared the dormitories, and sometimes they formed mixed ones. Both males and females fl ew around the nearest dormitories during all observation days. The data about the sleep behaviour of C. xanthomelaena will contribute to the understanding of these aspects within the Centris genus.


Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Kline ◽  
Neelendra K. Joshi

Solitary bees and other wild pollinators provide an important ecosystem service which can benefit both the agricultural economy and the sustainability of many native ecosystems. Many solitary bees, however, are experiencing decreases in their populations and ranges, resulting in an overall loss of pollinator species richness in many areas. Several interacting factors have been implicated in this decline, including increased pesticide use, climate change, and pathogens, but habitat loss remains one of the primary drivers. The widespread conversion of natural habitats into agricultural landscapes has decreased the availability of adequate nesting sites and floral diversity for many bee species. Large monocultures with intensive production systems often cannot support the populations of wild bees (particularly species with short foraging ranges) necessary to ensure adequate pollination of animal-pollinated crops. Diversifying agricultural landscapes through the incorporation of wildflower plantings, as well as the preservation of remaining natural habitats, may offer a solution, as it has been shown to increase both bee diversity and abundance and the pollination of nearby crops. In this review article, we discuss the various effects of habitat loss on solitary bees and different ways to mitigate such effects in order to conserve bee diversity and populations in agricultural landscapes.


Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne S. Renner ◽  
Marie Sophie Graf ◽  
Zoe Hentschel ◽  
Helen Krause ◽  
Andreas Fleischmann

AbstractThe increase in managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) in many European cities has unknown effects on the densities of wild bees through competition. To investigate this, we monitored honeybees and non-honeybees from 01 April to 31 July 2019 and 2020 at 29 species of plants representing diverse taxonomic and floral-functional types in a large urban garden in the city of Munich in which the same plant species were cultivated in both years. No bee hives were present in the focal garden, and all bee hives in the adjacent area were closely monitored by interviewing the relevant bee keepers in both 2019 and 2020. Honeybee numbers were similar in April of both years, but increased from May to July 2020 compared to 2019. The higher densities correlated with a significant increase in shifts from wild bee to honeybee visits in May/June/July, while visitor spectra in April 2019 and 2020 remained the same. Most of the species that experienced a shift to honeybee visits in 2020 were visited mostly or exclusively for their nectar. There were no shifts towards increased wild bee visits in any species. These results from a flower-rich garden have implications for the discussion of whether urban bee keeping might negatively impact wild bees. We found clear support that high honeybee densities result in exploitative competition at numerous types of flowers.


1933 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 443-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Atwood

This paper describes the results of studies on the wild bees of Nova Scotia, which were carried out in connection with apple pollination investigations in the Annapolis-Cornwallis Valley, Nova Scotia.The biology of the Apoidea in general is reviewed from the literature, and a list of bees taken on apple bloom is given. As the members of the genera Halictus and Andrena were found to be the most important native pollinators, the greater part of the paper is devoted to accounts of the habits and life histories of representative species.The members of the genus Andrena were found to have a simple type, such as is generally found among solitary bees. The females provision the nest and then die; the larvae develop to the pupal stage in their underground cells, then emerge as adults the following season. All Nova Scotian species studied were one-generation forms.The bees of the genus Halictus show a primitive social organization, more complex in some species than in others. The first brood consists of females only, which are apparently sterile and work at nest construction, the gathering of pollen, etc. They are followed later in the season by a brood of males and females; these females, after being fertilized, hibernate for the winter, while the males die in the fall. The hibernating habits of different species are described, and notes are given on some parasites and inquilines of the two genera.


Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cunha ◽  
A. Berglund ◽  
T. Alves ◽  
N.M. Monteiro

Cannibalism provides energetic benefits but is also potentially costly, especially when directed towards kin. Since fitness costs increase with time and energy invested in offspring, cannibalism should be infrequent when parental investment is high. Thus, filial cannibalism in male syngnathids, a group known for the occurrence of male pregnancy, should be rare. Using the pipefish (Syngnathus abaster) we aimed to investigate whether cannibalism does occur in both sexes and how it is affected by reproductive and nutritional states. Although rare, we witnessed cannibalism both in the wild and in the laboratory. Unlike non-pregnant males and females, pregnant and post-partum males largely refrained from cannibalising juveniles. Reproducing males decreased their feeding activity, thus rendering cannibalism, towards kin or non-kin, less likely to occur. However, if not continuously fed, all pipefish adopted a cannibal strategy, revealing that sex and life history stages influenced the ratio between the benefits and costs of cannibalism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967120S0020
Author(s):  
Julie A. Young ◽  
Jessica Napolitano ◽  
Mitchell J. Rauh ◽  
Jeanne Nichols ◽  
Anastasia N. Fischer

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have shown that vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature are depressed in patients with an eating disorder who have experienced a negative energy balance for a significant amount of time. More recently, a negative energy balance has been the focus of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), which links energy availability to the health of multiple body systems in adults in as little as 5 days with a negative energy balance. High rates of disordered eating patterns have been reported in high school athletes. As adolescents grow, the consequences of a negative energy balance can be significant and potentially irreversible. Thus, vital signs may help clinicians quickly evaluate a patient’s energy status or highlight them for further evaluation. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine energy balance and vital signs in a cohort of adolescents who were seen by a sports dietitian to gain weight or optimize sports performance. METHODS: We evaluated 240 subjects, 83% female, average age 15.0±2.3 years. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured with a dynamometer in a seated position. Body temperature was measured orally. Height and weight were recorded. BMI was then calculated and evaluated by percentile. Energy intake was assessed using a 3-day food recall log. Energy expenditure was calculated using Harris Benedict Equation and combined with estimated exercise energy expenditure. Energy balance was estimated as energy intake minus energy expenditure. RESULTS: Average age was 15.03±2.71. 85% were female. 30% were below the 15th percentile for BMI. There were no differences in BMI percentiles between males and females (p=0.99). The average heart rate was 71.62±13.4 bpm and 19% were below the 10th percentile for heart rate. Average systolic blood pressure was 110±11 mm Hg and average diastolic blood pressure was 62±7 mmHg. Average temperature was 98.1±.4 degrees F. 88%were in a negative energy balance with an average energy deficit of 552±511 calories. There were no statistically significant differences in energy balance between males and females (p=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: A disproportional number of children with low BMI and heart rate percentiles was observed, which may indicate a long-standing energy deficiency. We also found a high proportion of adolescents who experienced a standalone negative energy balance itself or vital signs consistent with a negative energy balance. Additional studies are needed to study the relationships between energy deficit magnitude and duration in adolescents and children.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1841-1849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean A. Tolla ◽  
Patricia J. Kiley ◽  
Jason G. Lomnitz ◽  
Michael A. Savageau

Activation of a regulatory protein by interruption of a futile cycle involves a trade-off between response time and energy expenditure.


Author(s):  
V. Radchenko ◽  
H. Honchar

Wild bee populations – important pollinators of many plants – are threatened with extinction due to reduced food resources, destruction of nesting sites and habitat fragmentation. The aim of this study is to determine the species diversity of wild bees in the parks of Kyiv. During the 2012-2017 spring-summer seasons a comprehensive study of the species composition and diversity of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) was investigated. 115 wild bee species of 6 families and 34 genera have been found. Only 39 species among them were found in all parks and the common species are noted: Colletes cunicularius, Hylaeus communis, Andrena flavipes, Evylaeus calceatus, E. malachurus, E. politus, Anthophora plumipes, Bombus lucorum, B. terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum. The proportions of species within each ecological group stay constant, except for the small decrease in oligolectic species. In all parks the ground-nesting bees are dominated. Bees that build nests in a different substrate (tree cavities, hollow plant stems, empties, holes, walls of buildings, and like) make up only 20 %. In general, on the territories of urban parks we have registered wild bees on the plants of more than 100 species from the families Asteraceaе, Fabaceaе, Lamiaceae, Rosaceaе. It should be noted, that ornamental flowering vegetation plays a significant role in wild bees nutrition in the city conditions. In some city parks we have found three species of wild bees that included in the Red Book of Ukraine: Bombus argillaceus, Xylocopa valga and Andrena chrysopus. The results of our study show that city parks are important for the conservation of wild bee populations, and the main conditions for this are the availability of flower sources and nesting sites.


The Auk ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Gaston

Abstract Pelagic seabirds that lay single-egg clutches have been thought to invest less energy in reproduction than inshore-feeding species that rear more than one young. To examine this idea I calculated time and energy budgets for Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) breeding at two large arctic colonies and compared their energy expenditure with that of a hypothetical group (shirkers) that was capable of feeding at the same rate but did not attempt any reproductive activity. The difference in energy investment between breeders and shirkers was strongly dependent on the average foraging range. I also compared my results with similar estimates for inshore-feeding Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle). For the two Thick-billed Murre colonies, energy allocated to reproduction represented 30% and 24% of total energy expenditure during the breeding season. These values exceed the estimates for Black Guillemots. The amount of energy invested by Thick-billed Murres at the colonies considered probably is similar to that invested by other seabirds laying larger clutches and rearing heavier young.


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