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Ostwald MM, da Silva CRB, Seltmann KC. How does climate change impact social bees and bee sociality? J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 39101348 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Climatic factors are known to shape the expression of social behaviours. Likewise, variation in social behaviour can dictate climate responses. Understanding interactions between climate and sociality is crucial for forecasting vulnerability and resilience to climate change across animal taxa. These interactions are particularly relevant for taxa like bees that exhibit a broad diversity of social states. An emerging body of literature aims to quantify bee responses to environmental change with respect to variation in key functional traits, including sociality. Additionally, decades of research on environmental drivers of social evolution may prove fruitful for predicting shifts in the costs and benefits of social strategies under climate change. In this review, we explore these findings to ask two interconnected questions: (a) how does sociality mediate vulnerability to climate change, and (b) how might climate change impact social organisation in bees? We highlight traits that intersect with bee sociality that may confer resilience to climate change (e.g. extended activity periods, diet breadth, behavioural thermoregulation) and we generate predictions about the impacts of climate change on the expression and distribution of social phenotypes in bees. The social evolutionary consequences of climate change will be complex and heterogeneous, depending on such factors as local climate and plasticity of social traits. Many contexts will see an increase in the frequency of eusocial nesting as warming temperatures accelerate development and expand the temporal window for rearing a worker brood. More broadly, climate-mediated shifts in the abiotic and biotic selective environments will alter the costs and benefits of social living in different contexts, with cascading impacts at the population, community and ecosystem levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine M Ostwald
- Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Carmen R B da Silva
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katja C Seltmann
- Cheadle Center for Biodiversity & Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
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2
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Feng X, Peterson AT, Aguirre-López LJ, Burger JR, Chen X, Papeş M. Rethinking ecological niches and geographic distributions in face of pervasive human influence in the Anthropocene. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1481-1503. [PMID: 38597328 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Species are distributed in predictable ways in geographic spaces. The three principal factors that determine geographic distributions of species are biotic interactions (B), abiotic conditions (A), and dispersal ability or mobility (M). A species is expected to be present in areas that are accessible to it and that contain suitable sets of abiotic and biotic conditions for it to persist. A species' probability of presence can be quantified as a combination of responses to B, A, and M via ecological niche modeling (ENM; also frequently referred to as species distribution modeling or SDM). This analytical approach has been used broadly in ecology and biogeography, as well as in conservation planning and decision-making, but commonly in the context of 'natural' settings. However, it is increasingly recognized that human impacts, including changes in climate, land cover, and ecosystem function, greatly influence species' geographic ranges. In this light, historical distinctions between natural and anthropogenic factors have become blurred, and a coupled human-natural landscape is recognized as the new norm. Therefore, B, A, and M (BAM) factors need to be reconsidered to understand and quantify species' distributions in a world with a pervasive signature of human impacts. Here, we present a framework, termed human-influenced BAM (Hi-BAM, for distributional ecology that (i) conceptualizes human impacts in the form of six drivers, and (ii) synthesizes previous studies to show how each driver modifies the natural BAM and species' distributions. Given the importance and prevalence of human impacts on species distributions globally, we also discuss implications of this framework for ENM/SDM methods, and explore strategies by which to incorporate increasing human impacts in the methodology. Human impacts are redefining biogeographic patterns; as such, future studies should incorporate signals of human impacts integrally in modeling and forecasting species' distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Feng
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | | | | | - Joseph R Burger
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40502, USA
| | - Xin Chen
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, MD, 21532, USA
| | - Monica Papeş
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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3
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Kogan HV, Macleod SG, Rondeau NC, Raup-Collado J, Cordero VA, Rovnyak D, Marshalleck CA, Mallapan M, Flores ME, Snow JW. Transcriptional control of a metabolic switch regulating cellular methylation reactions is part of a common response to stress in divergent bee species. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246894. [PMID: 38736357 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Recent global declines in bee health have elevated the need for a more complete understanding of the cellular stress mechanisms employed by diverse bee species. We recently uncovered the biomarker lethal (2) essential for life [l(2)efl] genes as part of a shared transcriptional program in response to a number of cell stressors in the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). Here, we describe another shared stress-responsive gene, glycine N-methyltransferase (Gnmt), which is known as a key metabolic switch controlling cellular methylation reactions. We observed Gnmt induction by both abiotic and biotic stressors. We also found increased levels of the GNMT reaction product sarcosine in the midgut after stress, linking metabolic changes with the observed changes in gene regulation. Prior to this study, Gnmt upregulation had not been associated with cellular stress responses in other organisms. To determine whether this novel stress-responsive gene would behave similarly in other bee species, we first characterized the cellular response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in lab-reared adults of the solitary alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) and compared this with age-matched honey bees. The novel stress gene Gnmt was induced in addition to a number of canonical gene targets induced in both bee species upon unfolded protein response (UPR) activation, suggesting that stress-induced regulation of cellular methylation reactions is a common feature of bees. Therefore, this study suggests that the honey bee can serve as an important model for bee biology more broadly, although studies on diverse bee species will be required to fully understand global declines in bee populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen V Kogan
- Biology Department, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - David Rovnyak
- Department of Chemistry, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
| | | | - Meghna Mallapan
- Biology Department, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | | | - Jonathan W Snow
- Biology Department, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027, USA
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4
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Walters J, Barlass M, Fisher R, Isaacs R. Extreme heat exposure of host plants indirectly reduces solitary bee fecundity and survival. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240714. [PMID: 38889783 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Extreme heat poses a major threat to plants and pollinators, yet the indirect consequences of heat stress are not well understood, particularly for native solitary bees. To determine how brief exposure of extreme heat to flowering plants affects bee behaviour, fecundity, development and survival we conducted a no-choice field cage experiment in which Osmia lignaria were provided blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) and white clover (Trifolium repens) that had been previously exposed to either extreme heat (37.5°C) or normal temperatures (25°C) for 4 h during early bloom. Despite a similar number of open flowers and floral visitation frequency between the two treatments, female bees provided with heat-stressed plants laid approximately 70% fewer eggs than females provided with non-stressed plants. Their progeny received similar quantities of pollen provisions between the two treatments, yet larvae consuming pollen from heat-stressed plants had significantly lower survival as larvae and adults. We also observed trends for delayed emergence and reduced adult longevity when larvae consumed heat-stressed pollen. This study is the first to document how short, field-realistic bursts of extreme heat exposure to flowering host plants can indirectly affect bee pollinators and their offspring, with important implications for crop pollination and native bee populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna Walters
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - McKenna Barlass
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Robin Fisher
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Rufus Isaacs
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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5
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Glenny WR, Runyon JB, Burkle LA. Bumble bee diet breadth increases with local abundance and phenophase duration, not intraspecific variation in body size. Oecologia 2024; 205:149-162. [PMID: 38796612 PMCID: PMC11144151 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05560-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Patterns of abundance across space and time, and intraspecific variation in body size, are two species attributes known to influence diet breadth and the structure of interaction networks. Yet, the relative influence of these attributes on diet breadth is often assumed to be equal among taxonomic groups, and the relationship between intraspecific variation in body size on interaction patterns is frequently neglected. We observed bee-flower interactions in multiple locations across Montana, USA, for two growing seasons and measured spatial and temporal patterns of abundance, along with interspecific and intraspecific variation in body size for prevalent species. We predicted that the association between spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and intraspecific variation in body size, and diet breadth, would be stronger for bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species, because species with flexible diets and long activity periods can interact with more food items. Bumble bees had higher local abundance, occurred in many local communities, more intraspecific variation in body size, and longer phenophases compared to non-bumble bee species, but only local abundance and phenophase duration had a stronger positive association with the diet breadth of bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species. Communities with a higher proportion of bumble bees also had higher intraspecific variation in body size at the network-level, and network-level intraspecific variation in body size was positively correlated with diet generalization. Our findings highlight that the association between species attributes and diet breadth changes depending on the taxonomic group, with implications for the structure of interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will R Glenny
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - Justin B Runyon
- US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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6
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Kazenel MR, Wright KW, Griswold T, Whitney KD, Rudgers JA. Heat and desiccation tolerances predict bee abundance under climate change. Nature 2024; 628:342-348. [PMID: 38538790 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07241-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Climate change could pose an urgent threat to pollinators, with critical ecological and economic consequences. However, for most insect pollinator species, we lack the long-term data and mechanistic evidence that are necessary to identify climate-driven declines and predict future trends. Here we document 16 years of abundance patterns for a hyper-diverse bee assemblage1 in a warming and drying region2, link bee declines with experimentally determined heat and desiccation tolerances, and use climate sensitivity models to project bee communities into the future. Aridity strongly predicted bee abundance for 71% of 665 bee populations (species × ecosystem combinations). Bee taxa that best tolerated heat and desiccation increased the most over time. Models forecasted declines for 46% of species and predicted more homogeneous communities dominated by drought-tolerant taxa, even while total bee abundance may remain unchanged. Such community reordering could reduce pollination services, because diverse bee assemblages typically maximize pollination for plant communities3. Larger-bodied bees also dominated under intermediate to high aridity, identifying body size as a valuable trait for understanding how climate-driven shifts in bee communities influence pollination4. We provide evidence that climate change directly threatens bee diversity, indicating that bee conservation efforts should account for the stress of aridity on bee physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie R Kazenel
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | - Karen W Wright
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Washington State Department of Agriculture, Yakima, WA, USA
| | - Terry Griswold
- USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Kenneth D Whitney
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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7
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Miller-Struttmann NE. Climate change predicted to exacerbate declines in bee populations. Nature 2024; 628:270-271. [PMID: 38538890 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-00681-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
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8
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Gonzalez VH, Herbison N, Robles Perez G, Panganiban T, Haefner L, Tscheulin T, Petanidou T, Hranitz J. Bees display limited acclimation capacity for heat tolerance. Biol Open 2024; 13:bio060179. [PMID: 38427330 PMCID: PMC10979511 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Bees are essential pollinators and understanding their ability to cope with extreme temperature changes is crucial for predicting their resilience to climate change, but studies are limited. We measured the response of the critical thermal maximum (CTMax) to short-term acclimation in foragers of six bee species from the Greek island of Lesvos, which differ in body size, nesting habit, and level of sociality. We calculated the acclimation response ratio as a metric to assess acclimation capacity and tested whether bees' acclimation capacity was influenced by body size and/or CTMax. We also assessed whether CTMax increases following acute heat exposure simulating a heat wave. Average estimate of CTMax varied among species and increased with body size but did not significantly shift in response to acclimation treatment except in the sweat bee Lasioglossum malachurum. Acclimation capacity averaged 9% among species and it was not significantly associated with body size or CTMax. Similarly, the average CTMax did not increase following acute heat exposure. These results indicate that bees might have limited capacity to enhance heat tolerance via acclimation or in response to prior heat exposure, rendering them physiologically sensitive to rapid temperature changes during extreme weather events. These findings reinforce the idea that insects, like other ectotherms, generally express weak plasticity in CTMax, underscoring the critical role of behavioral thermoregulation for avoidance of extreme temperatures. Conserving and restoring native vegetation can provide bees temporary thermal refuges during extreme weather events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor H. Gonzalez
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Natalie Herbison
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | | | - Trisha Panganiban
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, CA, 35229, USA
| | - Laura Haefner
- Biology Department, Waynesburg University, PA, 47243, USA
| | - Thomas Tscheulin
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene, 81100, Greece
| | - Theodora Petanidou
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene, 81100, Greece
| | - John Hranitz
- Department of Biology, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, 17815 PA, USA
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9
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Jones LJ, Miller DA, Schilder RJ, López‐Uribe MM. Body mass, temperature, and pathogen intensity differentially affect critical thermal maxima and their population-level variation in a solitary bee. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10945. [PMID: 38362170 PMCID: PMC10867875 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change presents a major threat to species distribution and persistence. Understanding what abiotic or biotic factors influence the thermal tolerances of natural populations is critical to assessing their vulnerability under rapidly changing thermal regimes. This study evaluates how body mass, local climate, and pathogen intensity influence heat tolerance and its population-level variation (SD) among individuals of the solitary bee Xenoglossa pruinosa. We assess the sex-specific relationships between these factors and heat tolerance given the differences in size between sexes and the ground-nesting behavior of the females. We collected X. pruinosa individuals from 14 sites across Pennsylvania, USA, that varied in mean temperature, precipitation, and soil texture. We measured the critical thermal maxima (CTmax) of X. pruinosa individuals as our proxy for heat tolerance and used quantitative PCR to determine relative intensities of three parasite groups-trypanosomes, Spiroplasma apis (mollicute bacteria), and Vairimorpha apis (microsporidian). While there was no difference in CTmax between the sexes, we found that CTmax increased significantly with body mass and that this relationship was stronger for males than for females. Air temperature, precipitation, and soil texture did not predict mean CTmax for either sex. However, population-level variation in CTmax was strongly and negatively correlated with air temperature, which suggests that temperature is acting as an environmental filter. Of the parasites screened, only trypanosome intensity correlated with heat tolerance. Specifically, trypanosome intensity negatively correlated with the CTmax of female X. pruinosa but not males. Our results highlight the importance of considering size, sex, and infection status when evaluating thermal tolerance traits. Importantly, this study reveals the need to evaluate trends in the variation of heat tolerance within and between populations and consider implications of reduced variation in heat tolerance for the persistence of ectotherms in future climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J. Jones
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator ResearchThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Douglas A. Miller
- Earth and Environmental Systems InstituteThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rudolf J. Schilder
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator ResearchThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of BiologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Margarita M. López‐Uribe
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator ResearchThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
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10
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Tobin KB, Mandes R, Martinez A, Sadd BM. A simulated natural heatwave perturbs bumblebee immunity and resistance to infection. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:171-182. [PMID: 38180280 PMCID: PMC10922385 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
As a consequence of ongoing climate change, heatwaves are predicted to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration in many regions. Such extreme events can shift organisms from thermal optima for physiology and behaviour, with the thermal stress hypothesis predicting reduced performance at temperatures where the maintenance of biological functions is energetically costly. Performance includes the ability to resist biotic stressors, including infectious diseases, with increased exposure to extreme temperatures having the potential to synergise with parasite infection. Climate change is a proposed threat to native bee pollinators, directly and through indirect effects on floral resources, but the thermal stress hypothesis, particularly pertaining to infectious disease resistance, has received limited attention. We exposed adult Bombus impatiens bumblebee workers to simulated, ecologically relevant heatwave or control thermal regimes and assessed longevity, immunity, and resistance to concurrent or future parasite infections. We demonstrate that survival and induced antibacterial immunity are reduced following heatwaves. Supporting that heatwave exposure compromised immunity, the cost of immune activation was thermal regime dependent, with survival costs in control but not heatwave exposed bees. However, in the face of real infections, an inability to mount an optimal immune response will be detrimental, which was reflected by increased trypanosomatid parasite infections following heatwave exposure. These results demonstrate interactions between heatwave exposure and bumblebee performance, including immune and infection outcomes. Thus, the health of bumblebee pollinator populations may be affected through altered interactions with parasites and pathogens, in addition to other effects of extreme manifestations of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerrigan B. Tobin
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, United States of America
| | - Rachel Mandes
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, United States of America
| | - Abraham Martinez
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, United States of America
| | - Ben M. Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, United States of America
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11
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Merckx T, Nielsen ME, Kankaanpää T, Kadlec T, Yazdanian M, Kivelä SM. Continent-wide parallel urban evolution of increased heat tolerance in a common moth. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13636. [PMID: 38283598 PMCID: PMC10810253 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization and its urban-heat-island effect (UHI) have expanding footprints worldwide. The UHI means that urban habitats experience a higher mean and more frequent extreme high temperatures than rural habitats, impacting the ontogeny and resilience of urban biodiversity. However, many organisms occupy different microhabitats during different life stages and thus may experience the UHI differently across their development. While evolutionary changes in heat tolerance in line with the UHI have been demonstrated, it is unknown whether such evolutionary responses can vary across development. Here, using common-garden-reared Chiasmia clathrata moths from urban and rural populations from three European countries, we tested for urban evolution of heat shock tolerance in two life stages: larvae and adults. Our results indicate widespread urban evolution of increased heat tolerance in the adult stage only, suggesting that the UHI may be a stronger selective agent in adults. We also found that the difference in heat tolerance between urban and rural populations was similar to the difference between Mid- and North-European regions, suggesting similarity between adaptation to the UHI and natural, latitudinal temperature variation. Our observations incentivize further research to quantify the impact of these UHI adaptations on fitness during urbanization and climate change, and to check whether life-stage-specific adaptations in heat tolerance are typical of other ectothermic species that manage to survive in urbanized settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Merckx
- WILD, Biology DepartmentVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Matthew E. Nielsen
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
- Faculty 2 Biology/ChemistryUniversity of BremenBremenGermany
| | | | - Tomáš Kadlec
- Department of EcologyCzech University of Life Sciences PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | | | - Sami M. Kivelä
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
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12
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Ruzi SA, Youngsteadt E, Cherveny AH, Kettenbach J, Levenson HK, Carley DS, Collazo JA, Irwin RE. Bee species richness through time in an urbanizing landscape of the southeastern United States. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17060. [PMID: 38273538 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Compared to non-urban environments, cities host ecological communities with altered taxonomic diversity and functional trait composition. However, we know little about how these urban changes take shape over time. Using historical bee (Apoidea: Anthophila) museum specimens supplemented with online repositories and researcher collections, we investigated whether bee species richness tracked urban and human population growth over the past 118 years. We also determined which species were no longer collected, whether those species shared certain traits, and if collector behavior changed over time. We focused on Wake County, North Carolina, United States where human population size has increased over 16 times over the last century along with the urban area within its largest city, Raleigh, which has increased over four times. We estimated bee species richness with occupancy models, and rarefaction and extrapolation curves to account for imperfect detection and sample coverage. To determine if bee traits correlated with when species were collected, we compiled information on native status, nesting habits, diet breadth, and sociality. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling to determine if individual collectors contributed different bee assemblages over time. In total, there were 328 species collected in Wake County. We found that although bee species richness varied, there was no clear trend in bee species richness over time. However, recent collections (since 2003) were missing 195 species, and there was a shift in trait composition, particularly lost species were below-ground nesters. The top collectors in the dataset differed in how often they collected bee species, but this was not consistent between historic and contemporary time periods; some contemporary collectors grouped closer together than others, potentially due to focusing on urban habitats. Use of historical collections and complimentary analyses can fill knowledge gaps to help understand temporal patterns of species richness in taxonomic groups that may not have planned long-term data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selina A Ruzi
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elsa Youngsteadt
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - April Hamblin Cherveny
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jessica Kettenbach
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hannah K Levenson
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Danesha Seth Carley
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jaime A Collazo
- U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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13
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Gonzalez VH, Manweiler R, Smith AR, Oyen K, Cardona D, Wcislo WT. Low heat tolerance and high desiccation resistance in nocturnal bees and the implications for nocturnal pollination under climate change. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22320. [PMID: 38102400 PMCID: PMC10724170 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49815-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Predicting insect responses to climate change is essential for preserving ecosystem services and biodiversity. Due to high daytime temperatures and low humidity levels, nocturnal insects are expected to have lower heat and desiccation tolerance compared to diurnal species. We estimated the lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) thermal limits of Megalopta, a group of neotropical, forest-dwelling bees. We calculated warming tolerance (WT) as a metric to assess vulnerability to global warming and measured survival rates during simulated heatwaves and desiccation stress events. We also assessed the impact of body size and reproductive status (ovary area) on bees' thermal limits. Megalopta displayed lower CTMin, CTMax, and WTs than diurnal bees (stingless bees, orchid bees, and carpenter bees), but exhibited similar mortality during simulated heatwave and higher desiccation tolerance. CTMin increased with increasing body size across all bees but decreased with increasing body size and ovary area in Megalopta, suggesting a reproductive cost or differences in thermal environments. CTMax did not increase with increasing body size or ovary area. These results indicate a greater sensitivity of Megalopta to temperature than humidity and reinforce the idea that nocturnal insects are thermally constrained, which might threaten pollination services in nocturnal contexts during global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor H Gonzalez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
| | - Rachel Manweiler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Adam R Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Kennan Oyen
- Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - David Cardona
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - William T Wcislo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
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14
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Feuerborn C, Quinlan G, Shippee R, Strausser TL, Terranova T, Grozinger CM, Hines HM. Variance in heat tolerance in bumble bees correlates with species geographic range and is associated with several environmental and biological factors. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10730. [PMID: 38034342 PMCID: PMC10682878 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Globally, insects have been impacted by climate change, with bumble bees in particular showing range shifts and declining species diversity with global warming. This suggests heat tolerance is a likely factor limiting the distribution and success of these bees. Studies have shown high intraspecific variance in bumble bee thermal tolerance, suggesting biological and environmental factors may be impacting heat resilience. Understanding these factors is important for assessing vulnerability and finding environmental solutions to mitigate effects of climate change. In this study, we assess whether geographic range variation in bumble bees in the eastern United States is associated with heat tolerance and further dissect which other biological and environmental factors explain variation in heat sensitivity in these bees. We examine heat tolerance by caste, sex, and rearing condition (wild/lab) across six eastern US bumble bee species, and assess the role of age, reproductive status, body size, and interactive effects of humidity and temperature on thermal tolerance in Bombus impatiens. We found marked differences in heat tolerance by species that correlate with each species' latitudinal range, habitat, and climatic niche, and we found significant variation in thermal sensitivity by caste and sex. Queens had considerably lower heat tolerance than workers and males, with greater tolerance when queens would first be leaving their natal nest, and lower tolerance after ovary activation. Wild bees tended to have higher heat tolerance than lab reared bees, and body size was associated with heat tolerance only in wild-caught foragers. Humidity showed a strong interaction with heat effects, pointing to the need to regulate relative humidity in thermal assays and consider its role in nature. Altogether, we found most tested biological conditions impact thermal tolerance and highlight the stages of these bees that will be most sensitive to future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Feuerborn
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Gabriela Quinlan
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, State CollegePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rachael Shippee
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Tori L. Strausser
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of BiologyUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - Tatiana Terranova
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and MicrobiologyDuke University Medical CenterDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Christina M. Grozinger
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, State CollegePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Heather M. Hines
- Department of BiologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, State CollegePennsylvaniaUSA
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15
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Fukano Y, Yamori W, Misu H, Sato MP, Shirasawa K, Tachiki Y, Uchida K. From green to red: Urban heat stress drives leaf color evolution. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq3542. [PMID: 37862418 PMCID: PMC10588939 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Prevalence of impervious surface and resulting higher temperatures in urban areas, known as urban heat islands, comprises prominent characteristics in global cities. However, it is not known whether and how urban plants adapt to such heat stress. This study focused on Oxalis corniculata, which has intraspecific polymorphism in leaf color (green and red) and examined whether the leaf color variation is associated with urban heat stress. Field observations revealed that green-leaved plants were dominant in green habitats, and red-leaved individuals were dominant in urban habitats, at local (<500 meters), landscape (<50 kilometers), and global scales. Growth and photosynthesis experiments demonstrated that red-leaved individuals performed better under heat stress, while green-leaved individuals performed better under nonstressful conditions. Genome-wide SNP analysis suggests that the red leaf may have evolved multiple times from the ancestral green leaf. Overall, the results suggest that the red leaves of O. corniculata observed in cities worldwide are evidence of plant adaptive evolution due to urban heat islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Fukano
- Graduate School of Horticulture Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Wataru Yamori
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hayata Misu
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiko P. Sato
- Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kenta Shirasawa
- Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yuuya Tachiki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kei Uchida
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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16
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Bretzlaff T, Kerr JT, Darveau CA. High temperature sensitivity of bumblebee castes and the colony-level costs of thermoregulation in Bombus impatiens. J Therm Biol 2023; 117:103710. [PMID: 37716225 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Physiological thermal limits often reflect species distribution, but the role that ambient temperature (Ta) plays in limiting species within their thermal environment remains unclear. Climate change-linked declines in bumblebees, an important pollinator group, leave questions regarding which aspect of their physiology is hindered under high Ta. As a eusocial species, bumblebees utilize their ability to thermoregulate as a superorganism to maintain nest temperature (Tn) within a narrow thermal window to buffer developing larvae from developmental defects. Thermoregulatory behaviours, such as thermogenesis to warm up and fanning to cool down the nest, are energetically expensive and it is uncertain how successful large colonies are at maintaining Tn within its optimal range. Using a common bumblebee species, Bombus impatiens, our study first established the critical thermal limits (CTmax) of workers, queens, drones and larvae to determine which caste is most thermally sensitive to heat. We found that larvae had significantly lower heat tolerance than adults, highlighting the importance of colonial thermoregulation. We then measured the energy expenditure of large colonies under acute thermal stress (5-40 °C) using flow-through respirometry while simultaneously quantifying Tn. Colonies that experienced Ta at or below optimal Tn (≤30 °C) were successful at thermoregulation. At 35 °C and above, however, Tn increased despite high energetic costs to the colony. Together our results demonstrate that high Ta poses a risk to colonies that fail to buffer thermally sensitive larvae from changes in Tn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Bretzlaff
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - Jeremy T Kerr
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - Charles-A Darveau
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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17
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Liang H, He YD, Theodorou P, Yang CF. The effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination: A meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1629-1642. [PMID: 37345567 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is increasing worldwide, with major impacts on biodiversity, species interactions and ecosystem functioning. Pollination is an ecosystem function vital for terrestrial ecosystems and food security; however, the processes underlying the patterns of pollinator diversity and the ecosystem services they provide in cities have seldom been quantified. Here, we perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of 133 studies examining the effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination. Our results confirm the widespread negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator richness and abundance, with Lepidoptera being the most affected group. Furthermore, pollinator responses were found to be trait-specific, with below-ground nesting and solitary Hymenoptera, and spring flyers more severely affected by urbanization. Meanwhile, cities promote non-native pollinators, which may exacerbate conservation risks to native species. Surprisingly, despite the negative effects of urbanization on pollinator diversity, pollination service measured as seed set is enhanced in non-tropical cities likely due to abundant generalists and managed pollinators therein. We emphasize that the richness of local flowering plants could mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator diversity. Overall, the results demonstrate the varying magnitudes of multiple moderators on urban pollinators and pollination services and could help guide conservation actions for biodiversity and ecosystem function for a sustainable future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Liang
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yong-Deng He
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Panagiotis Theodorou
- General Zoology, Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chun-Feng Yang
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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18
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Sepúlveda Y, Goulson D. Feeling the heat: Bumblebee workers show no acclimation capacity of upper thermal tolerance to simulated heatwaves. J Therm Biol 2023; 116:103672. [PMID: 37531893 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is our most significant challenge in the 21st century and among the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Recent distributional shifts and declines in crucial pollinators, such as bumblebees, seem to be associated to this phenomenon. However, despite future climate projections on climate warming, few studies have assessed the ability of temperate bumblebees to acclimate to extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. This study estimates the upper critical thermal limits (Critical Thermal Maximum (CTmax) and Heat Coma Temperature (HCT)), of the bumblebee subspecies Bombus terrestris audax, and assesses whether CTmax increases following exposure to a simulated heatwave. The critical thermal maximum occurred between 48.9 and 52.7 °C, while the heat coma temperature varied between 50.7 and 53.4 °C. After measurement of HCT, around 23% of bees survived 24 h or longer, but coordination was never recovered. There was no significant association between upper critical thermal limits and body mass, which highlights the need to investigate other factors to comprehend the mechanisms behind thermal tolerance limits. Furthermore, the heatwave treatments had no significant effect on the CTmax of bumblebee workers, indicating no acclimation capacity of upper thermal tolerance to simulated heatwaves. Our study provides insights into the upper thermal tolerance limits of Bombus terrestris audax and reveals that exposure to heatwave-like events does not change the upper thermal tolerance of bees, highlighting the need to develop effective strategies that might enable them to cope with extreme weather events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanet Sepúlveda
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
| | - Dave Goulson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
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19
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Fyie LR, Tronetti HR, Gardiner MM, Meuti ME. Potential for urban warming to postpone overwintering dormancy of temperate mosquitoes. J Therm Biol 2023; 115:103594. [PMID: 37429087 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Cities are generally hotter than surrounding rural areas due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. These increases in temperature advance plant and animal phenology, development, and reproduction in the spring. However, research determining how increased temperatures affect the seasonal physiology of animals in the fall has been limited. The Northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens, is abundant in cities and transmits several pathogens including West Nile virus. Females of this species enter a state of developmental arrest, or reproductive diapause, in response to short days and low temperatures during autumn. Diapausing females halt reproduction and blood-feeding, and instead accumulate fat and seek sheltered overwintering sites. We found that exposure to increased temperatures in the lab that mimic the UHI effect induced ovarian development and blood-feeding, and that females exposed to these temperatures were as fecund as non-diapausing mosquitoes. We also found that females exposed to higher temperatures had lower survival rates in winter-like conditions, despite having accumulated equivalent lipid reserves relative to their diapausing congeners. These data suggest that urban warming may inhibit diapause initiation in the autumn, thereby extending the active biting season of temperate mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia R Fyie
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH, USA, 43210.
| | - Hannah R Tronetti
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2029 Fyffe Rd, Columbus, OH, USA, 43210
| | - Mary M Gardiner
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH, USA, 43210
| | - Megan E Meuti
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH, USA, 43210
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20
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Leroy C, Brunet JL, Henry M, Alaux C. Using physiology to better support wild bee conservation. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coac076. [PMID: 36632323 PMCID: PMC9825782 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
There is accumulating evidence that wild bees are experiencing a decline in terms of species diversity, abundance or distribution, which leads to major concerns about the sustainability of both pollination services and intrinsic biodiversity. There is therefore an urgent need to better understand the drivers of their decline, as well as design conservation strategies. In this context, the current approach consists of linking observed occurrence and distribution data of species to environmental features. While useful, a highly complementary approach would be the use of new biological metrics that can link individual bee responses to environmental alteration with population-level responses, which could communicate the actual bee sensitivity to environmental changes and act as early warning signals of bee population decline or sustainability. We discuss here through several examples how the measurement of bee physiological traits or performance can play this role not only in better assessing the impact of anthropogenic pressures on bees, but also in guiding conservation practices with the help of the documentation of species' physiological needs. Last but not least, because physiological changes generally occur well in advance of demographic changes, we argue that physiological traits can help in predicting and anticipating future population trends, which would represent a more proactive approach to conservation. In conclusion, we believe that future efforts to combine physiological, ecological and population-level knowledge will provide meaningful contributions to wild bee conservation-based research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean-Luc Brunet
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84 914 Avignon, France
| | - Mickael Henry
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84 914 Avignon, France
| | - Cedric Alaux
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84 914 Avignon, France
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21
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Ibsen PC, Santiago LS, Shiflett SA, Chandler M, Jenerette GD. Irrigated urban trees exhibit greater functional trait plasticity compared to natural stands. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20220448. [PMID: 36596464 PMCID: PMC9810417 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization creates novel ecosystems comprised of species assemblages and environments with no natural analogue. Moreover, irrigation can alter plant function compared to non-irrigated systems. However, the capacity of irrigation to alter functional trait patterns across multiple species is unknown but may be important for the dynamics of urban ecosystems. We evaluated the hypothesis that urban irrigation influences plasticity in functional traits by measuring carbon-gain and water-use traits of 30 tree species planted in Southern California, USA spanning a coastal-to-desert gradient. Tree species respond to irrigation through increasing the carbon-gain trait relationship of leaf nitrogen per specific leaf area compared to their native habitat. Moreover, most species shift to a water-use strategy of greater water loss through stomata when planted in irrigated desert-like environments compared to coastal environments, implying that irrigated species capitalize on increased water availability to cool their leaves in extreme heat and high evaporative demand conditions. Therefore, irrigated urban environments increase the plasticity of trait responses compared to native ecosystems, allowing for novel response to climatic variation. Our results indicate that trees grown in water-resource-rich urban ecosystems can alter their functional traits plasticity beyond those measured in native ecosystems, which can lead to plant trait dynamics with no natural analogue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C. Ibsen
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Denver, CO 80225, USA
| | - Louis S. Santiago
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Sheri A. Shiflett
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
| | | | - G. Darrel Jenerette
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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22
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Gonzalez VH, Oyen K, Vitale N, Ospina R. Neotropical stingless bees display a strong response in cold tolerance with changes in elevation. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac073. [PMID: 36570736 PMCID: PMC9773376 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Tropical pollinators are expected to experience substantial effects due to climate change, but aspects of their thermal biology remain largely unknown. We investigated the thermal tolerance of stingless honey-making bees, the most ecologically, economically and culturally important group of tropical pollinators. We assessed changes in the lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) critical thermal limits of 17 species (12 genera) at two elevations (200 and 1500 m) in the Colombian Andes. In addition, we examined the influence of body size (intertegular distance, ITD), hairiness (thoracic hair length) and coloration (lightness value) on bees' thermal tolerance. Because stingless beekeepers often relocate their colonies across the altitudinal gradient, as an initial attempt to explore potential social responses to climatic variability, we also tracked for several weeks brood temperature and humidity in nests of three species at both elevations. We found that CTMin decreased with elevation while CTMax was similar between elevations. CTMin and CTMax increased (low cold tolerance and high heat tolerance) with increasing ITD, hair length and lightness value, but these relationships were weak and explained at most 10% of the variance. Neither CTMin nor CTMax displayed significant phylogenetic signal. Brood nest temperature tracked ambient diel variations more closely in the low-elevation site, but it was constant and higher at the high-elevation site. In contrast, brood nest humidity was uniform throughout the day regardless of elevation. The stronger response in CTMin, and a similar CTMax between elevations, follows a pattern of variation documented across a wide range of taxa that is commonly known as the Brett's heat-invariant hypothesis. Our results indicate differential thermal sensitivities and potential thermal adaptations to local climate, which support ongoing conservation policies to restrict the long-distance relocations of colonies. They also shed light on how malleable nest thermoregulation can be across elevations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor H Gonzalez
- Corresponding author: Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
| | - Kennan Oyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Nydia Vitale
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET, Mendoza, 5500, Argentina
| | - Rodulfo Ospina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Abejas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Santa Fé de Bogotá, 111321, Colombia
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23
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Fitzgerald JL, Ogilvie JE, CaraDonna PJ. Ecological Drivers and Consequences of Bumble Bee Body Size Variation. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 51:1055-1068. [PMID: 36373400 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvac093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Body size is arguably one of the most important traits influencing the physiology and ecology of animals. Shifts in animal body size have been observed in response to climate change, including in bumble bees (Bombus spp. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]). Bumble bee size shifts have occurred concurrently with the precipitous population declines of several species, which appear to be related, in part, to their size. Body size variation is central to the ecology of bumble bees, from their social organization to the pollination services they provide to plants. If bumble bee size is shifted or constrained, there may be consequences for the pollination services they provide and for our ability to predict their responses to global change. Yet, there are still many aspects of the breadth and role of bumble bee body size variation that require more study. To this end, we review the current evidence of the ecological drivers of size variation in bumble bees and the consequences of that variation on bumble bee fitness, foraging, and species interactions. In total we review: (1) the proximate determinants and physiological consequences of size variation in bumble bees; (2) the environmental drivers and ecological consequences of size variation; and (3) synthesize our understanding of size variation in predicting how bumble bees will respond to future changes in climate and land use. As global change intensifies, a better understanding of the factors influencing the size distributions of bumble bees, and the consequences of those distributions, will allow us to better predict future responses of these pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn L Fitzgerald
- Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science & Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Jane E Ogilvie
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Paul J CaraDonna
- Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science & Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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24
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Thermal limits of Africanized honey bees are influenced by temperature ramping rate but not by other experimental conditions. J Therm Biol 2022; 110:103369. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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25
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Gonzalez VH, Oyen K, Aguilar ML, Herrera A, Martin RD, Ospina R. High thermal tolerance in high-elevation species and laboratory-reared colonies of tropical bumble bees. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9560. [PMID: 36479027 PMCID: PMC9720000 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bumble bees are key pollinators with some species reared in captivity at a commercial scale, but with significant evidence of population declines and with alarming predictions of substantial impacts under climate change scenarios. While studies on the thermal biology of temperate bumble bees are still limited, they are entirely absent from the tropics where the effects of climate change are expected to be greater. Herein, we test whether bees' thermal tolerance decreases with elevation and whether the stable optimal conditions used in laboratory-reared colonies reduces their thermal tolerance. We assessed changes in the lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) critical thermal limits of four species at two elevations (2600 and 3600 m) in the Colombian Andes, examined the effect of body size, and evaluated the thermal tolerance of wild-caught and laboratory-reared individuals of Bombus pauloensis. We also compiled information on bumble bees' thermal limits and assessed potential predictors for broadscale patterns of variation. We found that CTMin decreased with increasing elevation, while CTMax was similar between elevations. CTMax was slightly higher (0.84°C) in laboratory-reared than in wild-caught bees while CTMin was similar, and CTMin decreased with increasing body size while CTMax did not. Latitude is a good predictor for CTMin while annual mean temperature, maximum and minimum temperatures of the warmest and coldest months are good predictors for both CTMin and CTMax. The stronger response in CTMin with increasing elevation, and similar CTMax, supports Brett's heat-invariant hypothesis, which has been documented in other taxa. Andean bumble bees appear to be about as heat tolerant as those from temperate areas, suggesting that other aspects besides temperature (e.g., water balance) might be more determinant environmental factors for these species. Laboratory-reared colonies are adequate surrogates for addressing questions on thermal tolerance and global warming impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor H. Gonzalez
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKansasUSA
| | - Kennan Oyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and SciencesUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnatiOhioUSA
| | | | - Andres Herrera
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKansasUSA
| | | | - Rodulfo Ospina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en AbejasUniversidad Nacional de ColombiaSanta Fé de BogotáColombia
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26
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Christman ME, Spears LR, Koch JBU, Lindsay TTT, Strange JP, Barnes CL, Ramirez RA. Captive Rearing Success and Critical Thermal Maxima of Bombus griseocollis (Hymenoptera: Apidae): A Candidate for Commercialization? JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2022; 22:2. [PMID: 36398850 PMCID: PMC9673274 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieac064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Commercialized bumble bees (Bombus) are primary pollinators of several crops within open field and greenhouse settings. However, the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) is the only species widely available for purchase in North America. As an eastern species, concerns have been expressed over their transportation outside of their native range. Therefore, there is a need to identify regionally appropriate candidates for commercial crop pollination services, especially in the western U.S.A. In this study, we evaluated the commercialization potential of brown-belted bumble bees (Bombus griseocollis De Geer, 1773), a broadly distributed species throughout the U.S.A., by assessing nest initiation and establishment rates of colonies produced from wild-caught gynes, creating a timeline of colony development, and identifying lab-reared workers' critical thermal maxima (CTMax) and lethal temperature (ecological death). From 2019 to 2021, 70.6% of the wild-caught B. griseocollis gynes produced brood in a laboratory setting. Of these successfully initiated nests, 74.8% successfully established a nest (produced a worker), providing guidance for future rearing efforts. Additionally, lab-reared workers produced from wild-caught B. griseocollis gynes had an average CTMax of 43.5°C and an average lethal temperature of 46.4°C, suggesting B. griseocollis can withstand temperatures well above those commonly found in open field and greenhouse settings. Overall, B. griseocollis should continue to be evaluated for commercial purposes throughout the U.S.A.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lori R Spears
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Jonathan B U Koch
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insect – Biology, Management, Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Thuy-Tien T Lindsay
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insect – Biology, Management, Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - James P Strange
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Cody L Barnes
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Ricardo A Ramirez
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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27
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Brenzinger K, Maihoff F, Peters MK, Schimmer L, Bischler T, Classen A. Temperature and livestock grazing trigger transcriptome responses in bumblebees along an elevational gradient. iScience 2022; 25:105175. [PMID: 36204268 PMCID: PMC9530833 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate and land-use changes cause increasing stress to pollinators but the molecular pathways underlying stress responses are poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomic response of Bombus lucorum workers to temperature and livestock grazing. Bumblebees sampled along an elevational gradient, and from differently managed grassland sites (livestock grazing vs unmanaged) in the German Alps did not differ in the expression of genes known for thermal stress responses. Instead, metabolic energy production pathways were upregulated in bumblebees sampled in mid- or high elevations or during cool temperatures. Extensive grazing pressure led to an upregulation of genetic pathways involved in immunoregulation and DNA-repair. We conclude that widespread bumblebees are tolerant toward temperature fluctuations in temperate mountain environments. Moderate temperature increases may even release bumblebees from metabolic stress. However, transcriptome responses to even moderate management regimes highlight the completely underestimated complexity of human influence on natural pollinators. Upregulation of energy metabolism pathways in Bombus lucorum with increasing elevation Genes known for thermal stress responses did not change with increased elevation Bombus lucorum are tolerant toward relatively broad temperature fluctuations Grazing lead to an upregulation in genetic information processes in B. lucorum
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristof Brenzinger
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- Corresponding author
| | - Fabienne Maihoff
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marcell K. Peters
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Leonie Schimmer
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Bischler
- Core Unit Systems Medicine, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alice Classen
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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28
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Jaboor SK, da Silva CRB, Kellermann V. The effect of environmental temperature on bee activity at strawberry farms. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carmen Rose Buke da Silva
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria 3800 Australia
- Department of Biology Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio USA
| | - Vanessa Kellermann
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria 3800 Australia
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29
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Walters J, Zavalnitskaya J, Isaacs R, Szendrei Z. Heat of the moment: extreme heat poses a risk to bee-plant interactions and crop yields. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 52:100927. [PMID: 35500861 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Extreme heat events threaten the development, functioning, and success of bee pollinators and crops that rely on pollinators for high yields. While direct effects of extreme heat and climate warming have gained more attention, the indirect effects on bees and crops remain largely unexplored. Extreme heat can directly alter the nutritional value of floral rewards, which indirectly contributes to lower bee survival, development, and reproduction with implications for pollination. Phenological mismatches between bee activity and crop flowering are also expected. Heat-stressed crop plants with reduced floral rewards may reduce bee foraging and nesting, limiting pollination services. Understanding how extreme heat affects bee-crop interactions will be essential for resilient production of pollinator-dependent crops in this era of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna Walters
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | | | - Rufus Isaacs
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Zsofia Szendrei
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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30
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Villalta I, Bouget C, Lopez-Vaamonde C, Baude M. Phylogenetic, functional and taxonomic responses of wild bee communities along urbanisation gradients. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 832:154926. [PMID: 35364149 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Increasing urbanisation is one of the primary drivers of land-use change that threaten biodiversity. Wild bee communities have been reported with contrasting responses to urbanisation, with varying effects on abundance and taxonomical diversity. The suite of functional traits exhibited by wild bee species might determine their persistence in urban areas. Urbanisation thus can impose an environmental filter with potential consequences on the functional and phylogenetical diversity of wild bee communities. Here, we sampled 2944 wild bee specimens from 156 species in 29 sites located along an urbanisation gradient using a replicated design in three mid-sized cities in the Loire valley (France). We show that urban landscape cover has a negative effect on overall species richness and taxonomical diversity indices, while total abundance remains constant. Species loss was taxon dependent, mainly driven by Andrenidae and Halictidae. Only a few species, especially of the genus Lasioglossum, were positively affected by the urban landscape cover. Urban and peri-urban areas differed in their composition of bee assemblages. Species turnover was the main component of beta diversity, driving community dissimilarities through the urban gradient. Urbanisation favours bees with small body sizes, social structure and extended flight periods but did not affect the phylogenetic or the functional diversity of communities. Our findings have implications for understanding the factors involved in the environmental filter exerted through the urban gradient on bee communities helping to implement conservation measures and managing urban spaces for bees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carlos Lopez-Vaamonde
- IRBI, UMR 7261, Université de Tours, Tours, France; INRAE, UR0633 Zoologie Forestière, Orléans, France
| | - Mathilde Baude
- Université d'Orléans, INRAE USC 1328, LBLGC EA 1207, Orléans, France
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31
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Gérard M, Amiri A, Cariou B, Baird E. Short-term exposure to heatwave-like temperatures affects learning and memory in bumblebees. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:4251-4259. [PMID: 35429217 PMCID: PMC9541601 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Global warming has been identified as a key driver of bee declines around the world. While it is clear that elevated temperatures during the spring and summer months-the principal activity period of many bee species-is a factor in this decline, exactly how temperature affects bee survival is unknown. In vertebrates, there is clear evidence that elevated ambient temperatures impair cognition but whether and how heat affects the cognitive abilities of invertebrates remains unclear. Cognitive skills in bees are essential for their survival as, to supply the hive with nutrition, workers must be able to learn and remember the location of the most rewarding floral resources. Here, we investigate whether temperature-related cognitive impairments could be a driver of bee declines by exploring the effect of short-term increases in ambient temperature on learning and memory. We found that, in comparison to bees that were tested at 25°C (a temperature that they would typically experience in summer), bees that were exposed to 32°C (a temperature that they will becoming increasingly exposed to during heatwave events) were significantly worse at forming an association between a coloured light and a sucrose reward and that their capacity to remember this association after just 1 h was abolished. This study provides novel experimental evidence that even just a few hours of exposure to heatwave-like temperatures can severely impair the cognitive performance of insects. Such temperature-induced cognitive deficits could play an important role in explaining recent and future bee population declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxence Gérard
- INSECT LabDivision of Functional MorphologyDepartment of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Anahit Amiri
- INSECT LabDivision of Functional MorphologyDepartment of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
- Faculté des Sciences et IngénierieSorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Bérénice Cariou
- INSECT LabDivision of Functional MorphologyDepartment of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
- Faculté des Sciences et IngénierieSorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Emily Baird
- INSECT LabDivision of Functional MorphologyDepartment of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
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32
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Pardee GL, Griffin SR, Stemkovski M, Harrison T, Portman ZM, Kazenel MR, Lynn JS, Inouye DW, Irwin RE. Life-history traits predict responses of wild bees to climate variation. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212697. [PMID: 35440209 PMCID: PMC9019520 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history traits, which are physical traits or behaviours that affect growth, survivorship and reproduction, could play an important role in how well organisms respond to environmental change. By looking for trait-based responses within groups, we can gain a mechanistic understanding of why environmental change might favour or penalize certain species over others. We monitored the abundance of at least 154 bee species for 8 consecutive years in a subalpine region of the Rocky Mountains to ask whether bees respond differently to changes in abiotic conditions based on their life-history traits. We found that comb-building cavity nesters and larger bodied bees declined in relative abundance with increasing temperatures, while smaller, soil-nesting bees increased. Further, bees with narrower diet breadths increased in relative abundance with decreased rainfall. Finally, reduced snowpack was associated with reduced relative abundance of bees that overwintered as prepupae whereas bees that overwintered as adults increased in relative abundance, suggesting that overwintering conditions might affect body size, lipid content and overwintering survival. Taken together, our results show how climate change may reshape bee pollinator communities, with bees with certain traits increasing in abundance and others declining, potentially leading to novel plant-pollinator interactions and changes in plant reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella L Pardee
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Sean R Griffin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Michael Stemkovski
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA.,Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Tina Harrison
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70501, USA
| | - Zachary M Portman
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, 55108
| | - Melanie R Kazenel
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Joshua S Lynn
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA.,Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - David W Inouye
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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33
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Differential Impacts of Climatic and Land Use Changes on Habitat Suitability and Protected Area Adequacy across the Asian Elephant’s Range. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14094933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and human activities have caused dramatic impacts on biodiversity. Although a number of international agreements or initiatives have been launched to mitigate the biodiversity loss, the erosion of terrestrial biome habitats is inevitable. Consequently, the identification of potential suitable habitats under climate change and human disturbance has become an urgent task of biodiversity conservation. In this study, we used the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to identify the current and potential future habitats of Asian elephants in South and Southeast Asia. We performed analyses for future projections with 17 scenarios using the present results as baseline. To optimize the modelling results, we delineated the core habitats by using the Core Mapper Tool and compared them with existing protected areas (PAs) through gap analysis. The results showed that the current total area of core habitats is 491,455 km2 in size and will be reduced to 332,544 km2 by 2090 under SSP585 (the shared socioeconomic pathway). The projection analysis under differential scenarios suggested that most of the core habitats in the current protected areas would remain stable and suitable for elephants in the future. However, the remaining 75.17% of the core habitats lay outside the current PAs, and finally we mapped approximately 219,545 km2 of suitable habitats as priority protected areas in the future. Although our model did not perform well in some regions, our analyses and findings still could provide useful references to the planning of protected areas and conservation of Asian elephant.
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34
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Gonzalez VH, Hranitz JM, McGonigle MB, Manweiler RE, Smith DR, Barthell JF. Acute exposure to sublethal doses of neonicotinoid insecticides increases heat tolerance in honey bees. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0240950. [PMID: 35213539 PMCID: PMC8880832 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The European honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is the single most valuable managed pollinator in the world. Poor colony health or unusually high colony losses of managed honey bees result from a myriad of stressors, which are more harmful in combination. Climate change is expected to accentuate the effects of these stressors, but the physiological and behavioral responses of honey bees to elevated temperatures while under simultaneous influence of one or more stressors remain largely unknown. Here we test the hypothesis that exposure to acute, sublethal doses of neonicotinoid insecticides reduce thermal tolerance in honey bees. We administered to bees oral doses of imidacloprid and acetamiprid at 1/5, 1/20, and 1/100 of LD50 and measured their heat tolerance 4 h post-feeding, using both dynamic and static protocols. Contrary to our expectations, acute exposure to sublethal doses of both insecticides resulted in higher thermal tolerance and greater survival rates of bees. Bees that ingested the higher doses of insecticides displayed a critical thermal maximum from 2 ˚C to 5 ˚C greater than that of the control group, and 67%–87% reduction in mortality. Our study suggests a resilience of honey bees to high temperatures when other stressors are present, which is consistent with studies in other insects. We discuss the implications of these results and hypothesize that this compensatory effect is likely due to induction of heat shock proteins by the insecticides, which provides temporary protection from elevated temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor H. Gonzalez
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - John M. Hranitz
- Biological and Allied Health Sciences, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Mercedes B. McGonigle
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Rachel E. Manweiler
- Undergraduate Biology Program and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Deborah R. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - John F. Barthell
- Department of Biology, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma, United States of America
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35
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Maher GM, Johnson GA, Burdine JD. Impervious surface and local abiotic conditions influence arthropod communities within urban greenspaces. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12818. [PMID: 35127289 PMCID: PMC8793725 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The abundance of arthropods is declining globally, and human-modification of natural habitat is a primary driver of these declines. Arthropod declines are concerning because arthropods mediate critical ecosystem functions, and sustained declines may lead to cascading trophic effects. There is growing evidence that properly managed urban environments can provide refugium to arthropods, but few cities have examined arthropods within urban greenspaces to evaluate their management efforts. In this study, we surveyed arthropod communities within a medium-sized, growing city. We investigated arthropod communities (abundance, richness, diversity, community composition) within 16 urban greenspaces across metropolitan Grand Rapids, Michigan (USA). We focused our efforts on urban gardens and pocket prairies, and measured environmental variables at each site. We collected 5,468 individual arthropods that spanned 14 taxonomic orders and 66 morphospecies. The results showed that community composition was influenced by impervious surface, white flower abundance, and humidity. Total arthropod abundance and diversity were positively associated with humidity. For specific orders, Hymenoptera (bees, ants, wasps) abundance was negatively associated with temperature, and positively associated with site perimeter-area ratio. Hemiptera (true bugs) were negatively associated with impervious surface and positively associated with humidity. These findings show that impervious surfaces impact arthropod communities, but many of the observed changes were driven by local abiotic conditions like temperature and humidity. This suggests that management decisions within urban greenspaces are important in determining the structure of arthropod communities. Future studies on arthropods in cities should determine whether manipulating the abiotic conditions of urban greenspaces influences the composition of arthropod communities. These results should inform city planners and homeowners of the need to properly manage urban greenspaces in cities to maintain diverse arthropod assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett M. Maher
- Division of Science and Kinesiology, Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America
| | - Graham A. Johnson
- Division of Science and Kinesiology, Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America
| | - Justin D. Burdine
- Division of Science and Kinesiology, Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America
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36
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Scherr KD, Jamieson MA. Abiotic and biotic drivers of strawberry productivity across a rural-urban gradient. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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37
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Reproductive patterns of solitary cavity-nesting bees responsive to both local and landscape factors. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01116-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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38
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Campbell-Staton SC, Velotta JP, Winchell KM. Selection on adaptive and maladaptive gene expression plasticity during thermal adaptation to urban heat islands. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6195. [PMID: 34702827 PMCID: PMC8548502 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26334-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity enables a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes in response to environmental variation. Plasticity may play a critical role in the colonization of novel environments, but its role in adaptive evolution is controversial. Here we suggest that rapid parallel regulatory adaptation of Anolis lizards to urban heat islands is due primarily to selection for reduced and/or reversed heat-induced plasticity that is maladaptive in urban thermal conditions. We identify evidence for polygenic selection across genes of the skeletal muscle transcriptome associated with heat tolerance. Forest lizards raised in common garden conditions exhibit heat-induced changes in expression of these genes that largely correlate with decreased heat tolerance, consistent with maladaptive regulatory response to high-temperature environments. In contrast, urban lizards display reduced gene expression plasticity after heat challenge in common garden and a significant increase in gene expression change that is congruent with greater heat tolerance, a putatively adaptive state in warmer urban environments. Genes displaying maladaptive heat-induced plasticity repeatedly show greater genetic divergence between urban and forest habitats than those displaying adaptive plasticity. These results highlight the role of selection against maladaptive regulatory plasticity during rapid adaptive modification of complex systems in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane C Campbell-Staton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Jonathan P Velotta
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, 80208, USA
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39
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Duffy GA, Kuyucu AC, Hoskins JL, Hay EM, Chown SL. Adequate sample sizes for improved accuracy of thermal trait estimates. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grant A. Duffy
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic. Australia
| | - Arda C. Kuyucu
- Department of Biology Hacettepe University Ankara Turkey
| | | | - Eleanor M. Hay
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic. Australia
| | - Steven L. Chown
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic. Australia
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40
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Maebe K, Hart AF, Marshall L, Vandamme P, Vereecken NJ, Michez D, Smagghe G. Bumblebee resilience to climate change, through plastic and adaptive responses. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:4223-4237. [PMID: 34118096 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bumblebees are ubiquitous, cold-adapted eusocial bees found worldwide from subarctic to tropical regions of the world. They are key pollinators in most temperate and boreal ecosystems, and both wild and managed populations are significant contributors to agricultural pollination services. Despite their broad ecological niche at the genus level, bumblebee species are threatened by climate change, particularly by rising average temperatures, intensifying seasonality and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. While some temperature extremes may be offset at the individual or colony level through temperature regulation, most bumblebees are expected to exhibit specific plastic responses, selection in various key traits, and/or range contractions under even the mildest climate change. In this review, we provide an in-depth and up-to-date review on the various ways by which bumblebees overcome the threats associated with current and future global change. We use examples relevant to the fields of bumblebee physiology, morphology, behaviour, phenology, and dispersal to illustrate and discuss the contours of this new theoretical framework. Furthermore, we speculate on the extent to which adaptive responses to climate change may be influenced by bumblebees' capacity to disperse and track suitable climate conditions. Closing the knowledge gap and improving our understanding of bumblebees' adaptability or avoidance behaviour to different climatic circumstances will be necessary to improve current species climate response models. These models are essential to make correct predictions of species vulnerability in the face of future climate change and human-induced environmental changes to unfold appropriate future conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Maebe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alex F Hart
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leon Marshall
- Agroecology Lab, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Vandamme
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Denis Michez
- Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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41
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Maebe K, De Baets A, Vandamme P, Vereecken NJ, Michez D, Smagghe G. Impact of intraspecific variation on measurements of thermal tolerance in bumble bees. J Therm Biol 2021; 99:103002. [PMID: 34420633 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.103002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is an important driver of bee decline despite the fact that many species might respond to climate change differently. One method to predict how a species will respond to climate change is to identify its thermal tolerance limits. However, differences in thermal tolerance might also occur among distant populations of the same species based on their local environment or even among castes of social insects. Here, we investigated intraspecific differences in thermal tolerance among subspecies of the large earth bumble bee, Bombus terrestris (Apidae). We determined the critical thermal minima and maxima (CTmin and CTmax, respectively) of workers and queens from three lab-reared B. terrestris subspecies (B. t. terrestris, B. t. audax, and B. t. canariensis) which originated from different thermal environments. Our results showed that caste has an influence on critical thermal minima, with queens being most cold-tolerant, but the values of critical thermal maxima were not correlated to caste or size. The thermal tolerance of workers did not differ among the subspecies. Although heat tolerance was similar in queens, B. t. canariensis queens (originating from the warmest environments) were the least cold tolerant. Overall, we showed that B. terrestris may be generally robust against climate warming, but that particular subspecies and/or populations may be more vulnerable to extreme temperature variability. Future research should focus on responses of B. terrestris populations to short, extreme thermal events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Maebe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Annelien De Baets
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Vandamme
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nicolas J Vereecken
- Agroecology Lab, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Boulevard du Triomphe CP 264/02, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denis Michez
- Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Place du parc 20, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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42
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Kenna D, Pawar S, Gill RJ. Thermal flight performance reveals impact of warming on bumblebee foraging potential. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kenna
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College LondonSilwood Park Campus Ascot UK
| | - Samraat Pawar
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College LondonSilwood Park Campus Ascot UK
| | - Richard J. Gill
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College LondonSilwood Park Campus Ascot UK
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43
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Clusella-Trullas S, Garcia RA, Terblanche JS, Hoffmann AA. How useful are thermal vulnerability indices? Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:1000-1010. [PMID: 34384645 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
To forecast climate change impacts across habitats or taxa, thermal vulnerability indices (e.g., safety margins and warming tolerances) are growing in popularity. Here, we present their history, context, formulation, and current applications. We highlight discrepancies in terminology and usage, and we draw attention to key assumptions underpinning the main indices and to their ecological and evolutionary relevance. In the process, we flag biases influencing these indices that are not always evaluated. These biases affect both components of index formulations, namely: (i) the characterisation of the thermal environment; and (ii) an organism's physiological and behavioural responses to more frequent and severe warming. Presently, many outstanding questions weaken a thermal vulnerability index approach. We describe ways to validate vulnerability index applications and outline issues to be considered in further developing these indices.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raquel A Garcia
- Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - John S Terblanche
- Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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44
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LeBuhn G, Vargas Luna J. Pollinator decline: what do we know about the drivers of solitary bee declines? CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 46:106-111. [PMID: 34082166 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Pollinators and the environments where they live are experiencing increasing human impacts leading to changes, primarily declines, in species richness and population abundances. The drivers of pollinator decline vary. Almost every type human resource use leads to some level of loss of habitat. The effects of pollution, particularly heavy metals, pesticides and the role of disease are increasingly recognized as important drivers of pollinator declines, however, significant gaps in our knowledge exist. Of particular concern is the feedback loop between decreasing pollination service, plant inbreeding, declines in nectar quality and further pollinator decline. When viewed in the context of the abiotic and biotic shifts associated with climate change, we suggest that focusing on ensuring there is adequate habitat remaining to provide resilience should be a central strategy for preserving pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen LeBuhn
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Joshua Vargas Luna
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, USA
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45
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Aldea-Sánchez P, Ramírez-Cáceres GE, Rezende EL, Bozinovic F. Heat Tolerance, Energetics, and Thermal Treatments of Honeybees Parasitized With Varroa. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.656504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ongoing global change affects both wildlife and economically relevant species, which are now subjected to combined challenges from climate change and higher exposure to pathogens. Honeybee colonies worldwide are under threat by higher temperatures and the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, hence we studied the impact of these combined challenges in the thermal biology and energetics of Apis mellifera. We estimated the heat tolerance and energy expenditure (CO2 production and VCO2) of honeybees acclimated to different temperatures (32 and 38°C) and subjected to different levels of parasitism (0, 1, and 2 mites). Heat tolerance was quantified employing thermal death time (TDT) curves describing how survival times vary as a function of temperature, which differed significantly between treatments. Warm-acclimated uninfected bees exhibited a higher thermal tolerance than their cold-acclimated counterparts, but parasitism by Varroa resulted in a substantial drop in tolerance rendering TDT curves of parasitized bees virtually indistinguishable. Accordingly, VCO2 increased dramatically in parasitized bees (46.5 and 67.1% with 1 and 2 Varroa, respectively), suggesting that Varroa impinges on substantial costs on energy expenditure which, in combination with lower fat reserves due to parasitism, should have synergistic effects on bees’ survival and performance. Results provide conclusive evidence of the detrimental impact of Varroa on heat tolerance that undermines potentially adaptive responses associated with thermal acclimation. Results also show that heat treatments are a realistic venue to control Varroa, and we discuss how TDT curves may be employed to optimize management strategies in this context.
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46
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Stupski SD, Schilder RJ. Operative temperature analysis of the honey bee Apis mellifera. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269141. [PMID: 34125216 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A key challenge for linking experiments of organisms performed in a laboratory environment to their performance in more complex environments is to determine thermal differences between a laboratory and the energetically complex terrestrial ecosystem. Studies performed in the laboratory do not account for many factors that contribute to the realized temperature of an organism in its natural environment. This can lead to modelling approaches that use experimentally derived data to erroneously link the air temperature in a laboratory to air temperatures in energetically heterogenous ecosystems. Traditional solutions to this classic problem assume that animals in an isotropic, isothermal chamber behave either as pure heterothermic ectotherms (body temperature=chamber temperature) or homeothermic endotherms (body temperature is entirely independent of chamber temperature). This approach may not be appropriate for endothermic insects which exist as an intermediate between strongly thermoregulating endotherms and purely thermoconforming species. Here, we use a heat budget modelling approach for the honey bee Apis mellifera to demonstrate that the unique physiology of endothermic insects may challenge many assumptions of traditional biophysical modelling approaches. We then demonstrate under modelled field-realistic scenarios that an experiment performed in a laboratory has the potential to both overestimate and underestimate the temperature of foraging bees when only air temperature is considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley D Stupski
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada,Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Rudolf J Schilder
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
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47
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Mukai A, Yamaguchi K, Goto SG. Urban warming and artificial light alter dormancy in the flesh fly. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210866. [PMID: 34295533 PMCID: PMC8278053 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal changes in temperature and day length are distinct between rural and urban areas due to urban warming and the presence of artificial light at night. Many studies have focused on the impacts of these ubiquitous signatures on daily biological events, but empirical studies on their impacts on insect seasonality are limited. In the present study, we used the flesh fly Sarcophaga similis as a model insect to determine the impacts of urbanization on the incidence and timing of diapause (dormancy), not only in the laboratory but also in rural and urban conditions. In the laboratory, diapause entry was affected by night-time light levels as low as 0.01 lux. We placed fly cages on outdoor shelves in urban and rural areas to determine the timing of diapause entry; it was retarded by approximately four weeks in urban areas relative to that in rural areas. Moreover, almost all flies in the site facing an urban residential area failed to enter diapause, even by late autumn. Although an autumnal low temperature in the urban area would mitigate the negative effect of artificial light at night, strong light pollution seriously disrupts the flesh fly seasonal adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayumu Mukai
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Setsunan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koki Yamaguchi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shin G. Goto
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
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48
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Oyen KJ, Jardine LE, Parsons ZM, Herndon JD, Strange JP, Lozier JD, Dillon ME. Body mass and sex, not local climate, drive differences in chill coma recovery times in common garden reared bumble bees. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 191:843-854. [PMID: 34173046 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01385-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The time required to recover from cold exposure (chill coma recovery time) may represent an important metric of performance and has been linked to geographic distributions of diverse species. Chill coma recovery time (CCRT) has rarely been measured in bumble bees (genus Bombus) but may provide insights regarding recent changes in their distributions. We measured CCRT of Bombus vosnesenskii workers reared in common garden laboratory conditions from queens collected across altitude and latitude in the Western United States. We also compared CCRTs of male and female bumble bees because males are often overlooked in studies of bumble bee ecology and physiology and may differ in their ability to respond to cold temperatures. We found no relationship between CCRT and local climate at the queen collection sites, but CCRT varied significantly with sex and body mass. Because differences in the ability to recover from cold temperatures have been shown in wild-caught Bombus, we predict that variability in CCRT may be strongly influenced by plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Jeannet Oyen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Dept 3166, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Laura E Jardine
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Dept 3166, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA.,Department of Biology, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Zachary M Parsons
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Dept 3166, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - James D Herndon
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.,Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Logan, UT, USA
| | - James P Strange
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.,Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Logan, UT, USA.,Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Lozier
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Michael E Dillon
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Dept 3166, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA.
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49
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Filazzola A, Matter SF, MacIvor JS. The direct and indirect effects of extreme climate events on insects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 769:145161. [PMID: 33486167 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Extreme climate events are predicted to increase in the future, which will have significant effects on insect biodiversity. Research into this area has been rapidly expanding, but knowledge gaps still exist. We conducted a review of the literature to provide a synthesis of extreme climate events on insects and identify future areas of research. In our review, we asked the following questions: 1) What are the direct and indirect mechanisms that extreme climate events affect individual insects? 2) What are the effects of extreme climate events on insect populations and demography? 3) What are the implications of the extreme climate events effects on insect communities? Drought was among the most frequently described type of extreme climate event affecting insects, as well as the effects of temperature extremes and extreme temperature variation. Our review explores the factors that determine the sensitivity or resilience to climate extremes for individuals, populations, and communities. We also identify areas of future research to better understand the role of extreme climate events on insects including effects on non-trophic interactions, alteration of population dynamics, and mediation of the functional the trait set of communities. Many insect species are under threat from global change and extreme climate events are a contributing factor. Biologists and policy makers should consider the role of extreme events in their work to mitigate the loss of biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem services by insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Filazzola
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Canada.
| | - Stephen F Matter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, United States of America
| | - J Scott MacIvor
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Canada
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50
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Gonzalez VH, Cobos ME, Jaramillo J, Ospina R. Climate change will reduce the potential distribution ranges of Colombia’s most valuable pollinators. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2021.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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