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MacInnis G, Normandin E, Ziter CD. Decline in wild bee species richness associated with honey bee ( Apis mellifera L.) abundance in an urban ecosystem. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14699. [PMID: 36755869 PMCID: PMC9901307 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The spatial heterogeneity of urban landscapes, relatively low agrochemical use, and species-rich floral communities often support a surprising diversity of wild pollinators in cities. However, the management of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in urban areas may represent a new threat to wild bee communities. Urban beekeeping is commonly perceived as an environmentally friendly practice or a way to combat pollinator declines, when high-density beekeeping operations may actually have a negative influence on native and wild bee populations through floral resource competition and pathogen transmission. On the Island of Montréal, Canada there has been a particularly large increase in beekeeping across the city. Over the years following a large bee diversity survey ending in 2013, there was an influx of almost three thousand honey bee colonies to the city. In this study, we examined the wild bee communities and floral resources across a gradient of honey bee abundances in urban greenspaces in 2020, and compared the bee communities at the same sites before and after the large influx of honey bees. Overall, we found a negative relationship between urban beekeeping, pollen availability, and wild bee species richness. We also found that honey bee abundance had the strongest negative effect on small (inter-tegular span <2.25 mm) wild bee species richness. Small bee species may be at higher risk in areas with abundant honey bee populations as their limited foraging range may reduce their access to floral resources in times of increased competition. Further research on the influence of urban beekeeping on native and wild pollinators, coupled with evidence-based beekeeping regulations, is essential to ensure cities contain sufficient resources to support wild bee diversity alongside managed honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail MacInnis
- Biology Department, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Etienne Normandin
- Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Carly D. Ziter
- Biology Department, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Maihoff F, Friess N, Hoiss B, Schmid‐Egger C, Kerner J, Neumayer J, Hopfenmüller S, Bässler C, Müller J, Classen A. Smaller, more diverse and on the way to the top: Rapid community shifts of montane wild bees within an extraordinary hot decade. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne Maihoff
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | - Nicolas Friess
- Faculty of Geography University of Marburg Marburg Germany
| | - Bernhard Hoiss
- Bayerische Akademie für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege Laufen Germany
| | | | - Janika Kerner
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
| | | | - Sebastian Hopfenmüller
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics University of Ulm Ulm Germany
| | - Claus Bässler
- Department of Conservation Biology, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity University of Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
- National Park Bavarian Forest Grafenau Germany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
- National Park Bavarian Forest Grafenau Germany
| | - Alice Classen
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
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von Königslöw V, Fornoff F, Klein A. Wild bee communities benefit from temporal complementarity of hedges and flower strips in apple orchards. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivien von Königslöw
- University of Freiburg Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Freiburg Germany
| | - Felix Fornoff
- University of Freiburg Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Freiburg Germany
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Nilsson L, Klatt BK, Smith HG. Effects of Flower-Enriched Ecological Focus Areas on Functional Diversity Across Scales. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.629124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) to benefit biodiversity became mandatory in intensively farmed landscapes after the reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2013. The implementation of EFAs as uncropped field margins has been criticized as ineffective but created a window of opportunity to test if augmenting them with annual flower strips can benefit biodiversity. In this study, we investigated if annual flower strips on EFAs benefited functional biodiversity in intensively farmed landscapes. To this end we established eleven annual flower strips with a seed mixture targeted for both natural enemies and pollinators, on areas were farmers had planned for EFAs. We determined effects on aphids and their natural enemies in cereal fields close to six of the flower strips, and for solitary bees and wasp close to and in the surroundings of all eleven flower strips. We found that annual flower strips benefited the abundance of hoverfly larvae and possibly also that of solitary bees. However, there were neither any significant effects on natural enemies (other than hoverfly larvae), nor any difference in natural pest control as shown by lack of differences in aphid numbers and parazitation rates. Abundances of solitary bees and wasps in the surrounding landscapes were unaffected, although there was a tendency for more solitary bee cells closer to the strips. We suggest that the critical issue leading to the mostly negative results is the lack of permanent structures to sustain populations of arthropods that in turn can benefit from annual flower strips. Hence, future agri-environmental policies need to carefully consider if and how annual agri-environmental measures should be implemented in intensively managed agricultural landscapes, e.g., by combining them with more permanent structures.
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Renner SS, Graf MS, Hentschel Z, Krause H, Fleischmann A. High honeybee abundances reduce wild bee abundances on flowers in the city of Munich. Oecologia 2021; 195:825-831. [PMID: 33550468 PMCID: PMC7940282 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04862-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The increase in managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) in many European cities has unknown effects on the densities of wild bees through competition. To investigate this, we monitored honeybees and non-honeybees from 01 April to 31 July 2019 and 2020 at 29 species of plants representing diverse taxonomic and floral-functional types in a large urban garden in the city of Munich in which the same plant species were cultivated in both years. No bee hives were present in the focal garden, and all bee hives in the adjacent area were closely monitored by interviewing the relevant bee keepers in both 2019 and 2020. Honeybee numbers were similar in April of both years, but increased from May to July 2020 compared to 2019. The higher densities correlated with a significant increase in shifts from wild bee to honeybee visits in May/June/July, while visitor spectra in April 2019 and 2020 remained the same. Most of the species that experienced a shift to honeybee visits in 2020 were visited mostly or exclusively for their nectar. There were no shifts towards increased wild bee visits in any species. These results from a flower-rich garden have implications for the discussion of whether urban bee keeping might negatively impact wild bees. We found clear support that high honeybee densities result in exploitative competition at numerous types of flowers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne S Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany.
| | - Marie Sophie Graf
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
| | - Zoe Hentschel
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
| | - Helen Krause
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Fleischmann
- Botanische Staatssammlung München, Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
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Renner SS, Zohner CM. Further analysis of 1532 deciduous woody species from North America, Europe, and Asia supports continental-scale differences in red autumn colouration: A response to Peña-Novas & Archetti (2020) 'Biogeography and evidence for adaptive explanations of autumn colors'. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 228:814-815. [PMID: 32390136 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne S Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
| | - Constantin M Zohner
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
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Baldock KC. Opportunities and threats for pollinator conservation in global towns and cities. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 38:63-71. [PMID: 32126514 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Urban expansion is considered to be one of the main threats to global biodiversity yet some pollinator groups, particularly bees, can do well in urban areas. Recent studies indicate that both local and landscape-level drivers can influence urban pollinator communities, with local floral resources and the amount of impervious cover in the landscape affecting pollinator abundance, richness and community composition. Urban intensification, chemicals, climate change and increased honey bee colony densities all negatively affect urban pollinators. Maintaining good areas of habitat for pollinators, such as those found in allotments (community gardens) and domestic gardens, and improving management approaches in urban greenspace and highly urbanised areas (e.g. by increasing floral resources and nesting sites) will benefit pollinator conservation. Opportunities for pollinator conservation exist via multiple stakeholders including policymakers, urban residents, urban planners and landscape architects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Cr Baldock
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK; Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Royal Fort House, University of Bristol, BS8 1UH, UK.
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Uhl P, Brühl CA. The Impact of Pesticides on Flower-Visiting Insects: A Review with Regard to European Risk Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2019; 38:2355-2370. [PMID: 31408220 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Flower-visiting insects (FVIs) are an ecologically diverse group of mobile, flying species that should be protected from pesticide effects according to European policy. However, there is an ongoing decline of FVI species, partly caused by agricultural pesticide applications. Therefore, the risk assessment framework needs to be improved. We synthesized the peer-reviewed literature on FVI groups and their ecology, habitat, exposure to pesticides, and subsequent effects. The results show that FVIs are far more diverse than previously thought. Their habitat, the entire agricultural landscape, is potentially contaminated with pesticides through multiple pathways. Pesticide exposure of FVIs at environmentally realistic levels can cause population-relevant adverse effects. This knowledge was used to critically evaluate the European regulatory framework of exposure and effect assessment. The current risk assessment should be amended to incorporate specific ecological properties of FVIs, that is, traits. We present data-driven tools to improve future risk assessments by making use of trait information. There are major knowledge gaps concerning the general investigation of groups other than bees, the collection of comprehensive data on FVI groups and their ecology, linking habitat to FVI exposure, and study of previously neglected complex population effects. This is necessary to improve our understanding of FVIs and facilitate the development of a more protective FVI risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2355-2370. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Uhl
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Carsten A Brühl
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
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