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Turley NE, Kania SE, Petitta IR, Otruba EA, Biddinger DJ, Butzler TM, Sesler VV, López-Uribe MM. Bee monitoring by community scientists: comparing a collections-based program with iNaturalist. ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 117:220-233. [PMID: 39006748 PMCID: PMC11238606 DOI: 10.1093/aesa/saae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Bee monitoring, or widespread efforts to document bee community biodiversity, can involve data collection using lethal (specimen collections) or non-lethal methods (observations, photographs). Additionally, data can be collected by professional scientists or by volunteer participants from the general public. Collection-based methods presumably produce more reliable data with fewer biases against certain taxa, while photography-based approaches, such as data collected from public natural history platforms like iNaturalist, can involve more people and cover a broader geographic area. Few efforts have been made to quantify the pros and cons of these different approaches. We established a community science monitoring program to assess bee biodiversity across the state of Pennsylvania (USA) using specimen collections with nets, blue vane traps, and bowl traps. We recruited 26 participants, mostly Master Gardeners, from across the state to sample bees after receiving extensive training on bee monitoring topics and methods. The specimens they collected were identified to species, stored in museum collections, and the data added to public databases. Then, we compared the results from our collections to research-grade observations from iNaturalist during the same time period (2021 and 2022). At state and county levels, we found collections data documented over twice as much biodiversity and novel baseline natural history data (state and county records) than data from iNaturalist. iNaturalist data showed strong biases toward large-bodied and non-native species. This study demonstrates the value of highly trained community scientists for collections-based research that aims to document patterns of bee biodiversity over space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nash E Turley
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Sarah E Kania
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Isabella R Petitta
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Otruba
- Department of Entomology, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David J Biddinger
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas M Butzler
- Penn State Extension, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Valerie V Sesler
- Penn State Extension, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Margarita M López-Uribe
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Williams NM, Buderi A, Rowe L, Ward K. Wildflower plantings enhance nesting opportunities for soil-nesting bees. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2935. [PMID: 38071699 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Ongoing declines of bees and other pollinators are driven in part by the loss of critical floral resources and nesting substrates. Most conservation/restoration efforts for bees aim to enhance floral abundance and continuity but often assume the same actions will bolster nesting opportunities. Recent research suggests that habitat plantings may not always provide both forage and nesting resources. We evaluated wildflower plantings designed to augment floral resources to determine their ability to enhance nesting by soil-nesting bees over 3 study years in Northern California agricultural landscapes. We established wildflower plantings along borders of annual row crops and paired each with an unplanted control border. We used soil emergence traps to assess nest densities and species richness of soil-nesting bees from spring through late summer at paired field borders planted with wildflowers or maintained conventionally as bare or sparsely vegetated areas, as is typical for the region. We also quantified soil-surface characteristics and flower resources among borders. Wildflower plantings significantly increased nest densities and the richness of bee species using them. Such benefits occurred within the first year of planting and persisted up to 4 years post establishment. The composition of nesting bee communities also differed between wildflower and unenhanced borders. Wildflower plantings differed from controls in multiple characteristics of the soil surface, including vegetation cover, surface microtopography and hardness. Surprisingly, only vegetation cover significantly affected nest densities and species richness. Wildflower plantings are a widespread habitat action with the potential to support wild bees. The demonstrated benefit wildflower plantings had for increasing the nesting of soil-nesting bees greatly augments their relevance for the conservation of wild bee communities in agricultural and other landscapes. Identifying soil-surface characteristics that are important for nesting provides critical information to guide the implementation and management of habitats for bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neal M Williams
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Andrew Buderi
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Logan Rowe
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Kimiora Ward
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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Dalmazzo M, Zumoffen L, Ghiglione C, Roig-Alsina A, Chacoff N. Diversity and biological traits of bees visiting flowers of Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito differ between biodiversity-based and conventional management practices. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 196:6. [PMID: 38049545 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12161-1] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Low diversity of pollinators and the modified composition of functional groups of bees have been proposed as the causes of pollination deficiency in cultivated Cucurbitaceae species. Functional groups of bees are determined by traits, such as body size, nesting site, and social behavior. The presence of bees with specific traits can be differentially affected by agricultural management practices. This work aimed to assess how management types (agroecological and conventional) in Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito crops affect the abundance of bees with different biological traits. The study was conducted on four farms located in horticultural areas of central-eastern Santa Fe province, Argentina. A total of 108 10-min censuses were conducted to record bee species abundance in flowers. The species were assigned to categories for each of the three biological traits. A total of 552 individuals, belonging to 16 bee species, were recorded. Honey bees were more abundant under conventional management, whereas the native bees Eucera fervens and other species were more abundant under agroecological management. Species of the categories analyzed (body size: small, medium, and large; nesting site: above-ground cavities or ground-nesting; and social behavior: solitary or social) were present on farms under both management types. We found that management type affected bees, and their effects differed among bees with specific biological traits. Medium-sized and small bees, ground-nesting bees, and solitary bees were found in greater abundance on agroecological farms than on conventional farms. Our data allowed us to explain the diversity and abundance of bees relative to the management type and biological traits of the species. Implications for insect conservation: This study suggests that incorporating biodiversity-based management strategies might increase abundance and richness of native bees with different biological traits, ensuring the free pollination service they provide and a taxonomically and functionally diverse assemblage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milagros Dalmazzo
- Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Cátedra de Entomología, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Argentina.
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Leticia Zumoffen
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (INTA-CONICET), Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela, Ruta 34 Km 227, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Carla Ghiglione
- Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Cátedra de Entomología, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Arturo Roig-Alsina
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, A. Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Natacha Chacoff
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (CONICET-UNT), CC34, 4107, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo (UNT), Miguel Lillo 205, 4000, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
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Liu J, Guo Y, Gu H, Liu Z, Hu X, Yu Z, Li Y, Li L, Sui Y, Jin J, Liu X, Adams JM, Wang G. Conversion of steppe to cropland increases spatial heterogeneity of soil functional genes. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1872-1883. [PMID: 37607984 PMCID: PMC10579271 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01496-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The microbiome function responses to land use change are important for the long-term prediction and management of soil ecological functions under human influence. However, it has remains uncertain how the biogeographic patterns of soil functional composition change when transitioning from natural steppe soils (NS) to agricultural soils (AS). We collected soil samples from adjacent pairs of AS and NS across 900 km of Mollisol areas in northeast China, and the soil functional composition was characterized using shotgun sequencing. AS had higher functional alpha-diversity indices with respect to KO trait richness and a higher Shannon index than NS. The distance-decay slopes of functional gene composition were steeper in AS than in NS along both spatial and environmental gradients. Land-use conversion from steppe to farmland diversified functional gene profiles both locally and spatially; it increased the abundances of functional genes related to labile carbon, but decreased those related to recalcitrant substrate mobilization (e.g., lignin), P cycling, and S cycling. The composition of gene functional traits was strongly driven by stochastic processes, while the degree of stochasticity was higher in NS than in AS, as revealed by the neutral community model and normalized stochasticity ratio analysis. Alpha-diversity of core functional genes was strongly related to multi-nutrient cycling in AS, suggesting a key relationship to soil fertility. The results of this study challenge the paradigm that the conversion of natural to agricultural habitat will homogenize soil properties and biology while reducing local and regional gene functional diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Yaping Guo
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P R China
| | - Haidong Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Zhuxiu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Xiaojing Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Zhenhua Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Yansheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Lujun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Yueyu Sui
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Jian Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Xiaobing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China
| | - Jonathan M Adams
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, P R China.
| | - Guanghua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, P R China.
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Genung MA, Reilly J, Williams NM, Buderi A, Gardner J, Winfree R. Rare and declining bee species are key to consistent pollination of wildflowers and crops across large spatial scales. Ecology 2023; 104:e3899. [PMID: 36263772 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity promotes ecosystem function (EF) in experiments, but it remains uncertain how biodiversity loss affects function in larger-scale natural ecosystems. In these natural ecosystems, rare and declining species are more likely to be lost, and function needs to be maintained across space and time. Here, we explore the importance of rare and declining bee species to the pollination of three wildflowers and three crops using large-scale (72 sites across 5000 km2 ), multi-year datasets. Half of the sampled bee species (82/164) were rare or declining, but these species provided only ~15% of overall pollination. To determine the number of species important to EF, we used two methods of "scaling up," both of which have previously been used for biodiversity-function analysis. First, we summed bee species' contributions to pollination across space and time and then found the minimum set of species needed to provide a threshold level of function across all sites; according to this method, effectively no rare and declining bee species were important to pollination. Second, we account for the "insurance value" of biodiversity by finding the minimum set of bee species needed to simultaneously provide a threshold level of function at each site in each year. The second method leads to the conclusion that 25 rare and eight declining bee species (36% and 53% of all rare and declining bee species, respectively) are included in the minimum set. Our findings provide some of the strongest evidence yet that rare and declining species are key to meeting threshold levels of EF, thereby providing a more direct link between real-world biodiversity loss and EF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Genung
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - James Reilly
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Neal M Williams
- Department of Entomology, University of California - Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Andrew Buderi
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | - Joel Gardner
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Rachael Winfree
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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6
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Sciligo AR, M'Gonigle LK, Kremen C. Local diversification enhances pollinator visitation to strawberry and may improve pollination and marketability. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.941840] [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
Numerous studies show that semi-natural habitats within agricultural landscapes benefit native pollinating insects and increase resultant crop pollination services. More recently, evidence is emerging that agricultural diversification techniques on farms, as well as increased compositional and configurational heterogeneity within the cropped portion of landscapes, enhance pollinator communities. However, to date, only a few studies have investigated how diversifying the crops within the farm field itself (i.e., polyculture) influences wild pollinator communities and crop pollination services. In the Central Coast of California, we investigate how local crop diversification within fields, crossed with the proportion of natural habitat in the surrounding landscape, jointly affect pollinator communities and services to strawberry. On 16 organic farms varying in farm type (monoculture vs. polyculture) and proportion of natural land cover, we find that both factors enhance pollinator abundance and richness, although neither affect honey bee abundance. Further, natural cover has a stronger effect on pollinator richness on monoculture (vs. polyculture) farms. Although strawberry can self-pollinate, we document experimentally that pollinator exclusion doubles the probability of berry malformation, while excluding both pollinators and wind triples malformation, with corresponding effects on berry marketability. Finally, in post-hoc tests, we find that berry malformation is significantly higher with greater visitation by honey bees, and observed a trend that this reduction was mitigated by increased native bee richness. These results suggest that both polyculture and semi-natural habitat cover support more abundant and diverse pollinator communities, and that ambient levels of pollinator visitation to strawberry provide an important crop pollination service by improving berry marketability (i.e., by reducing berry malformation). Although further confirmation would be needed, our work suggests that honey bees alone do not provide sufficient pollination services. Prior work has shown that honey bees tend to visit only the top of the strawberry flower receptacle, while other native bees often crawl around the flower base, leading to more complete pollination of the achenes and, consequently, better formed berries. If honey bee visits reduced native bee visitation in our system, this could explain the unexpected correlation between increased honey bee visits and malformation.
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Hutchinson LA, Oliver TH, Breeze TD, Greenwell MP, Powney GD, Garratt MPD. Stability of crop pollinator occurrence is influenced by bee community composition. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.943309] [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
Bees provide a vital ecosystem service to agriculture by contributing to the pollination of many leading global crops. Human wellbeing depends not only on the quantity of agricultural yields, but also on the stability and resilience of crop production. Yet a broad understanding of how the diversity and composition of pollinator communities may influence crop pollination service has previously been hindered by a scarcity of standardized data. We used outputs from Bayesian occupancy detection models to examine patterns in the inter-annual occupancy dynamics of the bee pollinator communities of four contrasting crops (apples, field bean, oilseed and strawberries) in Great Britain between 1985 and 2015. We compared how the composition and species richness of different crop pollinator communities may affect the stability of crop pollinator occurrence. Across the four crops, we found that the inter-annual occupancy dynamics of the associated pollinator communities tended to be more similar in smaller communities with closely related pollinator species. Our results indicate that crop pollinator communities composed of a small number of closely related bee species show greater variance in mean occupancy compared to crops with more diverse pollinator communities. Lower variance in the occurrence of crop pollinating bee species may lead to more stable crop pollination services. Finally, whilst our results initially indicated some redundancy within most crop pollinator communities, with no, or little, increase in the variance of overall mean occupancy when species were initially removed, this was followed by a rapid acceleration in the variance of crop pollinator occurrence as each crop's bee pollinator community was increasingly depreciated. High inter-annual variations in pollination services have negative implications for crop production and food security. High bee diversity could ensure more stable and resilient crop pollination services, yet current agri-environment schemes predominantly benefit a limited suite of common species. Management may therefore benefit from targeting a wider diversity of solitary species in order to safeguard crop pollination service in the face of increasing environmental change.
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Bastos‐Pereira R, Chagas TRF, Carvalho DR, Rabello AM, Beiroz W, Tavares KP, Lima KCB, Rabelo LM, Valenzuela S, Correa CMA, Pompeu PS, Ribas CR. Are the functional diversity terms functional? The hindrances of functional diversity understanding in the Brazilian scientific community. Ecol Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ananza Mara Rabello
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Instituto de Estudos do Xingu, Avenida Norte Sul São Félix do Xingu Pará Brazil
| | - Wallace Beiroz
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Instituto de Estudos do Xingu, Avenida Norte Sul São Félix do Xingu Pará Brazil
| | - Karla Palmieri Tavares
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
- Instituto Federal do Sul de Minas Gerais—Campus Machado, Rodovia Machado—Paraguaçu Machado Minas Gerais Brazil
| | | | - Lucas Mendes Rabelo
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Silvia Valenzuela
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
- Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos Lima Peru
| | - César M. A. Correa
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia e Zoologia, Bairro Boa Esperança Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Mato Grosso Mato Grosso Brazil
| | - Paulo Santos Pompeu
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Carla Rodrigues Ribas
- Universidade Federal de Lavras Campus Universitário Lavras Minas Gerais Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UK
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Reeg J, Strigl L, Jeltsch F. Agricultural buffer zone thresholds to safeguard functional bee diversity: Insights from a community modeling approach. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8748. [PMID: 35342570 PMCID: PMC8933324 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8748] [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: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild bee species are important pollinators in agricultural landscapes. However, population decline was reported over the last decades and is still ongoing. While agricultural intensification is a major driver of the rapid loss of pollinating species, transition zones between arable fields and forest or grassland patches, i.e., agricultural buffer zones, are frequently mentioned as suitable mitigation measures to support wild bee populations and other pollinator species. Despite the reported general positive effect, it remains unclear which amount of buffer zones is needed to ensure a sustainable and permanent impact for enhancing bee diversity and abundance. To address this question at a pollinator community level, we implemented a process‐based, spatially explicit simulation model of functional bee diversity dynamics in an agricultural landscape. More specifically, we introduced a variable amount of agricultural buffer zones (ABZs) at the transition of arable to grassland, or arable to forest patches to analyze the impact on bee functional diversity and functional richness. We focused our study on solitary bees in a typical agricultural area in the Northeast of Germany. Our results showed positive effects with at least 25% of virtually implemented agricultural buffer zones. However, higher amounts of ABZs of at least 75% should be considered to ensure a sufficient increase in Shannon diversity and decrease in quasi‐extinction risks. These high amounts of ABZs represent effective conservation measures to safeguard the stability of pollination services provided by solitary bee species. As the model structure can be easily adapted to other mobile species in agricultural landscapes, our community approach offers the chance to compare the effectiveness of conservation measures also for other pollinator communities in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jette Reeg
- Department of Ecology/Macroecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research Berlin Germany
| | - Lea Strigl
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research Berlin Germany
- Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research Berlin Germany
- Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
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Bravo Y, Hanson PE, Chacón‐Madrigal E, Lobo‐Segura J. Long‐term comparison of the orchid bee community in the tropical dry forest of Costa Rica. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yanil Bravo
- Sistema de Estudios de Posgrado en Biología Universidad de Costa Rica San José Costa Rica
| | - Paul E. Hanson
- Escuela de Biología Universidad de Costa Rica San José Costa Rica
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11
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Méndez‐Rojas DM, López‐García MM, García‐Cárdenas DR, Cultid‐Medina CA. Rove beetle diversity and coffee agroecosystems in the Colombian Andes. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Margarita M. López‐García
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Coyoacan Mexico
| | - Delly R. García‐Cárdenas
- Centro de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología de la Universidad del Quindío (CIBUQ) Armenia Colombia
| | - Carlos A. Cultid‐Medina
- Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano Instituto de Ecología A.C. Centro Regional del Bajío Pátzcuaro Mexico
- CONACYT Ciudad de México Mexico
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MORALES-ALBA AF, CARVAJAL-COGOLLO JE, Morales Castaño IT. ABEJAS EN SISTEMAS AGRÍCOLAS: REVISIÓN DE LA DIVERSIDAD TAXONÓMICA Y FUNCIONAL, Y PERSPECTIVAS DE INVESTIGACIÓN. ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA 2021. [DOI: 10.15446/abc.v27n2.92192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Las abejas son insectos de gran importancia ecológica ya que son responsables de procesos como la polinización en ambientes naturales y agrícolas, contribuyendo a la salud y resiliencia de los ecosistemas. Se hizo una revisión para abordar las dimensiones taxonómica y funcional de la diversidad de abejas en cultivos de palma, papa, café, granadilla, gulupa y maracuyá. Se realizó la búsqueda de información en bases de datos usando palabras claves y operadores boléanos. Se construyeron curvas análogas a las de acumulación de especies y se realizó un análisis de complementariedad, para evaluar la diversidad taxonómica. Se utilizó un análisis de conglomerados para identificar tipos funcionales y se evaluó la riqueza funcional de cada cultivo. Se encontraron 19 publicaciones de abejas asociadas a cultivos, con registros de 116 especies. El cultivo de palma presentó la mayor riqueza con 48 especies, seguido de papa (44) y café (41). Se identificaron 11 tipos funcionales, donde el más representativo fue el de abejas con corbícula, eusociales, que anidan en cualquier cavidad (ScEuCc). La riqueza funcional fue mayor en el café (3,33), seguido de papa (2,83) y gulupa (2,00). La alta diversidad de abejas en agroecosistemas parece estar relacionada con la cercanía de cada cultivo a fragmentos de bosque, de acuerdo a las publicaciones analizadas. Los agroecosistemas podrían ofrecer un recurso alternativo a las abejas al permitirles combatir la disminución de sus hábitats, por lo que sugerimos ampliar las investigaciones de los beneficios de los cultivos agrícolas sobre las abejas y viceversa.
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Roquer‐Beni L, Alins G, Arnan X, Boreux V, García D, Hambäck PA, Happe A, Klein A, Miñarro M, Mody K, Porcel M, Rodrigo A, Samnegård U, Tasin M, Bosch J. Management‐dependent effects of pollinator functional diversity on apple pollination services: A response–effect trait approach. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Roquer‐Beni
- CREAFUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona Bellaterra Spain
- BETAUniversity of Vic–Central University of Catalonia Vic Spain
| | | | - Xavier Arnan
- CREAFUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona Bellaterra Spain
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pernambuco Garanhuns Brazil
| | - Virginie Boreux
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Daniel García
- Instituto Mixto de Investigación en Biodiversidad (CSIC‐Uo‐PA) Oviedo Spain
| | - Peter A. Hambäck
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden
| | - Anne‐Kathrin Happe
- Department of Biology Technical University of Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
| | - Alexandra‐Maria Klein
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Marcos Miñarro
- Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario Villaviciosa Spain
| | - Karsten Mody
- Department of Biology Technical University of Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
- Department of Applied Ecology Hochschule Geisenheim University Geisenheim Germany
| | - Mario Porcel
- Department of Plant Protection Biology Integrated Plant Protection Unit Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Alnarp Sweden
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria Meta Colombia
| | | | - Ulrika Samnegård
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden
- Department of Biology Lund University Lund Sweden
- School of Environmental & Rural Sciences University of New England Armidale Australia
| | - Marco Tasin
- Department of Plant Protection Biology Integrated Plant Protection Unit Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Alnarp Sweden
- Department of Chemistry University of Padova Padova Italy
| | - Jordi Bosch
- CREAFUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona Bellaterra Spain
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14
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Schmolke A, Galic N, Feken M, Thompson H, Sgolastra F, Pitts-Singer T, Elston C, Pamminger T, Hinarejos S. Assessment of the Vulnerability to Pesticide Exposures Across Bee Species. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2021; 40:2640-2651. [PMID: 34197661 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In many countries, the western honey bee is used as surrogate in pesticide risk assessments for bees. However, uncertainty remains in the estimation of pesticide risk to non-Apis bees because their potential routes of exposure to pesticides, life histories, and ecologies differ from those of honey bees. We applied the vulnerability concept in pesticide risk assessment to 10 bee species including the honey bee, 2 bumble bee species, and 7 solitary bee species with different nesting strategies. Trait-based vulnerability considers the evaluation of a species at the level of both the organism (exposure and effect) and the population (recovery), which goes beyond the sensitivity of individuals to a toxicant assessed in standard laboratory toxicity studies by including effects on populations in the field. Based on expert judgment, each trait was classified by its relationship to the vulnerability to pesticide exposure, effects (intrinsic sensitivity), and population recovery. The results suggested that the non-Apis bees included in our approach are potentially more vulnerable to pesticides than the honey bee due to traits governing exposure and population recovery potential. Our analysis highlights many uncertainties related to the interaction between bee ecology and the potential exposures and population-level effects of pesticides, emphasizing the need for more research to identify suitable surrogate species for higher tier bee risk assessments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2640-2651. © 2021 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nika Galic
- Syngenta Crop Protection, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Max Feken
- Syngenta Crop Protection, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Helen Thompson
- Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Syngenta, Bracknell, UK
| | - Fabio Sgolastra
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Theresa Pitts-Singer
- Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insects Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Charlotte Elston
- Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Syngenta, Bracknell, UK
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15
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Mallinger R, Ternest JJ, Naranjo SM. Blueberry Yields Increase With Bee Visitation Rates, but Bee Visitation Rates are not Consistently Predicted by Colony Stocking Densities. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 114:1441-1451. [PMID: 34106276 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toab111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollinator-dependent crops rely on the activity of managed and wild pollinators. While farm management and surrounding landscape can influence wild pollinator contributions, managed pollinator contributions may be primarily driven by their stocking densities, though this is not well studied across crops. We selected 20 southern highbush blueberry farms along two independent gradients of honey bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) stocking density (~1-11 hives/acre) and bumble bee Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae) stocking density (0 - 3 colonies/acre) ensuring that stocking densities were not correlated with farm or landscape attributes. Across farms, we observed managed and wild bee visitation rates, and measured yield estimates. Farms with greater bumble bee stocking densities had higher bumble bee visitation rates and yield estimates, but farms with higher honey bee stocking densities only received higher honey bee visitation rates at the end of bloom and did not have higher yield estimates. The main wild pollinator, the southeastern blueberry bee Habropoda laboriosa (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), showed higher visitation rates on organic farms and in late bloom. In general, higher visitation rates by honey bees, bumble bees, and H. laboriosa were correlated with higher yields. Our results suggest that yields are limited by bee visitation rates, and that within the stocking density ranges studied, increasing managed bumble bees, but not honey bees, increases their visitation rates. While H. laboriosa had the greatest effect on yield estimates, its activity appears to be limited by both a phenological mismatch with crop bloom and farm management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Mallinger
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - John J Ternest
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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16
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Liu Z, Li Z, Castro DMP, Tan X, Jiang X, Meng X, Ge Y, Xie Z. Effects of different types of land-use on taxonomic and functional diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in a subtropical river network. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:44339-44353. [PMID: 33847890 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13867-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Expansion of agricultural and urban areas and intensification of catchment land-use increasingly affect different facets of biodiversity in aquatic communities. However, understanding the responses of taxonomic and functional diversity to specific conversion from natural forest to agriculture and urban land-use remains limited, especially in subtropical streams where biomonitoring programs and using functional traits are still under development. Here, we conducted research in a subtropical stream network to examine the responses of macroinvertebrate taxonomic and functional diversity to different types of land-use in central China. Our results showed that medium body size, univoltine, gill respiration, and slow seasonal development were much higher in natural forest sites, while certain traits related to strong resilience and resistance (e.g., small body size, fast seasonal development, bi-or multivoltine, abundant occurrence in drift, sprawler) dominated in high-intensity agriculture and urbanization sites. We further found that land-use compromised water quality (e.g., increases in total phosphate, conductivity and water temperature) and habitat conditions (e.g., high proportion of sand and silt, gravel, and channel width) accounted for the changes in trait composition based on a combination of RLQ and fourth-corner analysis. Moreover, natural forest sites presented relatively high values of functional richness than other land-use, demonstrating the importance of natural forest maintenance to promote high levels of functional diversity. However, taxonomic diversity indexes showed higher sensitivity to distinguish different types of land-use compared to functional diversity measures. Even so, given that certain trait categories showed significant relationships with specific local environmental stressors, trait-based approaches can provide reliable evidence to diagnose the cause of impairment and complement the results of the taxonomic-based approaches. Our findings support the idea that taxonomic and functional approaches should be integrated in river restoration and land-use management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyuan Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhengfei Li
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
| | - Diego M P Castro
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Biological Sciences Institute, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Laboratory of Benthos Ecology, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Xiang Tan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Xiaoming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulic in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, China
| | - Xingliang Meng
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yihao Ge
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhicai Xie
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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17
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Tscharntke T, Grass I, Wanger TC, Westphal C, Batáry P. Beyond organic farming - harnessing biodiversity-friendly landscapes. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:919-930. [PMID: 34362590 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We challenge the widespread appraisal that organic farming is the fundamental alternative to conventional farming for harnessing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Certification of organic production is largely restricted to banning synthetic agrochemicals, resulting in limited benefits for biodiversity but high yield losses despite ongoing intensification and specialisation. In contrast, successful agricultural measures to enhance biodiversity include diversifying cropland and reducing field size, which can multiply biodiversity while sustaining high yields in both conventional and organic systems. Achieving a landscape-level mosaic of natural habitat patches and fine-grained cropland diversification in both conventional and organic agriculture is key for promoting large-scale biodiversity. This needs to be urgently acknowledged by policy makers for an agricultural paradigm shift.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Thomas C Wanger
- Sustainability, Agriculture, & Technology Laboratory, School of Engineering, Westlake University, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China; GlobalAgroforestryNetwork.org, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Péter Batáry
- "Lendület" Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
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18
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Agroecological Strategies to Safeguard Insect Pollinators in Biodiversity Hotspots: Chile as a Case Study. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13126728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Industrial agriculture (IA) has been recognized among the main drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change, and native pollinator decline. Here we summarize the known negative effects of IA on pollinator biodiversity and illustrate these problems by considering the case of Chile, a “world biodiversity hotspot” (WBH) where food exports account for a considerable share of the economy in this country. Most of Chile’s WBH area is currently being replaced by IA at a fast pace, threatening local biodiversity. We present an agroecological strategy for sustainable food production and pollinator conservation in food-producing WBHs. In this we recognize native pollinators as internal inputs that cannot be replaced by IA technological packages and support the development of agroecological and biodiversity restorative practices to protect biodiversity. We suggest four fundamental pillars for food production change based on: (1) sharing the land, restoring and protecting; (2) ecological intensification; (3) localized knowledge, research, and technological development; and (4) territorial planning and implementation of socio-agroecological policies. This approach does not need modification of native pollination services that sustain the world with food and basic subsistence goods, but a paradigm change where the interdependency of nature and human wellbeing must be recognized for ensuring the world’s food security and sovereignty.
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19
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Figueroa LL, Compton S, Grab H, McArt SH. Functional traits linked to pathogen prevalence in wild bee communities. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7529. [PMID: 33824396 PMCID: PMC8024325 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87103-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Reports of pollinator declines have prompted efforts to understand contributing factors and protect vulnerable species. While pathogens can be widespread in bee communities, less is known about factors shaping pathogen prevalence among species. Functional traits are often used to predict susceptibility to stressors, including pathogens, in other species-rich communities. Here, we evaluated the relationship between bee functional traits (body size, phenology, nesting location, sociality, and foraging choice) and prevalence of trypanosomes, neogregarines, and the microsporidian Nosema ceranae in wild bee communities. For the most abundant bee species in our system, Bombus impatiens, we also evaluated the relationship between intra-specific size variation and pathogen prevalence. A trait-based model fit the neogregarine prevalence data better than a taxa-based model, while the taxonomic model provided a better model fit for N. ceranae prevalence, and there was no marked difference between the models for trypanosome prevalence. We found that Augochlorella aurata was more likely to harbor trypanosomes than many other bee taxa. Similarly, we found that bigger bees and those with peak activity later in the season were less likely to harbor trypanosomes, though the effect of size was largely driven by A. aurata. We found no clear intra-specific size patterns for pathogen prevalence in B. impatiens. These results indicate that functional traits are not always better than taxonomic affinity in predicting pathogen prevalence, but can help to explain prevalence depending on the pathogen in species-rich bee communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Figueroa
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - Sally Compton
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Heather Grab
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Scott H McArt
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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20
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Nicholson CC, J-M Hayes J, Connolly S, Ricketts TH. Corridors through time: Does resource continuity impact pollinator communities, populations, and individuals? ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02260. [PMID: 33185959 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Spatial aspects of connectivity have received considerable attention from ecologists and conservationists, yet temporal connectivity, the periodic linking of habitats, plays an equally important, but largely overlooked role. Different biological and biophysical attributes of ecosystems underpin temporal connectivity, but here we focus on resource continuity, the uninterrupted availability of foraging sites. We test the response of pollinators to resource continuity at community, population, and individual levels using a novel natural experiment consisting of farms with either single or sequential cropping systems. We found significant effects at the population level; colony density of an important crop pollinator (Bombus impatiens L.) was greater when crop floral resources were continuously available. However, we did not find significant effects at the community or individual level; wild bee abundance, diversity and body size did not respond to resource continuity. Raspberry farms with greater early season resources provided by blueberry had greater bumble bee populations, suggesting beneficial effects on resource availability due to crop diversity. Better understanding the impact of resource continuity via crop diversity on broader patterns of biodiversity is essential for the co-management of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie C Nicholson
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA
| | - Jen J-M Hayes
- Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Samantha Connolly
- Department of Computer Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
| | - Taylor H Ricketts
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
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21
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Wu P, Dai P, Wang M, Feng S, Olhnuud A, Xu H, Li X, Liu Y. Improving Habitat Quality at the Local and Landscape Scales Increases Wild Bee Assemblages and Associated Pollination Services in Apple Orchards in China. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.621469] [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
Bees provide key pollination services for a wide range of crops. Accumulating evidence shows the effect of semi-natural habitats at the landscape level and local management practices on bee diversity in fields. However, most of the evidence is derived from studies in North America and Europe. Whether this paradigm is applicable in China, which is characterized by smallholder-dominated agricultural landscapes, has rarely been studied. In this study, we aimed to investigate how bee diversity affected apple production, and how landscape and local variables affected bee diversity and species composition on the Northern China Plain. The results showed that bees significantly increased apple fruit set compared to bagged controls. Wild bee diversity was positively related to apple seed numbers. Higher seed numbers reduced the proportion of deformed apples and thus increased fruit quality. Wild bee abundance was positively correlated with flowering ground cover, and both the abundance and species richness of wild bees were positively affected by the percentage of semi-natural habitats. We conclude that apple quality can benefit from ecological intensification comprising the augmentation of wild bees by semi-natural habitats and flowering ground cover. Future pollination management should therefore reduce the intensification level of management at both the local and landscape scales.
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22
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Coutinho JGE, Hipólito J, Santos RLS, Moreira EF, Boscolo D, Viana BF. Landscape Structure Is a Major Driver of Bee Functional Diversity in Crops. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.624835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Land-use change is having a negative effect on pollinator communities, and these changes in community structure may have unexpected impacts on the functional composition of those communities. Such changes in functional composition may impact the capacity of these assemblages to deliver pollination services, affecting the reproduction of native and wild plants. However, elucidating those relationships requires studies in multiple spatial scales because effects and consequences are different considering biological groups and interactions. In that sense, by using a multi-trait approach, we evaluated whether the landscape structure and/or local environmental characteristics could explain the functional richness, divergence, and dispersion of bee communities in agroecosystems. In addition, we investigated to what extent this approach helps to predict effects on pollination services. This study was conducted in an agroecosystem situated in the Chapada Diamantina region, State of Bahia, Brazil. Bees were collected using two complementary techniques in 27 sample units. They were classified according to their response traits (e.g., body size, nesting location) and effect traits (e.g., means of pollen transportation, specialty in obtaining resources). The Akaike information criterion was used to select the best models created through the additive combination of landscape descriptors (landscape diversity, mean patch shape, and local vegetation structure) at the local, proximal, and broad landscape levels. Our results indicate that both landscape heterogeneity and configuration matter in explaining the three properties of bee functional diversity. We indicate that functional diversity is positively correlated with compositional and configurational heterogeneity. These results suggest that landscape and local scale management to promote functional diversity in pollinator communities may be an effective mechanism for supporting increased pollination services.
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23
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Howlett B, Todd J, Willcox B, Rader R, Nelson W, Gee M, Schmidlin F, Read S, Walker M, Gibson D, Davidson M. Using non-bee and bee pollinator-plant species interactions to design diverse plantings benefiting crop pollination services. ADV ECOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2020.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Le Provost G, Badenhausser I, Violle C, Requier F, D’Ottavio M, Roncoroni M, Gross L, Gross N. Grassland-to-crop conversion in agricultural landscapes has lasting impact on the trait diversity of bees. LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 2020; 36:281-295. [PMID: 33505122 PMCID: PMC7810634 DOI: 10.1007/s10980-020-01141-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Global pollinator decline has motivated much research to understand the underlying mechanisms. Among the multiple pressures threatening pollinators, habitat loss has been suggested as a key-contributing factor. While habitat destruction is often associated with immediate negative impacts, pollinators can also exhibit delayed responses over time. OBJECTIVES We used a trait-based approach to investigate how past and current land use at both local and landscape levels impact plant and wild bee communities in grasslands through a functional lens. METHODS We measured flower and bee morphological traits that mediate plant-bee trophic linkage in 66 grasslands. Using an extensive database of 20 years of land-use records, we tested the legacy effects of the landscape-level conversion of grassland to crop on flower and bee trait diversity. RESULTS Land-use history was a strong driver of flower and bee trait diversity in grasslands. Particularly, bee trait diversity was lower in landscapes where much of the land was converted from grassland to crop long ago. Bee trait diversity was also strongly driven by plant trait diversity computed with flower traits. However, this relationship was not observed in landscapes with a long history of grassland-to-crop conversion. The effects of land-use history on bee communities were as strong as those of current land use, such as grassland or mass-flowering crop cover in the landscape. CONCLUSIONS Habitat loss that occurred long ago in agricultural landscapes alters the relationship between plants and bees over time. The retention of permanent grassland sanctuaries within intensive agricultural landscapes can offset bee decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtane Le Provost
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, USC 1339, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- LTSER « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre SBIK-F, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Isabelle Badenhausser
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, USC 1339, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- LTSER « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Prairies Plantes Fourragères, 86600 Lusignan, France
| | - Cyrille Violle
- UMR 5175 CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry 3, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Fabrice Requier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Marie D’Ottavio
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, USC 1339, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- LTSER « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- Laboratoire de Lutte Biologique, Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC C.P. 8888 Canada
| | - Marilyn Roncoroni
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, USC 1339, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- LTSER « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Ecosystème Prairial, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Louis Gross
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, USC 1339, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- LTSER « Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre », Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé UMR 7372, CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
- INRAE, UR 0633, URZF Unité de Recherche Zoologie Forestière, 45075 Orléans, France
| | - Nicolas Gross
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Ecosystème Prairial, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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25
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Coutinho JGE, Angel‐Coca C, Boscolo D, Viana BF. Heterogeneous agroecosystems support high diversity and abundance of trap‐nesting bees and wasps among tropical crops. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeferson G. E. Coutinho
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação Ecologia: Teoria, Aplicação e Valores Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal da Bahia Salvador Brazil
- Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia da Bahia Salvador Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Interdisciplinary and Trans disciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (IN-TREE) Federal University of Bahia Salvador Brazil
| | - Catalina Angel‐Coca
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação Ecologia: Teoria, Aplicação e Valores Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal da Bahia Salvador Brazil
| | - Danilo Boscolo
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Interdisciplinary and Trans disciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (IN-TREE) Federal University of Bahia Salvador Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Universidade de São Paulo Ribeirão Preto Brazil
| | - Blandina F. Viana
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação Ecologia: Teoria, Aplicação e Valores Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal da Bahia Salvador Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Interdisciplinary and Trans disciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (IN-TREE) Federal University of Bahia Salvador Brazil
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Saul-Gershenz L, Grodsky SM, Hernandez RR. Ecology of the Western Queen Butterfly Danaus gilippus thersippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11050315. [PMID: 32438741 PMCID: PMC7290759 DOI: 10.3390/insects11050315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the ecological knowledge surrounding the western queen butterfly, Danaus gilippus thersippus (H. Bates). Specifically, our objectives were to synthesize existing data and knowledge on the ecology of the queen and use results of this assessment to inform the direction of future research on this understudied species. We identified six core areas for assessment: distribution, the biodiversity of plant resources, western queen and their host plant phenology, chemical ecology, and four key life history traits. We mapped the distribution of D. g. thersippus from museum specimen records, citizen science (e.g., iNaturalist) and image sharing app-based observations, along with other observational data enumerating all current known plant resources and long-range movements. We assembled 14 larval food plants, six pyrrolizidine alkaloids plants and six nectar plants distributed in the western Mojave and Sonoran Desert regions of the United States and Baja California. We report on its phenology and its long-range movement. Butterfly species have declined across the western US, and western monarch populations have declined by 97%. Danaus g. thersippus has received little research attention compared with its famous congener D. plexippus L. Danaus g. thersippus' desert distribution may be at its temperature limits for the species distribution and for its rare host plant Asclepias nyctaginifolia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Saul-Gershenz
- Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA; (S.M.G.); (R.R.H.)
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, 1 Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- USDA-ARS, Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, 3026 Bee Biology Rd, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Steven M. Grodsky
- Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA; (S.M.G.); (R.R.H.)
| | - Rebecca R. Hernandez
- Wild Energy Initiative, John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA; (S.M.G.); (R.R.H.)
- Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, 1 Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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27
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Ikin K, Barton PS, Blanchard W, Crane M, Stein J, Lindenmayer DB. Avian functional responses to landscape recovery. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190114. [PMID: 30991926 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Restoring native vegetation in agricultural landscapes can reverse biodiversity declines via species gains. Depending on whether the traits of colonizers are complementary or redundant to the assemblage, species gains can increase the efficiency or stability of ecological functions, yet detecting these processes is not straightforward. We propose a new conceptual model to identify potential changes to complementarity and redundancy in response to landscape change via relative changes in taxonomic and functional richness. We applied our model to a 14-year study of birds across an extensive agricultural region. We found compelling evidence that high levels of landscape-scale tree cover and patch-scale restoration were significant determinants of functional change in the overall bird assemblage. This was true for every one of the six traits investigated individually, indicating increased trait-specific functional complementarity and redundancy in the assemblage. Applying our conceptual model to species diversity data provided new insights into how the return of vertebrates to restored landscapes may affect ecological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Ikin
- 1 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia.,2 ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia
| | - Philip S Barton
- 1 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia
| | - Wade Blanchard
- 1 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia
| | - Mason Crane
- 1 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia.,3 Sustainable Farms, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia
| | - John Stein
- 1 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia
| | - David B Lindenmayer
- 1 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia.,2 ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia.,3 Sustainable Farms, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia.,4 National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Hub, The Australian National University , Frank Fenner Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601 , Australia
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28
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Steinert M, Sydenham M, Eldegard K, Moe S. Conservation of solitary bees in power-line clearings: Sustained increase in habitat quality through woody debris removal. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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29
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Rader R, Cunningham SA, Howlett BG, Inouye DW. Non-Bee Insects as Visitors and Pollinators of Crops: Biology, Ecology, and Management. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 65:391-407. [PMID: 31610136 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-025055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Insects other than bees (i.e., non-bees) have been acknowledged as important crop pollinators, but our understanding of which crop plants they visit and how effective they are as crop pollinators is limited. To compare visitation and efficiency of crop-pollinating bees and non-bees at a global scale, we review the literature published from 1950 to 2018 concerning the visitors and pollinators of 105 global food crops that are known to benefit from animal pollinators. Of the 105 animal-pollinated crops, a significant proportion are visited by both bee and non-bee taxa (n = 82; 77%), with a total gross domestic product (GDP) value of US$780.8 billion. For crops with a narrower range of visitors, those that favor non-bees (n = 8) have a value of US$1.2 billion, compared to those that favor bees (n = 15), with a value of US$19.0 billion. Limited pollinator efficiency data were available for one or more taxa in only half of the crops (n = 61; 58%). Among the non-bees, some families were recorded visiting a wide range of crops (>12), including six families of flies (Syrphidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Tachinidae, and Bombyliidae), two beetle families (Coccinelidae and Nitidulidae), ants (Formicidae), wasps (Vespidae), and four families of moths and butterflies (Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, and Pieridae). Among the non-bees, taxa within the dipteran families Syrphidae and Calliphoridae were the most common visitors to the most crops, but this may be an artifact of the limited data available. The diversity of species and life histories in these groups of lesser-known pollinators indicates that diet, larval requirements, and other reproductive needs will require alternative habitat management practices to bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Rader
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia;
| | - S A Cunningham
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, College of Science, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - B G Howlett
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - D W Inouye
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado 81224, USA
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30
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Legras G, Loiseau N, Gaertner JC, Poggiale JC, Ienco D, Mazouni N, Mérigot B. Assessment of congruence between co-occurrence and functional networks: A new framework for revealing community assembly rules. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19996. [PMID: 31882755 PMCID: PMC6934466 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56515-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Describing how communities change over space and time is crucial to better understand and predict the functioning of ecosystems. We propose a new methodological framework, based on network theory and modularity concept, to determine which type of mechanisms (i.e. deterministic versus stochastic processes) has the strongest influence on structuring communities. This framework is based on the computation and comparison of two networks: the co-occurrence (based on species abundances) and the functional networks (based on the species traits values). In this way we can assess whether the species belonging to a given functional group also belong to the same co-occurrence group. We adapted the Dg index of Gauzens et al. (2015) to analyze congruence between both networks. This offers the opportunity to identify which assembly rule(s) play(s) the major role in structuring the community. We illustrate our framework with two datasets corresponding to different faunal groups and ecosystems, and characterized by different scales (spatial and temporal scales). By considering both species abundance and multiple functional traits, our framework improves significantly the ability to discriminate the main assembly rules structuring the communities. This point is critical not only to understand community structuring but also its response to global changes and other disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle Legras
- Univ. Polynesie francaise, ifremer, ilm, ird, eio umr 241, tahiti, French Polynesia.
| | - Nicolas Loiseau
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Sète, France
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, LECA, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine F-38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Jean-Claude Gaertner
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) - UMR 241 EIO (UPF, IRD, Ifremer, ILM) -Centre IRD de Tahiti, 98713, Papeete, French Polynesia
| | - Jean-Christophe Poggiale
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, Université de Toulon, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Dino Ienco
- IRSTEA Montpellier, UMR TETIS - F-34093, Montpellier, France
| | - Nabila Mazouni
- Univ. Polynesie francaise, ifremer, ilm, ird, eio umr 241, tahiti, French Polynesia
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31
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Nicholson CC, Ward KL, Williams NM, Isaacs R, Mason KS, Wilson JK, Brokaw J, Gut LJ, Rothwell NL, Wood TJ, Rao S, Hoffman GD, Gibbs J, Thorp RW, Ricketts TH. Mismatched outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem services: testing the responses of crop pollinators and wild bee biodiversity to habitat enhancement. Ecol Lett 2019; 23:326-335. [PMID: 31797535 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Supporting ecosystem services and conserving biodiversity may be compatible goals, but there is concern that service-focused interventions mostly benefit a few common species. We use a spatially replicated, multiyear experiment in four agricultural settings to test if enhancing habitat adjacent to crops increases wild bee diversity and abundance on and off crops. We found that enhanced field edges harbored more taxonomically and functionally abundant, diverse, and compositionally different bee communities compared to control edges. Enhancements did not increase the abundance or diversity of bees visiting crops, indicating that the supply of pollination services was unchanged following enhancement. We find that actions to promote crop pollination improve multiple dimensions of biodiversity, underscoring their conservation value, but these benefits may not be spilling over to crops. More work is needed to identify the conditions that promote effective co-management of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie C Nicholson
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, 05405, VT, USA.,Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, 05405, VT, USA.,Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, 95616, CA, USA
| | - Kimiora L Ward
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, 95616, CA, USA.,Institute for Applied Ecology, Santa Fe, 87505, NM, USA
| | - Neal M Williams
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, 95616, CA, USA
| | - Rufus Isaacs
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA
| | - Keith S Mason
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA.,Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA
| | - Julianna K Wilson
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA
| | - Julia Brokaw
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA.,Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, 55455, MN, USA
| | - Larry J Gut
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA
| | - Nikki L Rothwell
- Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center, Traverse City, 49684, MI, USA
| | - Thomas J Wood
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA.,Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Sujaya Rao
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, 55455, MN, USA.,Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, OR, USA
| | - George D Hoffman
- Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, OR, USA
| | - Jason Gibbs
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, MB, Canada
| | - Robbin W Thorp
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, 95616, CA, USA
| | - Taylor H Ricketts
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, 05405, VT, USA.,Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, 05405, VT, USA
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32
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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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33
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Pollinator foraging flexibility mediates rapid plant-pollinator network restoration in semi-natural grasslands. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15473. [PMID: 31664170 PMCID: PMC6820780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51912-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined how plant-pollinator interactions were affected by time since habitat restoration and landscape connectivity by comparing plant-pollinator networks in restored, abandoned and continuously grazed semi-natural pastures in south-central Sweden. We measured richness of flowering plants and pollinators, and local plant-pollinator network characteristics including species composition as well as the number and identity of interactions, allowing a deeper understanding of species and interaction beta diversity. Pollinator richness and abundance were highest in restored grasslands. They successfully resembled continuously grazed grasslands. However, the turnover of interactions was extremely high among pasture categories (0.99) mainly due to high turnover of plant (0.74) and pollinator species (0.81). Among co-occurring plant and pollinator species, the turnover of interactions (0.66) was attributable mainly to differences in the number of links and to a lesser extent to species true rewiring (~0.17). Connectivity and time since restoration had no effect on the measured network properties. We show that plant-pollinator interactions can be rapidly restored even in relatively isolated grasslands. This is partly due to flexibility of most pollinators to establish interactions with the available flowering plants and relatively high species interaction rewiring, indicating that pollinators behavioural plasticity allow them to shift diets to adapt to new situations.
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34
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Smith OM, Cohen AL, Rieser CJ, Davis AG, Taylor JM, Adesanya AW, Jones MS, Meier AR, Reganold JP, Orpet RJ, Northfield TD, Crowder DW. Organic Farming Provides Reliable Environmental Benefits but Increases Variability in Crop Yields: A Global Meta-Analysis. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2019.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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35
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Adhikari S, Burkle LA, O'Neill KM, Weaver DK, Delphia CM, Menalled FD. Dryland Organic Farming Partially Offsets Negative Effects of Highly Simplified Agricultural Landscapes on Forbs, Bees, and Bee-Flower Networks. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 48:826-835. [PMID: 31144714 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvz056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Industrialized farming practices result in simplified agricultural landscapes, reduced biodiversity, and degraded species-interaction networks. Thus far, most research assessing the combined effects of farming systems and landscape complexity on beneficial insects has been conducted in relatively diversified and mesic systems and may not represent the large-scale, monoculture-based dryland agriculture that dominates many regions worldwide. Specifically, the effects of farming systems on forbs, bees, and their interactions are poorly understood in highly simplified dryland landscapes such as those in the Northern Great Plains, United States, an area globally important for conventional and organic small grain, pulse, forage, and oilseed production. During a 3-yr (2013-2015) study, we assessed 1) the effects of dryland no-till conventional and tilled organic farming on forbs, bees, and bee-flower networks and 2) the relationship between natural habitat and bee abundance. Flower density and richness were greater in tilled organic fields than in no-till conventional fields, and forb community composition differed between farming systems. We observed high bee diversity (109 taxa) in this highly simplified landscape, and bee abundance, richness, and community composition were similar between systems. Compared with tilled organic fields, bee-flower interactions in no-till conventional fields were poorly connected, suggesting these systems maintain relatively impoverished plant-pollinator networks. Natural habitat (11% of the landscape) did not affect small-bodied bee abundance in either farming system but positively affected large-bodied bees within 2,000 m of crop-field centers. In highly simplified agricultural landscapes, dryland organic farming and no-till conventional farming together support relatively high bee diversity, presumably because dryland organic farming enhances floral resources and bee-flower networks, and no-till management in conventional farming provides undisturbed ground-nesting habitats for wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea).
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Affiliation(s)
- Subodh Adhikari
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - Kevin M O'Neill
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - David K Weaver
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - Casey M Delphia
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
| | - Fabian D Menalled
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
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36
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Wong MKL, Guénard B, Lewis OT. Trait-based ecology of terrestrial arthropods. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:999-1022. [PMID: 30548743 PMCID: PMC6849530 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In focusing on how organisms' generalizable functional properties (traits) interact mechanistically with environments across spatial scales and levels of biological organization, trait-based approaches provide a powerful framework for attaining synthesis, generality and prediction. Trait-based research has considerably improved understanding of the assembly, structure and functioning of plant communities. Further advances in ecology may be achieved by exploring the trait-environment relationships of non-sessile, heterotrophic organisms such as terrestrial arthropods, which are geographically ubiquitous, ecologically diverse, and often important functional components of ecosystems. Trait-based studies and trait databases have recently been compiled for groups such as ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, spiders and many others; however, the explicit justification, conceptual framework, and primary-evidence base for the burgeoning field of 'terrestrial arthropod trait-based ecology' have not been well established. Consequently, there is some confusion over the scope and relevance of this field, as well as a tendency for studies to overlook important assumptions of the trait-based approach. Here we aim to provide a broad and accessible overview of the trait-based ecology of terrestrial arthropods. We first define and illustrate foundational concepts in trait-based ecology with respect to terrestrial arthropods, and justify the application of trait-based approaches to the study of their ecology. Next, we review studies in community ecology where trait-based approaches have been used to elucidate how assembly processes for terrestrial arthropod communities are influenced by niche filtering along environmental gradients (e.g. climatic, structural, and land-use gradients) and by abiotic and biotic disturbances (e.g. fire, floods, and biological invasions). We also review studies in ecosystem ecology where trait-based approaches have been used to investigate biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships: how the functional diversity of arthropod communities relates to a host of ecosystem functions and services that they mediate, such as decomposition, pollination and predation. We then suggest how future work can address fundamental assumptions and limitations by investigating trait functionality and the effects of intraspecific variation, assessing the potential for sampling methods to bias the traits and trait values observed, and enhancing the quality and consolidation of trait information in databases. A roadmap to guide observational trait-based studies is also presented. Lastly, we highlight new areas where trait-based studies on terrestrial arthropods are well positioned to advance ecological understanding and application. These include examining the roles of competitive, non-competitive and (multi-)trophic interactions in shaping coexistence, and macro-scaling trait-environment relationships to explain and predict patterns in biodiversity and ecosystem functions across space and time. We hope this review will spur and guide future applications of the trait-based framework to advance ecological insights from the most diverse eukaryotic organisms on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark K. L. Wong
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxford, OX1 3PSU.K.
| | - Benoit Guénard
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Hong Kong, Kadoorie Biological Sciences BuildingHong KongSARChina
| | - Owen T. Lewis
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxford, OX1 3PSU.K.
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37
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Hung KLJ, Ascher JS, Davids JA, Holway DA. Ecological filtering in scrub fragments restructures the taxonomic and functional composition of native bee assemblages. Ecology 2019; 100:e02654. [PMID: 30942484 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the long-term consequences of habitat alteration for the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function requires an understanding of how ecological filters drive taxonomic and functional biodiversity loss. Here, we test a set of predictions concerning the role of ecological filters in restructuring native bee assemblages inhabiting fragmented coastal sage scrub ecosystems in southern California, USA. In 2011 and 2012, we collected native bees in scrub habitat belonging to two treatment categories: large natural reserves and small habitat fragments embedded in an urban landscape. We compared bee assemblages in reserve and fragment sites with respect to their taxonomic and functional alpha diversity, beta diversity, assemblage composition, and mean geographical range size estimated via distribution maps compiled for this study from digitized specimen records. We found multiple lines of evidence that ecological filtering drove bee diversity loss in fragments: a disproportionate loss of functional diversity relative to taxonomic diversity, shifts in assemblage composition driven largely by the preferential extirpation of reserve-associated indicator species, and disproportionate loss of range-restricted species. However, we found no evidence of taxonomic or functional homogenization across fragment bee assemblages, suggesting that filtering was not sufficiently strong to cause a subset of functional traits (and their associated species) to dominate assemblages in fragments. Our results suggest that ecological filtering altered bee assemblages in habitat fragments, even when such fragments contained well-preserved native plant assemblages, underscoring the importance of preserving large areas of natural habitat for the conservation of bees (especially range-restricted taxa) and their associated ecological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keng-Lou James Hung
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, MC0116, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
| | - John S Ascher
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore City, 117558, Singapore
| | - Jessica A Davids
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, MC0116, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
| | - David A Holway
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, MC0116, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
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Hofmann MM, Zohner CM, Renner SS. Narrow habitat breadth and late-summer emergence increases extinction vulnerability in Central European bees. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190316. [PMID: 30836868 PMCID: PMC6458332 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Evaluating intrinsic and extrinsic traits that predispose species to local extinction is important for targeting conservation efforts. Among the species of special concern in Europe are bees, which, along with butterflies, are the best monitored insects. Bees are most species-rich in Mediterranean-type climates with short winters, warm springs, and dry summers. In Central Europe, climate warming per se is, therefore, expected to benefit most bee species, while pesticides and the loss of habitats and plant diversity should constitute threats. Here, we use the bee fauna of Germany, which has been monitored for Red Lists for over 40 years, to analyse the effects of habitat breadth, pollen specialization, body size, nesting sites, sociality, duration of flight activity, and time of emergence during the season. We tested each factor's predictive power against changes in commonness and Red List status, using phylogenetically informed hierarchical Bayesian (HB) models. Extinction vulnerability is strongly increased in bees flying in late summer, with a statistical model that included flight time, habitat preference, and duration of activity correctly predicting the vulnerability status of 85% of the species. Conversely, spring emergence and occurrence in urban areas each reduce vulnerability, pointing to intensive land use especially harming summer-active bees, with the combination of these factors currently shifting Germany's bee diversity towards warm-adapted, spring-flying, city-dwelling species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela M. Hofmann
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Biology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Straße 67, Munich 80638, Germany
| | - Constantin M. Zohner
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susanne S. Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Biology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Straße 67, Munich 80638, Germany
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39
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Main AR, Webb EB, Goyne KW, Mengel D. Field-level characteristics influence wild bee functional guilds on public lands managed for conservation. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
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40
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Santillán V, Quitián M, Tinoco BA, Zárate E, Schleuning M, Böhning-Gaese K, Neuschulz EL. Different responses of taxonomic and functional bird diversity to forest fragmentation across an elevational gradient. Oecologia 2018; 189:863-873. [PMID: 30506305 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4309-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have investigated how habitat fragmentation affects the taxonomic and functional diversity of species assemblages. However, the joint effects of habitat fragmentation and environmental conditions on taxonomic and functional diversity, for instance across elevational gradients, have largely been neglected so far. In this study, we compare whether taxonomic and functional indicators show similar or distinct responses to forest fragmentation across an elevational gradient. We based our analysis on a comprehensive data set of species-rich bird assemblages from tropical montane forest in the Southern Andes of Ecuador. We monitored birds over 2 years in two habitat types (continuous and fragmented forest) at three elevations (i.e., 1000, 2000, and 3000 m a.s.l) and measured nine morphological traits for each bird species on museum specimens. Bird species richness and abundance were significantly higher in fragmented compared to continuous forests and decreased towards high elevations. In contrast, functional diversity was significantly reduced in fragmented compared to continuous forests at low elevations, but fragmentation effects on functional diversity tended to be reversed at high elevations. Our results demonstrate that taxonomic and functional indicators can show decoupled responses to forest fragmentation and that these effects are highly variable across elevations. Our findings reveal that functional homogenization in bird communities in response to fragmentation can be masked by apparent increases in taxonomic diversity, particularly in diverse communities at low elevations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicio Santillán
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany. .,Escuela de Biología, Ecología Y Gestión, Universidad Del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7-77 Y Hernán Malo, 01.01.981, Cuenca, Ecuador.
| | - Marta Quitián
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Boris A Tinoco
- Escuela de Biología, Ecología Y Gestión, Universidad Del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7-77 Y Hernán Malo, 01.01.981, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Edwin Zárate
- Escuela de Biología, Ecología Y Gestión, Universidad Del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7-77 Y Hernán Malo, 01.01.981, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Eike Lena Neuschulz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
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41
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Steinert M, Moe SR, Sydenham MAK, Eldegard K. Different cutting regimes improve species and functional diversity of insect‐pollinated plants in power‐line clearings. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mari Steinert
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences 1432 Ås Norway
| | - Stein R. Moe
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences 1432 Ås Norway
| | - Markus A. K. Sydenham
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences 1432 Ås Norway
| | - Katrine Eldegard
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences 1432 Ås Norway
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42
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Carril OM, Griswold T, Haefner J, Wilson JS. Wild bees of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: richness, abundance, and spatio-temporal beta-diversity. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5867. [PMID: 30425889 PMCID: PMC6230437 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Interest in bees has grown dramatically in recent years in light of several studies that have reported widespread declines in bees and other pollinators. Investigating declines in wild bees can be difficult, however, due to the lack of faunal surveys that provide baseline data of bee richness and diversity. Protected lands such as national monuments and national parks can provide unique opportunities to learn about and monitor bee populations dynamics in a natural setting because the opportunity for large-scale changes to the landscape are reduced compared to unprotected lands. Here we report on a 4-year study of bees in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), found in southern Utah, USA. Using opportunistic collecting and a series of standardized plots, we collected bees throughout the six-month flowering season for four consecutive years. In total, 660 bee species are now known from the area, across 55 genera, and including 49 new species. Two genera not previously known to occur in the state of Utah were discovered, as well as 16 new species records for the state. Bees include ground-nesters, cavity- and twig-nesters, cleptoparasites, narrow specialists, generalists, solitary, and social species. The bee fauna reached peak diversity each spring, but also experienced a second peak in diversity in late summer, following monsoonal rains. The majority of GSENM’s bees are highly localized, occurring in only a few locations throughout the monument, and often in low abundance, but consistently across the four years. Only a few species are widespread and super-abundant. Certain flowering plants appear to be inordinately attractive to the bees in GSENM, including several invasive species. GSENM protects one of the richest bee faunas in the west; the large elevational gradient, incredible number of flowering plants, and the mosaic of habitats are all likely contributors to this rich assemblage of bees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Terry Griswold
- USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, UT, United States of America
| | - James Haefner
- Biology Department, Emeritus Professor, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States of America
| | - Joseph S Wilson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University - Tooele, Tooele, UT, United States of America
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43
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Kremen C, M'Gonigle LK, Ponisio LC. Pollinator Community Assembly Tracks Changes in Floral Resources as Restored Hedgerows Mature in Agricultural Landscapes. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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44
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Osorio-Canadas S, Arnan X, Bassols E, Vicens N, Bosch J. Seasonal dynamics in a cavity-nesting bee-wasp community: Shifts in composition, functional diversity and host-parasitoid network structure. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205854. [PMID: 30325966 PMCID: PMC6191139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological communities are composed of species that interact with each other forming complex interaction networks. Although interaction networks have been usually treated as static entities, interactions show high levels of temporal variation, mainly due to temporal species turnover. Changes in taxonomic composition are likely to bring about changes in functional trait composition. Because functional traits influence the likelihood that two species interact, temporal changes in functional composition and structure may ultimately affect interaction network structure. Here, we study the seasonality (spring vs. summer) in a community of cavity-nesting solitary bees and wasps (‘hosts’) and their nest associates (‘parasitoids’). We analyze seasonal changes in taxonomic compostion and structure, as well as in functional traits, of the host and parasitoid communities. We also analyze whether these changes result in changes in percent parasitism and interaction network structure. Our host and parasitoid communities are strongly seasonal. Host species richness increases from spring to summer. This results in important seasonal changes in functional composition of the host community. The spring community (almost exclusively composed of bees) is characterized by large, univoltine, adult-wintering host species. The summer community (composed of both bees and wasps) is dominated by smaller, bivoltine, prepupa-wintering species. Host functional diversity is higher in summer than in spring. Importantly, these functional changes are not only explained by the addition of wasp species in summer. Functional changes in the parasitoid community are much less pronounced, probably due to the lower parasitoid species turnover. Despite these important taxonomic and functional changes, levels of parasitism did not change across seasons. Two network metrics (generality and interaction evenness) increased from spring to summer. These changes can be explained by the seasonal increase in species richness (and therefore network size). The seasonal shift from a bee-dominated community in spring to a wasp-dominated community in summer suggests a change in ecosystem function, with emphasis on pollination in spring to emphasis on predation in summer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emili Bassols
- Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa, Olot, Spain
| | - Narcís Vicens
- Servei de Medi Ambient de la Diputació de Girona, Pujada Sant Martí 4–5, Girona, Spain
| | - Jordi Bosch
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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45
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White HJ, Montgomery WI, Storchová L, Hořák D, Lennon JJ. Does functional homogenization accompany taxonomic homogenization of British birds and how do biotic factors and climate affect these processes? Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7365-7377. [PMID: 30151156 PMCID: PMC6106174 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental change has reshuffled communities often causing taxonomic homogenization rather than differentiation. Some studies suggest that this increasing similarity of species composition between communities is accompanied by an increase in similarity of trait composition-functional homogenization-although different methodologies have failed to come to any consistent conclusions. Functional homogenization could have a large effect on ecosystem functioning and stability. Here, we use the general definition of homogenization as "reduced spatial turnover over time" to compare changes in Simpson's beta diversity (taxonomic turnover) with changes in Rao's quadratic entropy beta diversity (functional turnover) in British breeding birds at three spatial scales. Using biotic and climatic variables, we identify which factors may predispose a site to homogenization. The change in turnover measures between two time periods, 20 years apart, was calculated. A null model approach was taken to identify occurrences of functional homogenization and differentiation independent of changes in taxonomic turnover. We used conditional autoregressive models fitted using integrated nested Laplace approximations to determine how environmental drivers and factors relating to species distributions affect changes in spatial turnover of species and functional diversity. The measurement of functional homogenization affects the chance of rejection of the null models, with many sites showing taxonomic homogenization unaccompanied by functional homogenization, although occurrence varies with spatial scale. At the smallest scale, while temperature-related variables drive changes in taxonomic turnover, changes in functional turnover are associated with variation in growing degree days; however, changes in functional turnover become more difficult to predict at larger spatial scales. Our results highlight the multifactorial processes underlying taxonomic and functional homogenization and that redundancy in species traits may allow ecosystem functioning to be maintained in some areas despite changes in species composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J. White
- School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
- School of Biology and Environmental ScienceEarth InstituteUniversity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - W. Ian Montgomery
- School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
- Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS)Queen's University BelfastBelfastUK
| | | | - David Hořák
- Department of EcologyCharles UniversityPragueCzech Republic
| | - Jack J. Lennon
- School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
- Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS)Queen's University BelfastBelfastUK
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46
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Wu P, Axmacher JC, Song X, Zhang X, Xu H, Chen C, Yu Z, Liu Y. Effects of Plant Diversity, Vegetation Composition, and Habitat Type on Different Functional Trait Groups of Wild Bees in Rural Beijing. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2018; 18:5047075. [PMID: 29982552 PMCID: PMC6030977 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iey065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The loss of flower-rich habitats and agricultural intensification have resulted in significant losses of wild bee diversity from agricultural landscapes that is increasingly threatening the pollination of zoochorous agricultural crops and agricultural sustainability. However, the links of different wild bee functional trait groups with habitat types and plant resources in agricultural landscapes remain poorly understood, thus impeding the formulation of effective policies for bee conservation. We therefore analyzed how bees representing different functional groups responded to variations in habitat type, vegetation composition and plant diversity. Natural shrubland sustained the highest diversity in bees overall, in large-sized bees, solitary bees and belowground-nesting bees, while each habitat harbored unique species. In half of the functional bee groups, species were negatively linked to tree coverage and herb coverage, respectively, while plant diversity was positively related to all functional groups except large-sized bees and aboveground-nesting bees. Overall bee abundance was positively related to abundance of plants in the Sympetalae, and negatively related to abundance of plants in the Archichlamydeae. Different bee functional groups showed distinct preferences for different plant communities. In order to conserve the diversity of wild bees across functional groups to optimize associated pollination services, a diverse habitat mosaic, and particularly plant species in Sympetalae need to be promoted in agricultural landscapes. Future studies should aim to enhance our understanding of plant-pollinator associations and specific food requirement of different wild bee species for their effective conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panlong Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jan C Axmacher
- UCL Department of Geography, University College London, London WC1E, United Kingdom
| | - Xiao Song
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuzhu Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Huanli Xu
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenrong Yu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunhui Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Stein K, Stenchly K, Coulibaly D, Pauly A, Dimobe K, Steffan‐Dewenter I, Konaté S, Goetze D, Porembski S, Linsenmair KE. Impact of human disturbance on bee pollinator communities in savanna and agricultural sites in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6827-6838. [PMID: 30038778 PMCID: PMC6053565 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
All over the world, pollinators are threatened by land-use change involving degradation of seminatural habitats or conversion into agricultural land. Such disturbance often leads to lowered pollinator abundance and/or diversity, which might reduce crop yield in adjacent agricultural areas. For West Africa, changes in bee communities across disturbance gradients from savanna to agricultural land are mainly unknown. In this study, we monitored for the impact of human disturbance on bee communities in savanna and crop fields. We chose three savanna areas of varying disturbance intensity (low, medium, and high) in the South Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso, based on land-use/land cover data via Landsat images, and selected nearby cotton and sesame fields. During 21 months covering two rainy and two dry seasons in 2014 and 2015, we captured bees using pan traps. Spatial and temporal patterns of bee species abundance, richness, evenness and community structure were assessed. In total, 35,469 bee specimens were caught on 12 savanna sites and 22 fields, comprising 97 species of 32 genera. Bee abundance was highest at intermediate disturbance in the rainy season. Species richness and evenness did not differ significantly. Bee communities at medium and highly disturbed savanna sites comprised only subsets of those at low disturbed sites. An across-habitat spillover of bees (mostly abundant social bee species) from savanna into crop fields was observed during the rainy season when crops are mass-flowering, whereas most savanna plants are not in bloom. Despite disturbance intensification, our findings suggest that wild bee communities can persist in anthropogenic landscapes and that some species even benefitted disproportionally. West African areas of crop production such as for cotton and sesame may serve as important food resources for bee species in times when resources in the savanna are scarce and receive at the same time considerable pollination service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Stein
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyBiocenterUniversity of WuerzburgWuerzburgGermany
- Department of Botany and Botanical GardenInstitute of Biological SciencesUniversity of RostockRostockGermany
| | - Kathrin Stenchly
- Faculty of Organic Agricultural SciencesUniversität KasselKasselGermany
| | - Drissa Coulibaly
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche des Sciences de la NatureUnité de Recherche en Ecologie et BiodiversitéUniversité Nangui AbrogouaAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Alain Pauly
- Department of EntomologyRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Kangbeni Dimobe
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie VégétalesUFR/SVTUniversité Ouaga1 Pr Joseph Ki‐ZerboOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Ingolf Steffan‐Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyBiocenterUniversity of WuerzburgWuerzburgGermany
| | - Souleymane Konaté
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche des Sciences de la NatureUnité de Recherche en Ecologie et BiodiversitéUniversité Nangui AbrogouaAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Dethardt Goetze
- Department of Botany and Botanical GardenInstitute of Biological SciencesUniversity of RostockRostockGermany
| | - Stefan Porembski
- Department of Botany and Botanical GardenInstitute of Biological SciencesUniversity of RostockRostockGermany
| | - K. Eduard Linsenmair
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyBiocenterUniversity of WuerzburgWuerzburgGermany
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48
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Carturan BS, Parrott L, Pither J. A modified trait‐based framework for assessing the resilience of ecosystem services provided by coral reef communities. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno S. Carturan
- Department of Biology University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
- Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
| | - Lael Parrott
- Department of Biology University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
- Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
| | - Jason Pither
- Department of Biology University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
- Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
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49
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Functional richness: Overview of indices and underlying concepts. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2018.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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50
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Öckinger E, Winsa M, Roberts SPM, Bommarco R. Mobility and resource use influence the occurrence of pollinating insects in restored seminatural grassland fragments. Restor Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik Öckinger
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Department of Ecology, PO Box 7044; SE-750 07 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Marie Winsa
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Department of Ecology, PO Box 7044; SE-750 07 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Stuart P. M. Roberts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development; University of Reading; Reading RG6 6AR U.K
| | - Riccardo Bommarco
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Department of Ecology, PO Box 7044; SE-750 07 Uppsala Sweden
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