1
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Remmers R, Frantzeskaki N. Bees in the city: Findings from a scoping review and recommendations for urban planning. AMBIO 2024; 53:1281-1295. [PMID: 38767748 PMCID: PMC11300792 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02028-1] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Over the last decades, bee biodiversity has dropped sharply due to land use change, including urbanization. To contrast this, recent research has pointed to cities as a hotspot for bees. Because of this ambiguity, a scoping review has been conducted to examine the urban characteristics that impact bees and how bees are impacted. A total of 276 articles were analyzed against landscape and local habitat characteristics. The key findings include first that natural areas are more valuable for bees since biodiversity levels are higher. Second, urban areas generally score better than agricultural and rural areas. Third, plant biodiversity positively influences bee biodiversity. Fourth, the urban environment strongly affects some bee traits and the proportion of native bees. For making cities bee friendly and bee inclusive, we recommend to maintain natural areas, connect natural areas to urban ecosystems, encourage floral abundance and diversity and increasing the size of urban green areas overall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rutger Remmers
- Department of Biology, School of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Niki Frantzeskaki
- Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Vening Meinesz building A, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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2
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Lento M, Vommaro ML, Flaminio S, Brandmayr P, Giglio A. Morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla in five species of solitary bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2024; 82:101382. [PMID: 39241691 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2024.101382] [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: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Solitary bees play a crucial role in ecological systems, contributing to the pollination of crops and wild plants. All females are reproductive, and their habitat requirements include nesting sites, food resources and nesting materials. Although these activities require the ability to detect biotic and abiotic stimuli in the environment, the sensory system of these species is poorly studied. In this study, the antennal sensilla of five solitary bee species belonging to three Apoidea families were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. These included two species of stem-nesting bees, Ceratina cucurbitina (Rossi, 1792) (Apidae) and Osmia scutellaris (Morawitz, 1868) (Megachilidae), and three species of ground-nesting bees, Lasioglossum brevicorne (Schenck, 1870), Lasioglossum leucozonium (Schrank, 1781), and Lasioglossum villosulum (Kirby, 1802) (Halictidae). Thirteen different types of antennal sensilla were identified in females based on their morphological characteristics: sensilla trichodea (subtypes STI, II, III), chaetica (subtypes SchI, II), basiconica (subtypes SBI, II, III, IV), placodea, campaniformia, coeloconica, and ampullacea. Their functional role was discussed and morphology was compared among the species and within the antennal segments in each species. The results provide a baseline for further physiological and behavioural studies to determine the role of antennal sensilla in habitat selection, food search and nesting site selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lento
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy
| | - Maria Luigia Vommaro
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy
| | - Simone Flaminio
- Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Pietro Brandmayr
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy
| | - Anita Giglio
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy.
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3
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Lanuza JB, Collado MÁ, Sayol F, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Brain size predicts bees' tolerance to urban environments. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230296. [PMID: 38016644 PMCID: PMC10684341 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid conversion of natural habitats to anthropogenic landscapes is threatening insect pollinators worldwide, raising concern regarding the negative consequences on their fundamental role as plant pollinators. However, not all pollinators are negatively affected by habitat conversion, as certain species find appropriate resources in anthropogenic landscapes to persist and proliferate. The reason why some species tolerate anthropogenic environments while most find them inhospitable remains poorly understood. The cognitive buffer hypothesis, widely supported in vertebrates but untested in insects, offers a potential explanation. This theory suggests that species with larger brains have enhanced behavioural plasticity, enabling them to confront and adapt to novel challenges. To investigate this hypothesis in insects, we measured brain size for 89 bee species, and evaluated their association with the degree of habitat occupancy. Our analyses revealed that bee species mainly found in urban habitats had larger brains relative to their body size than those that tend to occur in forested or agricultural habitats. Additionally, urban bees exhibited larger body sizes and, consequently, larger absolute brain sizes. Our results provide the first empirical support for the cognitive buffer hypothesis in invertebrates, suggesting that a large brain in bees could confer behavioural advantages to tolerate urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose B. Lanuza
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
- Spatial Interaction Ecology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
| | - Miguel Á. Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Ferran Sayol
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Daniel Sol
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
- Department of Ecology, CSIC, Spanish National Research Council, CREAF-UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
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4
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Ulyshen M, Urban-Mead KR, Dorey JB, Rivers JW. Forests are critically important to global pollinator diversity and enhance pollination in adjacent crops. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1118-1141. [PMID: 36879466 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Although the importance of natural habitats to pollinator diversity is widely recognized, the value of forests to pollinating insects has been largely overlooked in many parts of the world. In this review, we (i) establish the importance of forests to global pollinator diversity, (ii) explore the relationship between forest cover and pollinator diversity in mixed-use landscapes, and (iii) highlight the contributions of forest-associated pollinators to pollination in adjacent crops. The literature shows unambiguously that native forests support a large number of forest-dependent species and are thus critically important to global pollinator diversity. Many pollinator taxa require or benefit greatly from resources that are restricted to forests, such as floral resources provided by forest plants (including wind-pollinated trees), dead wood for nesting, tree resins, and various non-floral sugar sources (e.g. honeydew). Although landscape-scale studies generally support the conclusion that forests enhance pollinator diversity, findings are often complicated by spatial scale, focal taxa, landscape context, temporal context, forest type, disturbance history, and external stressors. While some forest loss can be beneficial to pollinators by enhancing habitat complementarity, too much can result in the near-elimination of forest-associated species. There is strong evidence from studies of multiple crop types that forest cover can substantially increase yields in adjacent habitats, at least within the foraging ranges of the pollinators involved. The literature also suggests that forests may have enhanced importance to pollinators in the future given their role in mitigating the negative effects of pesticides and climate change. Many questions remain about the amount and configuration of forest cover required to promote the diversity of forest-associated pollinators and their services within forests and in neighbouring habitats. However, it is clear from the current body of knowledge that any effort to preserve native woody habitats, including the protection of individual trees, will benefit pollinating insects and help maintain the critical services they provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ulyshen
- USDA Forest Service, 320 Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Katherine R Urban-Mead
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, 129 Garden Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Columbus, NJ, 08022, USA
| | - James B Dorey
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - James W Rivers
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, 3100 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
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5
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Eckerter T, Braunisch V, Buse J, Klein AM. Open forest successional stages and landscape heterogeneity promote wild bee diversity in temperate forests. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Eckerter
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Veronika Braunisch
- Forest Nature Conservation Forest Research Institute of Baden‐Wuerttemberg FVA Freiburg Germany
- Conservation Biology Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Jörn Buse
- Department of Ecological Monitoring Research and Species Conservation, Black Forest National Park Freudenstadt Germany
| | - Alexandra M. Klein
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
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6
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Maurer C, Sutter L, Martínez‐Núñez C, Pellissier L, Albrecht M. Different types of semi‐natural habitat are required to sustain diverse wild bee communities across agricultural landscapes. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Corina Maurer
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zürich Switzerland
- Landscape Ecology Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Louis Sutter
- Plant Production Systems, Agroscope, Route des Eterpys 18, 1964 Conthey Switzerland
| | - Carlos Martínez‐Núñez
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Loïc Pellissier
- Landscape Ecology Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Matthias Albrecht
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zürich Switzerland
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7
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Brom P, Underhill LG, Winter K. A review of the opportunities to support pollinator populations in South African cities. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12788. [PMID: 35295555 PMCID: PMC8919850 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Globally insects are declining, but some guilds of pollinators are finding refuge in urban landscapes. The body of knowledge on urban pollinators is relatively mature, which means it is now possible to begin to make generalization. Unfortunately, studies do not represent climatic regions evenly and there is a gap in research from the African continent. This study aimed to address some of the gaps on urban pollination knowledge in South Africa and to identify opportunities to improve urban habitats for pollinators. We reviewed the international literature on urban pollinators and the South African literature on pollinators with a landscape ecology focus, drawing on literature with an emphasis on agricultural and ecosystem services. The findings show that some taxa (e.g. large-bodied, cavity nesting bees) will exploit urban environments increasing in abundance with urban intensity. Moderately sensitive taxa (such as small-bodied, ground-nesting bees) take advantage of urban environments only if local habitats are supportive of their needs for resource provision and habitat connectivity. The South African urban poor rely on pollination services for subsistence agriculture and the reproduction of wild-foraged medicines and food. Potential interventions to improve habitat quality include strategic mowing practices, conversion of turf-grass to floral rich habitats, scientific confirmation of lists of highly attractive flowers, and inclusion of small-scale flower patches throughout the urban matrix. Further research is needed to fill the Africa gap for both specialized and generalized pollinators (Diptera, Halictids, Lepidoptera and Hopliini) in urban areas where ornamental and indigenous flowering plants are valued.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peta Brom
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Les G. Underhill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Kevin Winter
- Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
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8
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McCullough CT, Angelella GM, O'Rourke ME. Landscape Context Influences the Bee Conservation Value of Wildflower Plantings. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 50:821-831. [PMID: 33899083 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvab036] [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: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollination provided by bees is a critical ecosystem service for agricultural production. However, bee populations are at risk from stressors such as habitat loss, pesticides, and disease. On-farm wildflower plantings is one mitigation strategy to provide habitat and resources for bees. In many instances, government programs can subsidize the installation of these plantings for private landowners. Semi-natural habitat (SNH) in the landscape is also important for bee conservation and may alter the effectiveness of wildflower plantings. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of wildflower plantings and interactions with SNH in the landscape for promoting bee abundance and richness. Bee surveys were conducted over 2 yr at 22 sites in eastern Virginia and Maryland. Wildflower plantings, averaging 0.22 ha in size, were installed and maintained by cooperators at 10 of the sites. In total, 5,122 bees were identified from 85 species. Wildflower plantings did not alter bee communities independently, but bee abundance was greater on farms with plantings and 20-30% SNH in the landscape. Bee abundance and richness had nonlinear responses to increasing SNH in the landscape. The positive effects for richness and abundance peaked when SNH was approximately 40% of the landscape. Similar to predictions of the intermediate-landscape complexity hypothesis, increases in bee abundance at wildflower sites were only detected in simplified landscapes. Results indicate that small wildflower plantings in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. only provided conservation benefits to bee communities under specific circumstances on the scale studied, and that conserving SNH across the landscape may be a more important strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gina M Angelella
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA,USA
| | - Megan E O'Rourke
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA,USA
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9
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Kammerer M, Goslee SC, Douglas MR, Tooker JF, Grozinger CM. Wild bees as winners and losers: Relative impacts of landscape composition, quality, and climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 33433964 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.kwh70rz2s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Wild bees, like many other taxa, are threatened by land-use and climate change, which, in turn, jeopardizes pollination of crops and wild plants. Understanding how land-use and climate factors interact is critical to predicting and managing pollinator populations and ensuring adequate pollination services, but most studies have evaluated either land-use or climate effects, not both. Furthermore, bee species are incredibly variable, spanning an array of behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits that can increase or decrease resilience to land-use or climate change. Thus, there are likely bee species that benefit, while others suffer, from changing climate and land use, but few studies have documented taxon-specific trends. To address these critical knowledge gaps, we analyzed a long-term dataset of wild bee occurrences from Maryland, Delaware, and Washington DC, USA, examining how different bee genera and functional groups respond to landscape composition, quality, and climate factors. Despite a large body of literature documenting land-use effects on wild bees, in this study, climate factors emerged as the main drivers of wild-bee abundance and richness. For wild-bee communities in spring and summer/fall, temperature and precipitation were more important predictors than landscape composition, landscape quality, or topography. However, relationships varied substantially between wild-bee genera and functional groups. In the Northeast USA, past trends and future predictions show a changing climate with warmer winters, more intense precipitation in winter and spring, and longer growing seasons with higher maximum temperatures. In almost all of our analyses, these conditions were associated with lower abundance of wild bees. Wild-bee richness results were more mixed, including neutral and positive relationships with predicted temperature and precipitation patterns. Thus, in this region and undoubtedly more broadly, changing climate poses a significant threat to wild-bee communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Kammerer
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Sarah C Goslee
- USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Margaret R Douglas
- Department of Environmental Studies & Environmental Science, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, USA
| | - John F Tooker
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Christina M Grozinger
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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10
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Kammerer M, Goslee SC, Douglas MR, Tooker JF, Grozinger CM. Wild bees as winners and losers: Relative impacts of landscape composition, quality, and climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1250-1265. [PMID: 33433964 PMCID: PMC7986353 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Wild bees, like many other taxa, are threatened by land-use and climate change, which, in turn, jeopardizes pollination of crops and wild plants. Understanding how land-use and climate factors interact is critical to predicting and managing pollinator populations and ensuring adequate pollination services, but most studies have evaluated either land-use or climate effects, not both. Furthermore, bee species are incredibly variable, spanning an array of behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits that can increase or decrease resilience to land-use or climate change. Thus, there are likely bee species that benefit, while others suffer, from changing climate and land use, but few studies have documented taxon-specific trends. To address these critical knowledge gaps, we analyzed a long-term dataset of wild bee occurrences from Maryland, Delaware, and Washington DC, USA, examining how different bee genera and functional groups respond to landscape composition, quality, and climate factors. Despite a large body of literature documenting land-use effects on wild bees, in this study, climate factors emerged as the main drivers of wild-bee abundance and richness. For wild-bee communities in spring and summer/fall, temperature and precipitation were more important predictors than landscape composition, landscape quality, or topography. However, relationships varied substantially between wild-bee genera and functional groups. In the Northeast USA, past trends and future predictions show a changing climate with warmer winters, more intense precipitation in winter and spring, and longer growing seasons with higher maximum temperatures. In almost all of our analyses, these conditions were associated with lower abundance of wild bees. Wild-bee richness results were more mixed, including neutral and positive relationships with predicted temperature and precipitation patterns. Thus, in this region and undoubtedly more broadly, changing climate poses a significant threat to wild-bee communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Kammerer
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
- Department of EntomologyCenter for Pollinator ResearchHuck Institutes of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
- Present address:
USDA‐ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research UnitUniversity ParkPA16802USA
- Present address:
USDA‐ARS Jornada Experimental RangeLas CrucesNM88003USA
| | - Sarah C. Goslee
- USDA‐ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research UnitUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - Margaret R. Douglas
- Department of Environmental Studies & Environmental ScienceDickinson CollegeCarlislePAUSA
| | - John F. Tooker
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
- Department of EntomologyCenter for Pollinator ResearchHuck Institutes of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - Christina M. Grozinger
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
- Department of EntomologyCenter for Pollinator ResearchHuck Institutes of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
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11
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Sayol F, Collado MÁ, Garcia-Porta J, Seid MA, Gibbs J, Agorreta A, San Mauro D, Raemakers I, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Feeding specialization and longer generation time are associated with relatively larger brains in bees. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200762. [PMID: 32933447 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite their miniature brains, insects exhibit substantial variation in brain size. Although the functional significance of this variation is increasingly recognized, research on whether differences in insect brain sizes are mainly the result of constraints or selective pressures has hardly been performed. Here, we address this gap by combining prospective and retrospective phylogenetic-based analyses of brain size for a major insect group, bees (superfamily Apoidea). Using a brain dataset of 93 species from North America and Europe, we found that body size was the single best predictor of brain size in bees. However, the analyses also revealed that substantial variation in brain size remained even when adjusting for body size. We consequently asked whether such variation in relative brain size might be explained by adaptive hypotheses. We found that ecologically specialized species with single generations have larger brains-relative to their body size-than generalist or multi-generation species, but we did not find an effect of sociality on relative brain size. Phylogenetic reconstruction further supported the existence of different adaptive optima for relative brain size in lineages differing in feeding specialization and reproductive strategy. Our findings shed new light on the evolution of the insect brain, highlighting the importance of ecological pressures over social factors and suggesting that these pressures are different from those previously found to influence brain evolution in other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Sayol
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Miguel Á Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Joan Garcia-Porta
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
| | - Marc A Seid
- Biology Department, Neuroscience Program, The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA
| | - Jason Gibbs
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ainhoa Agorreta
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Diego San Mauro
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain.,CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
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12
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Vieira KIC, Werneck HDA, Santos Júnior JED, Flores DSDS, Serrão JE, Campos LADO, Resende HC. Bees and the Environmental Impact of the Rupture of the Fundão Dam. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2020; 16:631-635. [PMID: 32406986 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The environmental consequences associated with the Fundão tailings dam failure in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil on 5 November 2015 are still being investigated. Bees are the main pollinators believed to be most affected by the accident because they occur throughout the area affected by the dam rupture and build their nests in the soil. In this study, we evaluated the richness of different bee species in areas affected and not affected by the accident and measured the concentration of different metals on the pollen basket, or corbicula, located on the hind legs of Apis mellifera. Diversity indices were similar and there was no statistical difference in the diversity of bees sampled when comparing the sites affected and not affected by the tailings mud, either before or after the dam rupture. It is possible that the similarity is due to nearby forests that may be serving as areas of refuge. The levels of Al, Cu, Cd, Hg, and Pb in A. mellifera suggest no change in the level of metals in pollen collected by the bees that can be attributed to the rupture of the dam. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:631-635. © 2020 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamilla Ingred Castelan Vieira
- Laboratory of Conservation Genetics, Department of Management and Conservation of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems, Federal University of Viçosa-Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - José Eustáquio Dos Santos Júnior
- Department of General Genetics, Ecology and Evolution/Department of Zoology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Dienny Sthefani da Silva Flores
- Laboratory of Conservation Genetics, Department of Management and Conservation of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems, Federal University of Viçosa-Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Eduardo Serrão
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Helder Canto Resende
- Laboratory of Conservation Genetics, Department of Management and Conservation of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems, Federal University of Viçosa-Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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13
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Falcón‐Brindis A, Jiménez Jiménez ML, Rodríguez‐Estrella R. Islands in the desert for cavity-nesting bees and wasps: Ecology, patterns of diversity, and conservation at oases of Baja California Peninsula. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:527-542. [PMID: 31993124 PMCID: PMC6972840 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS The oases of Baja California Peninsula (BCP) have been proposed as important hotspots of biodiversity that hold an exceptional richness in the middle of desert conditions. We tested the effect of habitat and anthropogenic disturbance on communities of cavity-nesting taxa, with specific emphasis on bees, wasps, and their natural enemies. METHODS In oases of BCP and desert neighbor environments, trap-nesting taxa were evaluated in response to factors affecting the nest abundance, richness, and community structure. We used statistical models to find correlates of nest abundance and patterns of diversity, as well as ecological analyses to determine the effect of habitat and human disturbance on species diversity and community structure. RESULTS Solar irradiation, distance to a perennial waterbody and relative humidity influenced the presence of nests, number of brood cells, and parasitism. In general, abundance, species richness, and parasitism were higher in oases, especially in those with less human disturbance. Bees did not discriminate between oases and deserts to nest, whereas mud-daubing wasps were more dependent of oases. The degree of anthropogenic disturbance did not affect the occurrence of parasitism, but it had an adverse effect on the parasitism intensity (number of attacked cells). The community structure was more complex and even in oases and low-disturbed sites. The similarity between sites did not exceed 30%, and the proportion of shared species between oases and deserts varied from 2.7% to 26.6%. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The oases of Baja California are functioning as mesic islands in the desert, each oasis hosting a unique community of cavity-nesting taxa. About 65% of the nests and 50% of species occurred exclusively in the oasis. Thus, cavity-nesting species that depend on mesic conditions could be threatened if the oases of BCP disappear in the future. Local conditions in the oases and deserts of the BCP are shaping the community structure. However, large-scale factors such as climate can influence the seasonality and occurrence of species within the community of cavity-nesting dwellers. Since habitat loss and fragmentation can degrade the oases' functionality, strategies to maintain the ecosystem services of pollination and biological control should be included in the conservation programs of these fragile habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armando Falcón‐Brindis
- Conservation and Environmental Planning ProgramCentro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR)La PazMéxico
| | - María Luisa Jiménez Jiménez
- Conservation and Environmental Planning ProgramCentro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR)La PazMéxico
| | - Ricardo Rodríguez‐Estrella
- Conservation and Environmental Planning ProgramCentro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR)La PazMéxico
- School of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of ArizonaTucsonArizona
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