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Hederström V, Ekroos J, Friberg M, Krausl T, Opedal ØH, Persson AS, Petrén H, Quan Y, Smith HG, Clough Y. Pollinator-mediated effects of landscape-scale land use on grassland plant community composition and ecosystem functioning - seven hypotheses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:675-698. [PMID: 38118437 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13040] [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: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Environmental change is disrupting mutualisms between organisms worldwide. Reported declines in insect populations and changes in pollinator community compositions in response to land use and other environmental drivers have put the spotlight on the need to conserve pollinators. While this is often motivated by their role in supporting crop yields, the role of pollinators for reproduction and resulting taxonomic and functional assembly in wild plant communities has received less attention. Recent findings suggest that observed and experimental gradients in pollinator availability can affect plant community composition, but we know little about when such shifts are to be expected, or the impact they have on ecosystem functioning. Correlations between plant traits related to pollination and plant traits related to other important ecosystem functions, such as productivity, nitrogen uptake or palatability to herbivores, lead us to expect non-random shifts in ecosystem functioning in response to changes in pollinator communities. At the same time, ecological and evolutionary processes may counteract these effects of pollinator declines, limiting changes in plant community composition, and in ecosystem functioning. Despite calls to investigate community- and ecosystem-level impacts of reduced pollination, the study of pollinator effects on plants has largely been confined to impacts on plant individuals or single-species populations. With this review we aim to break new ground by bringing together aspects of landscape ecology, ecological and evolutionary plant-insect interactions, and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research, to generate new ideas and hypotheses about the ecosystem-level consequences of pollinator declines in response to land-use change, using grasslands as a focal system. Based on an integrated set of seven hypotheses, we call for more research investigating the putative pollinator-mediated links between landscape-scale land use and ecosystem functioning. In particular, future research should use combinations of experimental and observational approaches to assess the effects of changes in pollinator communities over multiple years and across species on plant communities and on trait distributions both within and among species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Hederström
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Johan Ekroos
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Magne Friberg
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Theresia Krausl
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Øystein H Opedal
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Anna S Persson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Hampus Petrén
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yuanyuan Quan
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
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2
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Glenny WR, Runyon JB, Burkle LA. Bumble bee diet breadth increases with local abundance and phenophase duration, not intraspecific variation in body size. Oecologia 2024; 205:149-162. [PMID: 38796612 PMCID: PMC11144151 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05560-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Patterns of abundance across space and time, and intraspecific variation in body size, are two species attributes known to influence diet breadth and the structure of interaction networks. Yet, the relative influence of these attributes on diet breadth is often assumed to be equal among taxonomic groups, and the relationship between intraspecific variation in body size on interaction patterns is frequently neglected. We observed bee-flower interactions in multiple locations across Montana, USA, for two growing seasons and measured spatial and temporal patterns of abundance, along with interspecific and intraspecific variation in body size for prevalent species. We predicted that the association between spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and intraspecific variation in body size, and diet breadth, would be stronger for bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species, because species with flexible diets and long activity periods can interact with more food items. Bumble bees had higher local abundance, occurred in many local communities, more intraspecific variation in body size, and longer phenophases compared to non-bumble bee species, but only local abundance and phenophase duration had a stronger positive association with the diet breadth of bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species. Communities with a higher proportion of bumble bees also had higher intraspecific variation in body size at the network-level, and network-level intraspecific variation in body size was positively correlated with diet generalization. Our findings highlight that the association between species attributes and diet breadth changes depending on the taxonomic group, with implications for the structure of interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will R Glenny
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - Justin B Runyon
- US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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3
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Wei L, Gosselin F. Untangling the impact of plantation type and functional traits on ecosystem nutrient stocks in an experimentally restored forest ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167602. [PMID: 37806574 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The primary objective of ecological restoration is recovering biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. While a functional trait-based approach can help understand community assembly and ecosystem function recovery during ecological restoration, there still exists a knowledge gap in assessing how functional traits indicate the mediating roles of the plant community in response to forest restoration effects on ecosystem functions. This study applied the "response-effect trait" framework to investigate experimentally whether the treatment of plantation type has an impact on community trait compositions, which in turn could affect forest ecosystem nutrient stocks - here, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stocks in tree, understory, litter and soil pools at an experimental station in subtropical China. We used structural equation models (SEMs) to examine the relationships among plantation type, community weighted mean of traits, and nutrient stocks in each pool. Our results show that most of the tree and understory traits studied were response traits to plantation type. Moreover, certain traits played a significant role in mediating plantation-type effects on C, N and P stocks for understory pool (e.g., understory stem specific density and specific leaf area, tree leaf phosphorus content), and for litter and soil pools (e.g., tree leaf carbon or phosphorus content, understory specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen or phosphorus content), known as "response-effect traits". For the tree pool, only effect traits, and no "response-effect" tree traits, were found for the N stock. Total effects of SEMs indicated that, understory or tree traits can have a greater impact than plantation type on understory or litter C, N or P stocks. After approximately 35 years of natural restoration, exotic plantations exhibited a different community trait characteristic from native plantations. The important roles of traits in mediating the effects of plantation type on non-tree pool C, N and P stocks were highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Wei
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Vegetation Ecosystem Restoration on Islands and Coastal Zones, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
| | - Frédéric Gosselin
- INRAE, UR EFNO, Domaine des Barres, F-45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
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4
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Jütte T, Wernecke A, Klaus F, Pistorius J, Dietzsch AC. Risk assessment requires several bee species to address species-specific sensitivity to insecticides at field-realistic concentrations. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22533. [PMID: 38110412 PMCID: PMC10728145 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48818-7] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In the European registration process, pesticides are currently mainly tested on the honey bee. Since sensitivity data for other bee species are lacking for the majority of xenobiotics, it is unclear if and to which extent this model species can adequately serve as surrogate for all wild bees. Here, we investigated the effects of field-realistic contact exposure to a pyrethroid insecticide, containing lambda-cyhalothrin, on seven bee species (Andrena vaga, Bombus terrestris, Colletes cunicularius, Osmia bicornis, Osmia cornuta, Megachile rotundata, Apis mellifera) with different life history characteristics in a series of laboratory trials over two years. Our results on sensitivity showed significant species-specific responses to the pesticide at a field-realistic application rate (i.e., 7.5 g a.s./ha). Species did not group into distinct classes of high and low mortality. Bumble bee and mason bee survival was the least affected by the insecticide, and M. rotundata survival was the most affected with all individuals dead 48 h after application. Apis mellifera showed medium mortality compared to the other bee species. Most sublethal effects, i.e. behavioral abnormalities, were observed within the first hours after application. In some of the solitary species, for example O. bicornis and A. vaga, a higher percentage of individuals performed some abnormal behavior for longer until the end of the observation period. While individual bee weight explained some of the observed mortality patterns, differences are likely linked to additional ecological, phylogenetic or toxicogenomic parameters as well. Our results support the idea that honey bee data can be substitute for some bee species' sensitivity and may justify the usage of safety factors. To adequately cover more sensitive species, a larger set of bee species should be considered for risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Jütte
- Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kuehn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Messeweg 11-12, 38104, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Anna Wernecke
- Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kuehn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Messeweg 11-12, 38104, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Felix Klaus
- Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kuehn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Messeweg 11-12, 38104, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jens Pistorius
- Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kuehn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Messeweg 11-12, 38104, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Anke C Dietzsch
- Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kuehn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Messeweg 11-12, 38104, Braunschweig, Germany
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5
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White HJ, Bailey JJ, Bogdan C, Ross SRPJ. Response trait diversity and species asynchrony underlie the diversity-stability relationship in Romanian bird communities. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2309-2322. [PMID: 37859560 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity-stability relationships have frequently been studied in ecology, with the recent integration of traits to explain community stability over time. Classical theory underlying the biodiversity-stability relationship posits that different species' responses to the environment should stabilise community-level properties (e.g. biomass or abundance) through compensatory dynamics. However, functional response traits, which aim to predict how species respond to environmental change, are still rarely integrated into studies of ecological stability. Such traits should mechanistically drive community stability, both in terms of community abundance (functional variability) and composition (compositional variability). In turn, whether and how functional or compositional stability scales to affect temporal variation in functional effect traits (a proxy for ecosystem functioning) remains largely unknown, but is key to consistent ecosystem functioning under environmental change. Here, we explore the diversity-stability relationship in bird communities using annual survey data across 98 sites in central Romania, in combination with global trait databases and structural equation models. We show that higher response trait diversity promotes compositional variability directly, and functional variability indirectly via species asynchrony. In turn, functional variability impacts the temporal stability of effect trait diversity. Multiple facets of diversity and community stability differ between natural forests and agricultural or human-dominated survey sites, and the relationship between response diversity and functional variability is mediated by land cover. Further integration of response-and-effect trait frameworks into studies of community stability will enhance understanding of the drivers of biodiversity change, allowing targeted conservation decision-making with a focus on stable ecosystem functioning in the face of global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J White
- School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joseph J Bailey
- School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
- Operation Wallacea, Lincolnshire, UK
| | - Ciortan Bogdan
- Operation Wallacea, Lincolnshire, UK
- Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR), Bucharest, Romania
| | - Samuel R P-J Ross
- Integrative Community Ecology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
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6
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Xie G, Sookhan N, Carscadden KA, MacIvor JS. No evidence for environmental filtering of cavity-nesting solitary bees and wasps by urbanization using trap nests. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9360. [PMID: 36203633 PMCID: PMC9526028 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial patterns in biodiversity are used to establish conservation priorities and ecosystem management plans. The environmental filtering of communities along urbanization gradients has been used to explain biodiversity patterns but demonstrating filtering requires precise statistical tests to link suboptimal environments at one end of a gradient to lower population sizes via ecological traits. Here, we employ a three-part framework on observational community data to test: (I) for trait clustering (i.e., phenotypic similarities among co-occurring species) by comparing trait diversity to null expectations, (II) if trait clustering is correlated with an urbanization graient, and (III) if species' traits relate to environmental conditions. If all criteria are met, then there is evidence that urbanization is filtering communities based on their traits. We use a community of 46 solitary cavity-nesting bee and wasp species sampled across Toronto, a large metropolitan city, over 3 years to test these hypotheses. None of the criteria were met, so we did not have evidence for environmental filtering. We do show that certain ecological traits influence which species perform well in urban environments. For example, cellophane bees (Hylaeus: Colletidae) secrete their own nesting material and were overrepresented in urban areas, while native leafcutting bees (Megachile: Megachilidae) were most common in greener areas. For wasps, prey preference was important, with aphid-collecting (Psenulus and Passaloecus: Crabronidae) and generalist spider-collecting (Trypoxylon: Crabronidae) wasps overrepresented in urban areas and caterpillar- and beetle-collecting wasps (Euodynerus and Symmorphus: Vespidae, respectively) overrepresented in greener areas. We emphasize that changes in the prevalence of different traits across urban gradients without corresponding changes in trait diversity with urbanization do not constitute environmental filtering. By applying this rigorous framework, future studies can test whether urbanization filters other nesting guilds (i.e., ground-nesting bees and wasps) or larger communities consisting of entire taxonomic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garland Xie
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Nicholas Sookhan
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Kelly A. Carscadden
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - James Scott MacIvor
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto ScarboroughTorontoOntarioCanada
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7
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Peña R, Schleuning M, Miñarro M. M, García D. Variable relationships between trait diversity and avian ecological functions in agroecosystems. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Peña
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas (Universidad de Oviedo) and Instituto Mixto de Investigación en Biodiversidad (IMIB, CSIC‐Universidad de Oviedo‐Principado de Asturias) Oviedo Spain
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK‐F) Frankfurt (Main) Germany
| | - Marcos Miñarro M.
- Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA) Villaviciosa Asturias Spain
| | - Daniel García
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas (Universidad de Oviedo) and Instituto Mixto de Investigación en Biodiversidad (IMIB, CSIC‐Universidad de Oviedo‐Principado de Asturias) Oviedo Spain
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8
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Williamson J, Teh E, Jucker T, Brindle M, Bush E, Chung AYC, Parrett J, Lewis OT, Rossiter SJ, Slade EM. Local‐scale temperature gradients driven by human disturbance shape the physiological and morphological traits of dung beetle communities in a Bornean oil‐palm‐forest mosaic. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Williamson
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road London UK
| | - Enoch Teh
- Asian School of the Environment Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue Singapore City Singapore
| | - Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave Bristol UK
| | - Matilda Brindle
- Department of Anthropology University College London 14 Taviton Street London
| | - Emma Bush
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Arboretum Pl Edinburgh UK
| | - Arthur Y. C. Chung
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, P.O. Box 1407, 90715 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Jonathan Parrett
- Evolutionary Biology Group, Faculty of Biology Adam Mickiewicz University ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6 Poznań Poland
| | - Owen T. Lewis
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Stephen J. Rossiter
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road London UK
| | - Eleanor M. Slade
- Asian School of the Environment Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue Singapore City Singapore
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
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9
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Motivans Švara E, Ştefan V, Sossai E, Feldmann R, Aguilon DJ, Bontsutsnaja A, E‐Vojtkó A, Kilian IC, Lang P, Mõtlep M, Prangel E, Viljur M, Knight TM, Neuenkamp L. Effects of different types of low-intensity management on plant-pollinator interactions in Estonian grasslands. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16909-16926. [PMID: 34938481 PMCID: PMC8668793 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In the face of global pollinator decline, extensively managed grasslands play an important role in supporting stable pollinator communities. However, different types of extensive management may promote particular plant species and thus particular functional traits. As the functional traits of flowering plant species (e.g., flower size and shape) in a habitat help determine the identity and frequency of pollinator visitors, they can also influence the structures of plant-pollinator interaction networks (i.e., pollination networks). The aim of this study was to examine how the type of low-intensity traditional management influences plant and pollinator composition, the structure of plant-pollinator interactions, and their mediation by floral and insect functional traits. Specifically, we compared mown wooded meadows to grazed alvar pastures in western Estonia. We found that both management types fostered equal diversity of plants and pollinators, and overlapping, though still distinct, plant and pollinator compositions. Wooded meadow pollination networks had significantly higher connectance and specialization, while alvar pasture networks achieved higher interaction diversity at a standardized sampling of interactions. Pollinators with small body sizes and short proboscis lengths were more specialized in their preference for particular plant species and the specialization of individual pollinators was higher in alvar pastures than in wooded meadows. All in all, the two management types promoted diverse plant and pollinator communities, which enabled the development of equally even and nested pollination networks. The same generalist plant and pollinator species were important for the pollination networks of both wooded meadows and alvar pastures; however, they were complemented by management-specific species, which accounted for differences in network structure. Therefore, the implementation of both management types in the same landscape helps to maintain high species and interaction diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Motivans Švara
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Valentin Ştefan
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Esther Sossai
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Reinart Feldmann
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Dianne Joy Aguilon
- Doctoral School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of SzegedSzegedHungary
- Department of Forest Biological SciencesCollege of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of the Philippines Los BañosLagunaPhilippines
- Department of EcologyUniversity of SzegedSzegedHungary
| | - Anna Bontsutsnaja
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesEstonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
| | - Anna E‐Vojtkó
- Department of BotanyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of South BohemiaČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
- Institute of BotanyCzech Academy of SciencesTřeboňCzech Republic
| | - Isabel C. Kilian
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander KoenigLeibniz Institute for Animal BiodiversityBonnGermany
- Agroecology and Organic Farming Group (INRES‐AOL)University of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Piret Lang
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesEstonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
| | - Marilin Mõtlep
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesEstonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
| | - Elisabeth Prangel
- Department of BotanyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
| | - Mari‐Liis Viljur
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
| | - Tiffany M. Knight
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Lena Neuenkamp
- Department of BotanyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
- Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
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10
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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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11
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Moretti M, Fontana S, Carscadden KA, MacIvor JS. Reproductive trait differences drive offspring production in urban cavity-nesting bees and wasps. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9932-9948. [PMID: 34367550 PMCID: PMC8328425 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7537] [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: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The contrasting and idiosyncratic changes in biodiversity that have been documented across urbanization gradients call for a more mechanistic understanding of urban community assembly. The reproductive success of organisms in cities should underpin their population persistence and the maintenance of biodiversity in urban landscapes. We propose that exploring individual-level reproductive traits and environmental drivers of reproductive success could provide the necessary links between environmental conditions, offspring production, and biodiversity in urban areas. For 3 years, we studied cavity-nesting solitary bees and wasps in four urban green space types across Toronto, Canada. We measured three reproductive traits of each nest: the total number of brood cells, the proportion of parasite-free cells, and the proportion of non-emerged brood cells that were parasite-free. We determined (a) how reproductive traits, trait diversity and offspring production respond to multiple environmental variables and (b) how well reproductive trait variation explains the offspring production of single nests, by reflecting the different ways organisms navigate trade-offs between gathering of resources and exposure to parasites. Our results showed that environmental variables were poor predictors of mean reproductive trait values, trait diversity, and offspring production. However, offspring production was highly positively correlated with reproductive trait evenness and negatively correlated with trait richness and divergence. This suggests that a narrow range of reproductive traits are optimal for reproduction, and the even distribution of individual reproductive traits across those optimal phenotypes is consistent with the idea that selection could favor diverse reproductive strategies to reduce competition. This study is novel in its exploration of individual-level reproductive traits and its consideration of multiple axes of urbanization. Reproductive trait variation did not follow previously reported biodiversity-urbanization patterns; the insensitivity to urbanization gradients raise questions about the role of the spatial mosaic of habitats in cities and the disconnections between different metrics of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Moretti
- Biodiversity and Conservation BiologySwiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Simone Fontana
- Biodiversity and Conservation BiologySwiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Nature Conservation and Landscape EcologyUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Kelly A. Carscadden
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderCOUSA
| | - J. Scott MacIvor
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto ScarboroughTorontoONCanada
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12
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Using Matching Traits to Study the Impacts of Land-Use Intensification on Plant-Pollinator Interactions in European Grasslands: A Review. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12080680. [PMID: 34442246 PMCID: PMC8396669 DOI: 10.3390/insects12080680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Permanent grasslands are main habitats for many plant species and pollinators. Their destruction as well as their intensification has a major impact on plant and pollinator biodiversity, which has a cascading effect on pollination. However, we lack an understanding of these effects, thereby limiting our ability to predict them. In this review, we synthesised the literature on the mechanisms behind this cascade to provide new insights into the relationship between land-use intensification and pollination. By matching functional traits that mediate the relationship between the two trophic levels, we identified major knowledge gaps about how land-use intensification affects plant–pollinator interactions and how it favours plants with generalised floral traits, which are likely harmful to pollination. Abstract Permanent grasslands are suitable habitats for many plant and animal species, among which are pollinating insects that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. A global crisis in pollination ecosystem service has been highlighted in recent decades, partly the result of land-use intensification. At the grassland scale, however, the underlying mechanisms of land-use intensification that affect plant–pollinator interactions and pollination remain understudied. In this review, we first synthesise the literature to provide new insights into the relationships between land-use intensification and pollination by using matching community and interaction traits. We then identify knowledge gaps and summarise how land-use intensification of grassland influences floral traits that may in turn be associated with modifications to pollinator matching traits. Last, we summarise how these modifications may affect pollination function on permanent grasslands. Overall, land-use intensification may lead to a shift in flower colour, a decrease in mean nectar tube depth and a decrease in reward production and pollen quality at the community level. This, in turn, may generate a decrease in pollinator mouthparts length and body size, that may favour pollinators that require a low amount of floral reward. We found no study citing the effect of land-use intensification on volatile organic compounds emitted by flowers despite the importance of these molecules in pollinator community composition. Overall, our review highlighted major knowledge gaps about the effects of land-use intensification on plant–pollinator interactions, and suggests that land-use intensification could favour plants with generalised floral traits that adversely affect pollination.
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13
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Hemberger J, Crossley MS, Gratton C. Historical decrease in agricultural landscape diversity is associated with shifts in bumble bee species occurrence. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:1800-1813. [PMID: 34143928 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural intensification is a key suspect among putative drivers of recent insect declines, but an explicit link between historical change in agricultural land cover and insect occurrence is lacking. Determining whether agriculture impacts beneficial insects (e.g. pollinators), is crucial to enhancing agricultural sustainability. Here, we combine large spatiotemporal sets of historical bumble bee and agricultural records to show that increasing cropland extent and decreasing crop richness were associated with declines in over 50% of bumble bee species in the agriculturally intensive Midwest, USA. Critically, we found that high crop diversity was associated with a higher occurrence of many species pre-1950 even in agriculturally dominated areas, but that current agricultural landscapes are devoid of high crop diversity. Our findings suggest that insect conservation and agricultural production may be compatible, with increasing on-farm and landscape-level crop diversity predicted to have positive effects on bumble bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Hemberger
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Claudio Gratton
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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14
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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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15
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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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16
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Plant-pollinator networks in Australian urban bushland remnants are not structurally equivalent to those in residential gardens. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-01089-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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17
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Borges RC, Padovani K, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL, Giannini TC. A dataset of multi-functional ecological traits of Brazilian bees. Sci Data 2020; 7:120. [PMID: 32286316 PMCID: PMC7156730 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0461-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, bees are the most important group of animal pollinators. The ecosystem service they provide is vital in natural areas and croplands, and the taxonomic and functional diversity associated with bees is vital in understanding ecosystem functioning ensuring biodiversity conservation, food security and human livelihoods. A dataset of bees from mountainous areas of Carajás National Forest (eastern Amazon) and Nova Lima (Atlantic Forest) is presented here. It is a compilation of sampling efforts from 1983 to 2018 through the accession of data stored in museum collections. In total, 222 and 144 bee species were recorded in Carajás and Nova Lima, respectively. This represents the most robust dataset of Brazilian bees including species traits (body size, flight range, distribution, crop pollination, sociality and nesting) of 328 species. This dataset contributes to advances in the knowledge of the functional trait ecology of wild bees and can benefit further studies that analyze the response of wild bees to land use and climate changes, and its effects on the provision of crop pollination services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Cabral Borges
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Rua Boaventura da Silva 955, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa 1, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
| | - Kleber Padovani
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa 1, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Tereza Cristina Giannini
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Rua Boaventura da Silva 955, Belém, Pará, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa 1, Belém, Pará, Brazil
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18
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Jauker F. Bee body size and global change: Growing with the task? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:1940-1941. [PMID: 31858670 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Jauker
- Department of Animal Ecology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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19
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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: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [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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20
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Johnson AL, Rebolleda-Gómez M, Ashman TL. Pollen on Stigmas of Herbarium Specimens: A Window into the Impacts of a Century of Environmental Disturbance on Pollen Transfer. Am Nat 2019; 194:405-413. [DOI: 10.1086/704607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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21
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Stavert JR, Bartomeus I, Beggs JR, Gaskett AC, Pattemore DE. Plant species dominance increases pollination complementarity and plant reproductive function. Ecology 2019; 100:e02749. [PMID: 31339564 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2018] [Revised: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Worldwide, anthropogenic change is causing biodiversity loss, disrupting many critical ecosystem functions. Most studies investigating the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning focus on species richness, predominantly within the context of productivity-related functions. Consequently, there is limited understanding of how other biodiversity measures, such as species evenness (the distribution of abundance among species), affect complex multitrophic functions such as pollination. We explore the effect of species evenness on the ecosystem function of pollination using a controlled experiment with selected plants and insects in flight cages. We manipulated the relative abundances of plant and pollinator species, while holding species richness, composition, dominance order, and total abundance constant. Then, we tested how numerical species evenness affected network structure and consequently, seed production, in our artificial communities. Contrary to our expectation, numerical dominance in plant communities increased complementarity in pollinator use (reduced pollinator sharing) among plant species. As predicted by theory, this increased complementarity resulted in higher seed production for the most dominant and rare plant species in our cages. Our results show that in a controlled experimental setting, numerical species evenness can alter important aspects of plant-pollinator networks and plant reproduction, irrespective of species richness, composition, and total abundance. Extending this understanding of how species evenness affects ecosystem functioning to natural systems is crucial as anthropogenic disturbances continue to alter species' abundances, likely disrupting ecosystem functions long before extinctions occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie R Stavert
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England (UNE), Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Integrative Ecology Department, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, Sevilla, E-41092, Spain
| | - Jacqueline R Beggs
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anne C Gaskett
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - David E Pattemore
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand
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22
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Melin A, Krenn HW, Bowie RCK, Beale CM, Manning JC, Colville JF. The allometry of proboscis length in Melittidae (Hymenoptera: Apoidae) and an estimate of their foraging distance using museum collections. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217839. [PMID: 31173614 PMCID: PMC6555519 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
An appreciation of body size allometry is central for understanding insect pollination ecology. A recent model utilises allometric coefficients for five of the seven extant bee families (Apoidea: Anthophila) to include crucial but difficult-to-measure traits, such as proboscis length, in ecological and evolutionary studies. Melittidae were not included although they are important pollinators in South Africa where they comprise an especially rich and morphologically diverse fauna. We measured intertegular distance (correlated with body size) and proboscis length of 179 specimens of 11 species from three genera of Melittidae. With the inclusion of Melittidae, we tested the between family differences in the allometric scaling coefficients. AIC model selection was used to establish which factors provide the best estimate of proboscis length. We explored a hypothesis that has been proposed in the literature, but which has not been tested, whereby body and range sizes of bees are correlated with rainfall regions. We tested this by using body size measurements of 2109 museum specimens from 56 species of Melittidae and applied the model coefficients to estimate proboscis length and foraging distance. Our results from testing differences across bee families show that with the addition of Melittidae, we retained the overall pattern of significant differences in the scaling coefficient among Apoidea, with our model explaining 98% of the variance in species-level means for proboscis length. When testing the relationship between body size and rainfall region we found no relationship for South African Melittidae. Overall, this study has added allometric scaling coefficients for an important bee family and shown the applicability of using these coefficients when linked with museum specimens to test ecological hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalie Melin
- Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont, South Africa
| | - Harald W. Krenn
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Faculty of Life Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rauri C. K. Bowie
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Colin M. Beale
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - John C. Manning
- Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont, South Africa
- Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville, South Africa
| | - Jonathan F. Colville
- Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa
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23
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Jamieson MA, Carper AL, Wilson CJ, Scott VL, Gibbs J. Geographic Biases in Bee Research Limits Understanding of Species Distribution and Response to Anthropogenic Disturbance. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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24
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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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25
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Smith C, Weinman L, Gibbs J, Winfree R. Specialist foragers in forest bee communities are small, social or emerge early. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1158-1167. [PMID: 31063228 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Individual pollinators that specialize on one plant species within a foraging bout transfer more conspecific and less heterospecific pollen, positively affecting plant reproduction. However, we know much less about pollinator specialization at the scale of a foraging bout compared to specialization by pollinator species. In this study, we measured the diversity of pollen carried by individual bees foraging in forest plant communities in the mid-Atlantic United States. We found that individuals frequently carried low-diversity pollen loads, suggesting that specialization at the scale of the foraging bout is common. Individuals of solitary bee species carried higher diversity pollen loads than did individuals of social bee species; the latter have been better studied with respect to foraging bout specialization, but account for a small minority of the world's bee species. Bee body size was positively correlated with pollen load diversity, and individuals of polylectic (but not oligolectic) species carried increasingly diverse pollen loads as the season progressed, likely reflecting an increase in the diversity of flowers in bloom. Furthermore, the seasonal increase in pollen load diversity was stronger for bees visiting trees and shrubs than for bees visiting herbaceous plants. Overall, our results showed that both plant and pollinator species' traits as well as community-level patterns of flowering phenology are likely to be important determinants of individual-level interactions in plant-pollinator communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen Smith
- Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Lucia Weinman
- Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Jason Gibbs
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Rachael Winfree
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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26
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Countryside Biogeography: the Controls of Species Distributions in Human-Dominated Landscapes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40823-019-00037-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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27
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Martin EA, Dainese M, Clough Y, Báldi A, Bommarco R, Gagic V, Garratt MPD, Holzschuh A, Kleijn D, Kovács-Hostyánszki A, Marini L, Potts SG, Smith HG, Al Hassan D, Albrecht M, Andersson GKS, Asís JD, Aviron S, Balzan MV, Baños-Picón L, Bartomeus I, Batáry P, Burel F, Caballero-López B, Concepción ED, Coudrain V, Dänhardt J, Diaz M, Diekötter T, Dormann CF, Duflot R, Entling MH, Farwig N, Fischer C, Frank T, Garibaldi LA, Hermann J, Herzog F, Inclán D, Jacot K, Jauker F, Jeanneret P, Kaiser M, Krauss J, Le Féon V, Marshall J, Moonen AC, Moreno G, Riedinger V, Rundlöf M, Rusch A, Scheper J, Schneider G, Schüepp C, Stutz S, Sutter L, Tamburini G, Thies C, Tormos J, Tscharntke T, Tschumi M, Uzman D, Wagner C, Zubair-Anjum M, Steffan-Dewenter I. The interplay of landscape composition and configuration: new pathways to manage functional biodiversity and agroecosystem services across Europe. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:1083-1094. [PMID: 30957401 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Managing agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services is a key aim of a sustainable agriculture. However, how the spatial arrangement of crop fields and other habitats in landscapes impacts arthropods and their functions is poorly known. Synthesising data from 49 studies (1515 landscapes) across Europe, we examined effects of landscape composition (% habitats) and configuration (edge density) on arthropods in fields and their margins, pest control, pollination and yields. Configuration effects interacted with the proportions of crop and non-crop habitats, and species' dietary, dispersal and overwintering traits led to contrasting responses to landscape variables. Overall, however, in landscapes with high edge density, 70% of pollinator and 44% of natural enemy species reached highest abundances and pollination and pest control improved 1.7- and 1.4-fold respectively. Arable-dominated landscapes with high edge densities achieved high yields. This suggests that enhancing edge density in European agroecosystems can promote functional biodiversity and yield-enhancing ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Martin
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matteo Dainese
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - András Báldi
- MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute for Ecology and Botany, Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Riccardo Bommarco
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vesna Gagic
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael P D Garratt
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, RG6 6AR, UK
| | - Andrea Holzschuh
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anikó Kovács-Hostyánszki
- MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute for Ecology and Botany, Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Lorenzo Marini
- DAFNAE, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro (Padova), Italy
| | - Simon G Potts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, RG6 6AR, UK
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Diab Al Hassan
- UMR 6553 Ecobio, CNRS, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France
| | - Matthias Albrecht
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Georg K S Andersson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Josep D Asís
- Departamento de Biología Animal (Área de Zoología), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | | | - Mario V Balzan
- Institute of Applied Sciences, Malta, College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), Paola, Malta.,Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, I-56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Laura Baños-Picón
- Departamento de Biología Animal (Área de Zoología), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), E-41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Péter Batáry
- MTA ÖK Lendület Landscape and Conservation Ecology Research Group, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Francoise Burel
- UMR 6553 Ecobio, CNRS, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France
| | - Berta Caballero-López
- Department of Arthropods, Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona, Castell dels Tres Dragons, Picasso Av, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena D Concepción
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (BGC-MNCN-CSIC), C/Serrano 115 bis, E-28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Valérie Coudrain
- Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Avignon, 13545, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Juliana Dänhardt
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mario Diaz
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (BGC-MNCN-CSIC), C/Serrano 115 bis, E-28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Tim Diekötter
- Department of Landscape Ecology, Kiel University, Olshausenstrasse 75, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry& Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rémi Duflot
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Martin H Entling
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstr. 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Nina Farwig
- Department of Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christina Fischer
- Restoration Ecology, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technische Universität München, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Thomas Frank
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Institute of Zoology, Gregor Mendel Straße 33, A-1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lucas A Garibaldi
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural (IRNAD), Sede Andina, Universidad, Nacional de Río Negro (UNRN) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Mitre 630, CP 8400, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - John Hermann
- Department of Landscape Ecology, Kiel University, Olshausenstrasse 75, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Felix Herzog
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Diego Inclán
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, INABIO - Facultad de Ciencias Agícolas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, 170129, Ecuador
| | - Katja Jacot
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frank Jauker
- Department of Animal Ecology, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, D-35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Philippe Jeanneret
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marina Kaiser
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, Belgrade, 11 000, Serbia
| | - Jochen Krauss
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Violette Le Féon
- INRA, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Site Agroparc, 84914, Avignon, France
| | | | - Anna-Camilla Moonen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, I-56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gerardo Moreno
- INDEHESA, Forestry School, Universidad de Extremadura, Plasencia, 10600, Spain
| | - Verena Riedinger
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maj Rundlöf
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Adrien Rusch
- INRA, UMR 1065 SAVE, ISVV, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, F-33883, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Jeroen Scheper
- Animal Ecology Team, Wageningen Environmental Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gudrun Schneider
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christof Schüepp
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sonja Stutz
- CABI, Rue des Grillons 1, 2800, Delémont, Switzerland
| | - Louis Sutter
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Tamburini
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carsten Thies
- Natural Resources Research Laboratory, Bremer Str. 15, 29308, Winsen, Germany
| | - José Tormos
- Departamento de Biología Animal (Área de Zoología), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstrasse 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Tschumi
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Deniz Uzman
- Department of Crop Protection, Geisenheim University, Von-Lade-Str. 1, 65366, Geisenheim, Germany
| | - Christian Wagner
- LfL, Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Institut für Ökologischen Landbau, Bodenkultur und Ressourcenschutz, Lange Point 12, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Muhammad Zubair-Anjum
- Department of Zoology & Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
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28
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Woodcock BA, Garratt MPD, Powney GD, Shaw RF, Osborne JL, Soroka J, Lindström SAM, Stanley D, Ouvrard P, Edwards ME, Jauker F, McCracken ME, Zou Y, Potts SG, Rundlöf M, Noriega JA, Greenop A, Smith HG, Bommarco R, van der Werf W, Stout JC, Steffan-Dewenter I, Morandin L, Bullock JM, Pywell RF. Meta-analysis reveals that pollinator functional diversity and abundance enhance crop pollination and yield. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1481. [PMID: 30931943 PMCID: PMC6443707 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09393-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
How insects promote crop pollination remains poorly understood in terms of the contribution of functional trait differences between species. We used meta-analyses to test for correlations between community abundance, species richness and functional trait metrics with oilseed rape yield, a globally important crop. While overall abundance is consistently important in predicting yield, functional divergence between species traits also showed a positive correlation. This result supports the complementarity hypothesis that pollination function is maintained by non-overlapping trait distributions. In artificially constructed communities (mesocosms), species richness is positively correlated with yield, although this effect is not seen under field conditions. As traits of the dominant species do not predict yield above that attributed to the effect of abundance alone, we find no evidence in support of the mass ratio hypothesis. Management practices increasing not just pollinator abundance, but also functional divergence, could benefit oilseed rape agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- B A Woodcock
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK.
| | - M P D Garratt
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK
| | - G D Powney
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - R F Shaw
- Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - J L Osborne
- Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - J Soroka
- Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/Government of Canada, Saskatoon, S7N 0X2, Canada
| | - S A M Lindström
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
- Swedish Rural Economy and Agricultural Society, Kristianstad, S-291 09, Sweden
| | - D Stanley
- Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, H91 TK33, Ireland
| | - P Ouvrard
- University Catholique do Louvain, ELIA, Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.14, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - M E Edwards
- Leaside, Carron Lane, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9LB, UK
| | - F Jauker
- Department of Animal Ecology, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring, 26-32, 35932, Giessen, Germany
| | - M E McCracken
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Y Zou
- Department of Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 215123, Suzhou, China
| | - S G Potts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK
| | - M Rundlöf
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - J A Noriega
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Science, Madrid, 28006, Spain
| | - A Greenop
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - H G Smith
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, S-223 62, Sweden
| | - R Bommarco
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, SE-750 07, Sweden
| | - W van der Werf
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700, The Netherlands
| | - J C Stout
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - I Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - L Morandin
- Pollinator Partnership Canada, Head Office, 423 Washington Street, 5th floor, San Francisco, CA, 94111, USA
| | - J M Bullock
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - R F Pywell
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
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29
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Baker DJ, Garnett ST, O'Connor J, Ehmke G, Clarke RH, Woinarski JCZ, McGeoch MA. Conserving the abundance of nonthreatened species. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2019; 33:319-328. [PMID: 30047186 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Human modification of the environment is driving declines in population size and distributional extent of much of the world's biota. These declines extend to many of the most abundant and widespread species, for which proportionally small declines can result in the loss of vast numbers of individuals, biomass, and interactions. These losses could have major localized effects on ecological and cultural processes and services without elevating a species' global extinction risk. Although most conservation effort is directed at species threatened with extinction in the very near term, the value of retaining abundance regardless of global extinction risk is justifiable based on many biodiversity or ecosystem service metrics, including cultural services, at scales from local to global. The challenges of identifying conservation priorities for widespread and abundant species include quantifying the effects of species' abundance on services and understanding how these effects are realized as populations decline. Negative effects of population declines may be disconnected from the threat processes driving declines because of species movements and environment flows (e.g., hydrology). Conservation prioritization for these species shares greater similarity with invasive species risk assessments than extinction risk assessments because of the importance of local context and per capita effects of abundance on other species. Because conservation priorities usually focus on preventing the extinction of threatened species, the rationale and objectives for incorporating declines of nonthreatened species must be clearly articulated, going beyond extinction risk to encompass the range of likely harmful effects (e.g., secondary extinctions, loss of ecosystem services) if declines persist or are not reversed. Research should focus on characterizing the effects of local declines in species that are not threatened globally across a range of ecosystem services and quantifying the spatial distribution of these effects through the distribution of abundance. The case for conserving abundance in nonthreatened species can be made most powerfully when the costs of losing this abundance are better understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Baker
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Stephen T Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, N.T., 0909, Australia
| | - James O'Connor
- BirdLife Australia, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Glenn Ehmke
- BirdLife Australia, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Rohan H Clarke
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - John C Z Woinarski
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, N.T., 0909, Australia
| | - Melodie A McGeoch
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
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30
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Elevation shapes the reassembly of Anthropocene lizard communities. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:638-646. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0819-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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31
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Collado MÁ, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Bees use anthropogenic habitats despite strong natural habitat preferences. DIVERS DISTRIB 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Á. Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Sevilla Spain
- CREAF Catalonia Spain
| | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF Catalonia Spain
- CSIC Catalonia Spain
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32
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Eitzinger B, Abrego N, Gravel D, Huotari T, Vesterinen EJ, Roslin T. Assessing changes in arthropod predator–prey interactions through
DNA
‐based gut content analysis—variable environment, stable diet. Mol Ecol 2018; 28:266-280. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Eitzinger
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Nerea Abrego
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Quebec Canada
| | - Tea Huotari
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Eero J Vesterinen
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Biodiversity Unit University of Turku Turku Finland
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden
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33
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Grass I, Jauker B, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T, Jauker F. Past and potential future effects of habitat fragmentation on structure and stability of plant-pollinator and host-parasitoid networks. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1408-1417. [PMID: 30082735 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0631-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is a primary threat to biodiversity, but how it affects the structure and stability of ecological networks is poorly understood. Here, we studied plant-pollinator and host-parasitoid networks on 32 calcareous grassland fragments covering a size gradient of several orders of magnitude and with amounts of additional habitat availability in the surrounding landscape that varied independent of fragment size. We find that additive and interactive effects of habitat fragmentation at local (fragment size) and landscape scales (1,750 m radius) directly shape species communities by altering the number of interacting species and, indirectly, their body size composition. These, in turn, affect plant-pollinator, but not host-parasitoid, network structure: the nestedness and modularity of plant-pollinator networks increase with pollinator body size. Moreover, pollinator richness increases modularity. In contrast, the modularity of host-parasitoid networks decreases with host richness, whereas neither parasitoid richness nor body size affects network structure. Simulating species coextinctions also reveals that the structure-stability relationship depends on species' sensitivity to coextinctions and their capacity for adaptive partner switches, which differ between mutualistic and antagonistic interaction partners. While plant-pollinator communities may cope with future habitat fragmentation by responding to species loss with opportunistic partner switches, past effects of fragmentation on the current structure of host-parasitoid networks may strongly affect their robustness to coextinctions under future habitat fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Grass
- Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Birgit Jauker
- Animal Ecology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Frank Jauker
- Animal Ecology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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34
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Graham CH, Weinstein BG. Towards a predictive model of species interaction beta diversity. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1299-1310. [PMID: 29968312 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Species interactions are fundamental to community dynamics and ecosystem processes. Despite significant progress in describing species interactions, we lack the ability to predict changes in interactions across space and time. We outline a Bayesian approach to separate the probability of species co-occurrence, interaction and detectability in influencing interaction betadiversity. We use a multi-year hummingbird-plant time series, divided into training and testing data, to show that including models of detectability and occurrence improves forecasts of mutualistic interactions. We then extend our model to explore interaction betadiversity across two distinct seasons. Despite differences in the observed interactions among seasons, there was no significant change in hummingbird occurrence or interaction frequency between hummingbirds and plants. These results highlight the challenge of inferring the causes of interaction betadiversity when interaction detectability is low. Finally, we highlight potential applications of our model for integrating observations of local interactions with biogeographic and evolutionary histories of co-occurring species. These advances will provide new insight into the mechanisms that drive variation in patterns of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H Graham
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf
| | - Ben G Weinstein
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, 2030 Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
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