The impact of over 80 years of land cover changes on bee and wasp pollinator communities in England.
Proc Biol Sci 2016;
282:20150294. [PMID:
25833861 PMCID:
PMC4426632 DOI:
10.1098/rspb.2015.0294]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Change in land cover is thought to be one of the key drivers of pollinator
declines, and yet there is a dearth of studies exploring the relationships
between historical changes in land cover and shifts in pollinator communities.
Here, we explore, for the first time, land cover changes in England over more
than 80 years, and relate them to concurrent shifts in bee and wasp species
richness and community composition. Using historical data from 14 sites across
four counties, we quantify the key land cover changes within and around these
sites and estimate the changes in richness and composition of pollinators. Land
cover changes within sites, as well as changes within a 1 km radius outside the
sites, have significant effects on richness and composition of bee and wasp
species, with changes in edge habitats between major land classes also having a
key influence. Our results highlight not just the land cover changes that may be
detrimental to pollinator communities, but also provide an insight into how
increases in habitat diversity may benefit species diversity, and could thus
help inform policy and practice for future land management.
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