Island-wide removal of honeybees reveals exploitative trophic competition with strongly declining wild bee populations

Current Biology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 1, 2025

High densities of managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) can threaten wild bees through exploitative competition, thus leading to population declines the latter. Although reviews have outlined key steps demonstrate these impacts-measuring resource overlap, changes in bee behavior, and trends-studies that comprehensively address aspects are virtually absent. We were granted access entire protected island Giannutri (2.6 km2) apiary (18 hives) located there during early phase coexistence between bees. Using as an open-air laboratory, we experimentally manipulated honeybee pressure by closing hives on selected days peak foraging period. In plants most visited pollinators, even short-term removals (11 h per day) increased nectar volume (∼60%) pollen availability (∼30%). absence honeybees, target (Anthophora dispar Bombus terrestris) became dominant insect-plant visitation network, potential apparent competition significantly decreased. Accordingly, both species intensified their activity suction time, a recognized proxy for quantity probed nectar, terrestris also shortened time searching. Transect monitoring revealed alarming ∼80% decline over 4 years, consistent with monopolization floral resources, reducing pollinators altering budget. These findings underscore risks introducing high into areas emphasize need rigorous preventive ecological assessments.

Язык: Английский

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Urbanisation and agricultural intensification modulate plant–pollinator network structure and robustness

Functional Ecology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 38(3), С. 628 - 641

Опубликована: Янв. 24, 2024

Abstract Land use change is a major pressure on pollinator abundance, diversity and plant–pollinator interactions. Far less known about how land‐use alters the structure of networks their robustness to coextinctions. We analysed sampled in 12 landscapes along an urbanisation agricultural intensity gradient, from early spring late summer 2021, used stochastic coextinction model correlate risk with network (species network‐level metrics) landscape context. Networks intensively managed (i.e., urban) had lower initiating cascade, while may be robust. Network modulated frequency severity coextinctions species loss, strength interactions increased robustness. Urban were more rich symmetrical due high ornamental plants, smaller, tightly connected nested networks. extinctions, which was decreased by greater linkage density, interaction asymmetry dependence networks, once extinction occurred, nestedness density propagated degree cascade loss. At level, inversely correlated risk, implying that generalist number specialists lowest risk. An interplay between affects community implications for pollination services plant reproduction. Land‐use or other global pressures reorganising can alter communities potential functioning. Read free Plain Language Summary this article Journal blog.

Язык: Английский

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The effect of elevation, latitude, and plant richness on robustness of pollination networks at a global scale

Arthropod-Plant Interactions, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 18(3), С. 389 - 401

Опубликована: Апрель 8, 2024

Язык: Английский

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Honey bees (Apis mellifera) modify plant-pollinator network structure, but do not alter wild species’ interactions

PLoS ONE, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 18(7), С. e0287332 - e0287332

Опубликована: Июль 13, 2023

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are widely used for honey production and crop pollination, raising concern wild pollinators, as may compete with pollinators floral resources. The first sign of competition, before changes appear in pollinator abundance or diversity, be to interactions plants. Such a community can measured by looking at metrics resource use overlap plant-pollinator interaction networks. Studies bee effects on networks have usually not distinguished whether alter interactions, if they merely total network structure adding their own interactions. To test this question, we experimentally introduced Canadian grassland varying distances from the hives. We found that increased plant functional complementarity decreased evenness. However, constructed just did affect any calculated. Thus, all structural full (including interactions) were due only bee-plant causing pollinator-plant Given widespread increasing bees, it is important establish communities. Our results suggest foraging patterns system, even year was drier than 20-year average.

Язык: Английский

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Anthropogenic intensification on plant-pollinator interactions over four decades in Chile: a spatiotemporal assessment

Regional Environmental Change, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 25(2)

Опубликована: Март 13, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera) potentially reduce fitness of cavity-nesting native bees through a male-bias sex ratio, brood mortality and reduced reproduction

Frontiers in Bee Science, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 3

Опубликована: Май 19, 2025

Introduction In Australia, as well many other regions of the world, European honey bees Apis mellifera are an introduced species and may harm native bee fauna by competing with them for food resources. Field studies have revealed negative associations between abundance, but whether this translates to fitness costs is unclear. Methods Using drilled wooden-block trap nests, we evaluated abundance associated parameters (number provisioned cells per nest, offspring number, mortality rate, sex ratio, body size) cavity-nesting over 2 years. We also conducted palynological analyses measure pollen resource overlap evaluate impacts fitness. Results discussion Greater was a male-biased ratio in progeny across years increased rate first year. Most non-significant were directions predicted from adversely impacting year, greater morphospecies fewer cells. conclusion, demonstrated that potential harmful consequences

Язык: Английский

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Urbanization influences the structure of plant–insect pollination networks through changes in pollinator species richness

Arthropod-Plant Interactions, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 19(3)

Опубликована: Май 27, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Plant-pollinator meta-network of the Kashmir Himalaya: Structure, modularity, integration of alien species and extinction simulation

Flora, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 298, С. 152197 - 152197

Опубликована: Ноя. 25, 2022

Язык: Английский

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Native flora receive more visits than exotics from bees, especially native bees, in an urbanised biodiversity hotspot

Pacific Conservation Biology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 30(1)

Опубликована: Июнь 6, 2023

Context Identifying floral resources preferred by bee assemblages is important for their conservation. Aims Here, I assess the association of flowering plant community composition, with that honey bees and native abundance diversity. investigate flower preferences in terms origin (native or exotic), evaluate niche breadth, introduced taxa. also consider if habitat influences these patterns. Methods This was evaluated through recording visitation urbanised region south-west Western Australian Floristic Region seven bushland remnants residential gardens over 2 years. Key results Both visited more than exotic flora, however a higher proportion flora bees. The 10-most plants were exclusively native, whereas bees, although predominantly species, this selection included species. Niche breadth broader remnants, indicating greater range remnants. Honey families gardens. With increased abundance, associated expanding which may be response to reduce competition. Flower preference patterns often differed between habitats, foraging mediated context. Conclusion Native are have relatively restricted preferences, especially compared Implications High proportions needed support diverse urban areas.

Язык: Английский

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Quantitative Methods for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Vegetation Survey Data

IntechOpen eBooks, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Ноя. 14, 2024

This chapter reviews a range of analytical tools available to the vegetation scientist, together with nature raw data which inform choice and optimisation survey protocols. In context big influential mass media, interpretation communication such analyses are often pivotal. Vegetation collected for objectives varying from land management ecological research, conceptualized either as central subject interest or an independent habitat variable. Several powerful quantitative methods hand, widely applicable other subjects sharing standard dataframe format. The development open source coding languages, recent advances in computational power, have revolutionized analyst’s toolkit.

Язык: Английский

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