Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

The Theory of Island Biogeography

The extent of our reliance on animal pollination for world crop production for human food has not previously been evaluated and the previous estimates for countries or continents have seldom used primary data. In this review, we expand the previous estimates using novel primary data from 200 countries and found that fruit, vegetable or seed production from 87 of the leading global food crops is dependent upon animal pollination, while 28 crops do not rely upon animal pollination. However, global production volumes give a contrasting perspective, since 60% of global production comes from crops that do not depend on animal pollination, 35% from crops that depend on pollinators, and 5% are unevaluated. Using all crops traded on the world market and setting aside crops that are solely passively self-pollinated, wind-pollinated or parthenocarpic, we then evaluated the level of dependence on animal-mediated pollination for crops that are directly consumed by humans. We found that pollinators are essential for 13 crops, production is highly pollinator dependent for 30, moderately for 27, slightly for 21, unimportant for 7, and is of unknown significance for the remaining 9. We further evaluated whether local and landscape-wide management for natural pollination services could help to sustain crop diversity and production. Case studies for nine crops on four continents revealed that agricultural intensification jeopardizes wild bee communities and their stabilizing effect on pollination services at the landscape scale.

/pdf/importance-of-pollinators-in-changing-landscapes-for-world-2j8o9ygr29.pdf

Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops

Pollinators are a key component of global biodiversity, providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. There is clear evidence of recent declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators, and parallel declines in the plants that rely upon them. Here we describe the nature and extent of reported declines, and review the potential drivers of pollinator loss, including habitat loss and fragmentation, agrochemicals, pathogens, alien species, climate change and the interactions between them. Pollinator declines can result in loss of pollination services which have important negative ecological and economic impacts that could significantly affect the maintenance of wild plant diversity, wider ecosystem stability, crop production, food security and human welfare.

/pdf/global-pollinator-declines-trends-impacts-and-drivers-5gfi4zur4k.pdf

Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers.

Bees are subject to numerous pressures in the modern world. The abundance and diversity of flowers has declined, bees are chronically exposed to cocktails of agrochemicals, and they are simultaneously exposed to novel parasites accidentally spread by humans. Climate change is likely to exacerbate these problems in the future. Stressors do not act in isolation; for example pesticide exposure can impair both detoxification mechanisms and immune responses, rendering bees more susceptible to parasites. It seems certain that chronic exposure to multiple, interacting stressors is driving honey bee colony losses and declines of wild pollinators, but such interactions are not addressed by current regulatory procedures and studying these interactions experimentally poses a major challenge. In the meantime, taking steps to reduce stress on bees would seem prudent; incorporating flower-rich habitat into farmland, reducing pesticide use through adopting more sustainable farming methods, and enforcing effective quarantine measures on bee movements are all practical measures that should be adopted. Effective monitoring of wild pollinator populations is urgently needed to inform management strategies into the future.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2015/02/25/science.1255957.full.pdf

Bee declines driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers

It is clear that the majority of fl owering plants are pollinated by insects and other animals, with a minority utilising abiotic pollen vectors, mainly wind. However there is no accurate published calculation of the proportion of the ca 352 000 species of angiosperms that interact with pollinators. Widely cited fi gures range from 67% to 96% but these have not been based on fi rm data. We estimated the number and proportion of fl owering plants that are pollinated by animals using published and unpublished community-level surveys of plant pollination systems that recorded whether each species present was pollinated by animals or wind. Th e proportion of animal-pollinated species rises from a mean of 78% in temperate-zone communities to 94% in tropical communities. By correcting for the latitudinal diversity trend in fl owering plants, we estimate the global number and proportion of animal pollinated angiosperms as 308 006, which is 87.5% of the estimated species-level diversity of fl owering plants. Given current concerns about the decline in pollinators and the possible resulting impacts on both natural communities and agricultural crops, such estimates are vital to both ecologists and policy makers. Further research is required to assess in detail the absolute dependency of these plants on their pollinators, and how this varies with latitude and community type, but there is no doubt that plant – pollinator interactions play a signifi cant role in maintaining the functional integrity of most terrestrial ecosystems. Plant – pollinator relationships may be one of the most ecologically important classes of animal – plant interaction: without pollinators, many plants could not set seed and reproduce; and without plants to provide pollen, nectar and other rewards, many animal populations would decline, with consequent knock-on eff ects for other species (Kearns et al.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18644.x

How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals

The nest cell lining ofHylaeus bisinuatus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) was shown by high-resolution solidstate [13C]NMR to be composed of lipid polymer and protein. The lipid polymer was shown by reduction and subsequent GC/MS analysis to be comprised of ω-hydroxy fatty acids (C20, C22, C24 and C26) and fatty alcohols (C16 to C30). The protein portion of the lining had a silk-like amino acid composition.

Nest cell lining of the solitary bee Hylaeus bisinuatus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae)

SUMMARY The behavioral traits and the pollination efficiency of Osmia ribifloris Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) were studied to assess the potential value of this bee for pollinating southern blueberry crops (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus). Emergence for this typically univoltine bee can be made to coincide with blueberry flowering, but there were some unusual patterns. For example, some bees delayed prepupal development and emerged one year late (i.e., parsivoltinism). Adults began foraging at blueberry flowers at air temperatures as cool as 9°C. Thirty-three to 67 percent of open-pollinated rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) flowers visited solely by female O. ribifloris set seeded fruits. Bagged flowers that excluded O. ribifloris resulted in 0-5% seedless fruit. Calculations based on flower visits and fruit set for female bees suggest that the monetary return a farmer receives from each female bee that nests in the orchard is about $12.00 to $24.00.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1300/J301v03n03_15

Screenhouse evaluations of a mason bee Osmia ribifloris (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) as a pollinator of blueberries in the southeastern United States

Monolecty in bees was defined a century ago for those species that consistently collect pollen only from the same single species of floral host Even at the time, the term was considered “a curiosity” with little biological meaning Here, I review its multiple problems and suggest that its utility would improve if we apply the term monolecty to those bees species that use a single genus (not species) of flowering host

/pdf/a-brief-review-of-monolecty-in-bees-and-benefits-of-a-3q7lwi69ky.pdf

A Brief Review of Monolecty in Bees and Benefits of a Broadened Definition

Foraging behavior, pollinator effectiveness, and management potential of the new world squash bees Peponapis pruinosa and Xenoglossa strenua (Apidae: Eucerini)

James H. Cane

Papers

Nest cell lining of the solitary bee Hylaeus bisinuatus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae)

Screenhouse evaluations of a mason bee Osmia ribifloris (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) as a pollinator of blueberries in the southeastern United States

A Brief Review of Monolecty in Bees and Benefits of a Broadened Definition

Foraging behavior, pollinator effectiveness, and management potential of the new world squash bees Peponapis pruinosa and Xenoglossa strenua (Apidae: Eucerini)

Reproductive role of sterile pollen in Saurauia (Actinidiaceae), a cryptically dioecious neotropical tree