Open AccessJournal Article
Distribution and forage use of exotic bumblebees in South Island, New Zealand
Dave Goulson,Michael E Hanley +1 more
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Results provide support for the hypothesis that the loss of flower-rich meadows, particularly those containing populations of Fabaceae species with long corollae, is responsible for the decline of bumblebee species across Europe.Abstract:
The rapid decline in bumblebee populations within Europe has been linked to habitat loss through agricultural intensification, and a consequential reduction in the availability of preferred forage plants. The successful introduction of four European Bombus species to the South Island of New Zealand from England (in 1885 and 1906) provides an opportunity to determine how important different forage plants (also introduced from the U.K.) are to two severely threatened European bumblebee species (Bombus ruderatus and B. subterraneus). In January 2003 we conducted a survey of bumblebee populations across 70 sites in the central and southern South Island, recording which plant species were being used as pollen and nectar sources for each Bombus species. All four bumblebee species showed a clear preference for plants of European origin. Only B. terrestris, the most polylectic species, was recorded feeding on native plant species. The longer-tongued bumblebees, B. hortorum, B. ruderatus, and B. subterraneus, foraged predominantly on just two plant species; Trifolium pratense for both nectar and pollen, and Echium vulgare for nectar. These plant species are now declining in abundance in the U.K. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that the loss of flower-rich meadows, particularly those containing populations of Fabaceae species with long corollae, is responsible for the decline of bumblebee species across Europe. Comparison with earlier bumblebee surveys suggests that long-tongued bumblebees may also be in decline in New Zealand, particularly B. subterraneus which is now very localised and scarce.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Competition for flower resources and nest sites between Bombus terrestris (L.) and Japanese native bumblebees
Maki N. Inoue,Jun Yokoyama +1 more
TL;DR: The present study provides strong circumstantial evidence for competitive exclusion of native bumblebees owing to the establishment of B. terrestris.
Journal ArticleDOI
Altered species interactions at forest edges: contrasting edge effects on bumble bees and their phoretic mite loads in temperate forest remnants
TL;DR: Overall, phoretic mite loads on B. terrestris were greatest in the forest canopy, suggesting that this species interaction is intensified in natural habitat compared to that in the anthropogenic land use surrounding forest fragments.
Journal ArticleDOI
Commercial bumble bees on soft fruit farms collect pollen mainly from wildflowers rather than the target crops
Eilidh S J Foulis,Dave Goulson +1 more
TL;DR: A substantial proportion of foraging by commercial bees is clearly not on the target crops, and means for improving the efficiency of fruit pollination, and possible ecological implications of use of wild flowers by commercial bumble bees are discussed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Forage use and niche partitioning by non-native bumblebees in New Zealand: implications for the conservation of their populations of origin
TL;DR: Forage visits made by bumblebees in New Zealand were recorded across a season and diel partitioning of forage use between the species was observed, with foraging activity of B. ruderatus and B. hortorum greatest in the morning and evening, B. terrestris intermediate between the two, and implications for bumblebee conservation in the UK are discussed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Subspecific differentiation in male reproductive traits and virgin queen preferences, in Bombus terrestris
Thomas Lecocq,Audrey Coppée,Tiffany Mathy,Patrick Lhomme,Marie-Claire Cammaerts-Tricot,Klára Urbanová,Irena Valterová,Pierre Rasmont +7 more
TL;DR: This work characterises the geographic differentiation in male cephalic labial gland secretions (CLGS), a key trait for mate attraction, and the preference of virgin females to the CLGS of different subspecies in Bombus terrestris and shows geographic CLGS differences parallel with divergences in female preferences for these secretions.
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define definitions of diversity and apply them to the problem of measuring species diversity, choosing an index and interpreting diversity measures, and applying them to structural and structural diversity.
Journal ArticleDOI
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors define and examine a measure of concentration in terms of population constants, and examine the relationship between the characteristic and the index of diversity when both are applied to a logarithmic distribution.
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TL;DR: Negative impacts of exotic bees need to be carefully assessed before further introductions are carried out.
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TL;DR: This book discusses social organisation and conflict in bumblebee communities, foraging economics, and the effects of introduced bees on native ecosystems.