Keep trees for bees: Pollen collection by Osmia bicornis along the urbanization gradient

Splitt, Aleksandra; Skórka, Piotr; Strachecka, Aneta; Borański, Mikołaj; Teper, Dariusz

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127250

Cited by 30 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…In our study, Poaceae pollen was found in 11 out of 12 nests and accounted for up to 60% (Table 1). The presence of Poaceae, but at smaller proportions (0.3-4.7%), in the O. bicornis diet was also con rmed by Splitt et al 39 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Floral resources, energetic value and pesticide residues in larval provisions collected by Osmia bicornis in oilseed rape dominated landscape

Misiewicz

Mikołajczyk

Bednarska

2023

Preprint

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Pollinators in agricultural landscapes are facing global decline and the main pressures include food scarcity and pesticide usage. Although intensive agricultural landscapes are poor habitats for wild pollinators, the mass flowering crops may provide important food resources, albeit monofloral and short-term, which in addition may contain pesticide residues. We explored how the landscape composition with a different proportion of oilseed rape (6%-65%) around Osmia bicornis nests affects floral diversity, contamination with pesticides, and energetic value of provisions collected by bees as food for their offspring. The bees collected pollen from 28 floral taxa (6-15 per nest) and provisions were dominated by Brassica napus (6.0-54.2%), Quercus (1.2-19.4%) and Ranunculus (0.4-42.7%) found in all 12 nests, but also by Poaceae (1.2-59.9%, 11 nests) and Acer (0.6-42%, 8 nests). Residues of 12 pesticides were found in provisions, with acetamiprid, azoxystrobine, boscalid, and dimethoate being the most frequently detected at concentrations up to 1.2, 198.4, 16.9 and 17.8 ng/g, respectively. Floral diversity and energetic value of provisions, but not the Pesticide Risk Index depended on landscape structure. Moreover, pollen diversity decreased, and energetic value increased with landscape diversity. Thus, even a structurally simple landscape may provide diverse food for O. bicornis if the nest is located close to a single but resource-diverse patch. Both B. napus and non-crop pollen were correlated with pesticide concentrations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Floral resources, energetic value and pesticide residues in larval provisions collected by Osmia bicornis in oilseed rape dominated landscape

Misiewicz

Mikołajczyk

Bednarska

2023

Preprint

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“…As the literature increasingly highlights the importance of forests for bees and beneficial insects (e.g. Eeraerts et al, 2021; Fowler, 2016; González et al, 2016; Mola, Hemberger, et al, 2021; Mola, Richardson, et al, 2021; Proesmans, Bonte, et al, 2019; Smith et al, 2021; Splitt et al, 2021; Wood et al, 2021; Wood & Roberts, 2017, 2018), we additionally emphasize the importance of including the canopy's resources in these studies (also see Allen & Davies, 2022). Previous work found a strongly vertically stratified flower fly community composition: they found higher species richness and abundance in the understorey but with some species only found in the canopy, and a strong association of male flower flies with the canopy strata (Birtele & Hardersen, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early spring orchard pollinators spill over from resource‐rich adjacent forest patches

Urban‐Mead

Dyke

Muñiz

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Pollinator communities are more abundant and diverse in agricultural matrices with more natural habitat, although the reasons for these correlations remain unclear. It is possible that forest fragments and edges provide resources for pollinators in important early weeks of spring, after which time those insects can then ‘spill over’ into crops such as apple orchards during bloom. To explore how forest edges may feed and therefore promote flower visitor communities in adjacent agricultural habitats, we sampled springtime pollinators in nine orchards and their adjacent forest edge canopies and understories. We identified pollen consumed by pan‐trapped bees and flower flies to assess if pollinators ate pollen where they were caught, and if their diets similarly ‘spill over’ from forest to orchard. We further explored sex differences in habitat usage. Our spatially replicated sampling found that bee and flower fly abundance peaks first in the forest understorey, then in the forest canopy and finally in the orchard. Analysis of digestive tracts showed significant usage of forest canopy pollen throughout the spring, especially before apple bloom. Pollinators had often eaten pollen from a different habitat than the one in which they were caught, suggesting frequent movement between habitats. Digestive tract pollen is an underused but powerful avenue for ecological insight. In Andrena, which are important orchard pollinators and one of the most abundant wild bee taxa in this study, male bees were primarily found in the woods but not the orchards where conspecific females were later active. Synthesis and applications: Forested areas, especially forest canopy trees, provide large amounts of early spring resources that facilitate build‐up and spillover of wild pollinator populations into apple orchards during bloom. Forests also provide critical habitat for male bees, which were rarely found in orchards. Despite their importance for bee reproduction, the needs of male bees are usually not considered in conservation planning. Overall, our data indicate that ensuring there is adequate forest habitat adjacent to orchards can improve the long‐term sustainability of pollinator populations that provide essential crop pollination services.

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“…Pollen loads were collected from the scopa and dusted on to microscope slides. Pollen samples were subsequently protected with a cover slip and glycerol gelatine as a mounting medium ( Splitt et al 2021 ). For each microscopic slide, at least 300 consecutive pollen grains were checked.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

First record of Lithurgus cornutus (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae) from Poland

Borański

Celary²,

Jachuła³

2021

BDJ

Self Cite

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The paper presents the first record of Lithurgus cornutus (Fabricius, 1787) in Poland. Until recently, bees of the genus Lithurgus have not been recorded in Poland. Five females and one male of L. cornutus were caught in Lublin Region, SE Poland. The localities are beyond the range of this species, being the northernmost known records from Central Europe. The following information is provided: short diagnosis, ecology, distribution, recent records and threat status of L. cornutus in Central Europe.

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Keep trees for bees: Pollen collection by Osmia bicornis along the urbanization gradient

Cited by 30 publications

References 70 publications

Floral resources, energetic value and pesticide residues in larval provisions collected by Osmia bicornis in oilseed rape dominated landscape

Floral resources, energetic value and pesticide residues in larval provisions collected by Osmia bicornis in oilseed rape dominated landscape

Early spring orchard pollinators spill over from resource‐rich adjacent forest patches

First record of Lithurgus cornutus (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae) from Poland

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