Larger workers outperform smaller workers across resource environments: An evaluation of demographic data using functional linear models

Kerr, Natalie Z.; Malfi, Rosemary; Williams, Neal M.; Crone, Elizabeth E.

doi:10.1002/ece3.7239

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(138 reference statements)

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“…Spaethe and Weidenmüller 2002, Jandt and Dornhaus 2009) and overall colony performance (Herrmann and Haddad 2018, Kerr et al. 2020). It is also possible that elevated resources may have led to additional carry‐over effects beyond the change in worker body‐size structure per se .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because these workers are responsible for feeding larvae, which affects larval development rates and resulting size (Pendrel and Plowright 1981, Kerr et al. 2020), we expect that a pulse of resources would enable individuals to grow faster and larger during that pulse, leading to the production of higher quality foragers and a higher intracolony population growth rate after the pulse. Conversely, a resource dearth might reduce individual size, leading to slower population growth rates even after resources rebound.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early resources lead to persistent benefits for bumble bee colony dynamics

Malfi

Crone

Rundlöf

et al. 2021

Ecology

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Conditions experienced early in development can affect the future performance of individuals and populations. Demographic theories predict persistent population impacts of past resources, but few studies have experimentally tested such carry‐over effects across generations or cohorts. We used bumble bees to test whether resource timing had persistent effects on within‐colony dynamics over sequential cohorts of workers. We simulated a resource pulse for field colonies either early or late in their development and estimated colony growth rates during pulse‐ and non‐pulse periods. During periods when resources were not supplemented, early‐pulse colonies grew faster than late‐pulse colonies; early‐pulse colonies grew larger as a result. These results revealed persistent effects of past resources on current growth and support the importance of transient dynamics in natural ecological systems. Early‐pulse colonies also produced more queen offspring, highlighting the critical nature of resource timing for the population, as well as colony, dynamics of a key pollinator.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early resources lead to persistent benefits for bumble bee colony dynamics

Malfi

Crone

Rundlöf

et al. 2021

Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Inclusive Fitness May Explain Some but Not All Benefits Derived from Helping Behavior in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird

Kerr,

Morris,

Walters

2024

The American Naturalist

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Ecological Drivers and Consequences of Bumble Bee Body Size Variation

Fitzgerald

Ogilvie

CaraDonna

2022

Environmental Entomology

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Body size is arguably one of the most important traits influencing the physiology and ecology of animals. Shifts in animal body size have been observed in response to climate change, including in bumble bees (Bombus spp. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]). Bumble bee size shifts have occurred concurrently with the precipitous population declines of several species, which appear to be related, in part, to their size. Body size variation is central to the ecology of bumble bees, from their social organization to the pollination services they provide to plants. If bumble bee size is shifted or constrained, there may be consequences for the pollination services they provide and for our ability to predict their responses to global change. Yet, there are still many aspects of the breadth and role of bumble bee body size variation that require more study. To this end, we review the current evidence of the ecological drivers of size variation in bumble bees and the consequences of that variation on bumble bee fitness, foraging, and species interactions. In total we review: (1) the proximate determinants and physiological consequences of size variation in bumble bees; (2) the environmental drivers and ecological consequences of size variation; and (3) synthesize our understanding of size variation in predicting how bumble bees will respond to future changes in climate and land use. As global change intensifies, a better understanding of the factors influencing the size distributions of bumble bees, and the consequences of those distributions, will allow us to better predict future responses of these pollinators.

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Larger workers outperform smaller workers across resource environments: An evaluation of demographic data using functional linear models

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 4 publications

References 70 publications

Early resources lead to persistent benefits for bumble bee colony dynamics

Early resources lead to persistent benefits for bumble bee colony dynamics

Inclusive Fitness May Explain Some but Not All Benefits Derived from Helping Behavior in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird

Ecological Drivers and Consequences of Bumble Bee Body Size Variation

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