Scholarly shortcomings and a lack of evidence beleaguer bee sampling critique: A response to Prendergast and Hogendoorn (2021)

Saunders, Manu E.; Hall, Mark; Lentini, Pia E.; Brown, Julian; Cunningham, Saul A.

doi:10.1111/aec.13042

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In non-bee taxa, such as mammals and terrestrial invertebrates, the need to validate population indices has been recognized and addressed at least since the 1970s (McKelvey & Pearson 2001;Topping & Sunderland 1992). Despite a rapidly growing global interest in assessing and monitoring bee populations, and strong circumstantial evidence of bias in current sampling methods (Packer & Darla-West 2021;Portman et al 2020;Prendergast & Hogendoorn 2021; but see Saunders et al 2021), bee research has yet to fully tackle this issue. Numerous studies have compared different index sampling methods to one another and found that they differ, but the biases of each method are impossible to quantify without comparison to estimates of the underlying populations that account for detection probabilities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating bee abundance: can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?

et al. 2022

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Wild bees can be essential pollinators in natural, agricultural, and urban systems, but populations of some species have declined. Efforts to assess the status of wild bees are hindered by uncertainty in common sampling methods, such as pan traps and aerial netting, which may or may not provide a valid index of abundance across species and habitats. Mark-recapture methods are a common and effective means of estimating population size, widely used in vertebrates but rarely applied to bees. Here we review existing mark-recapture studies of wild bees and present a new case study comparing mark-recapture population estimates to pan trap and net capture for four taxa in a wild bee community. Net, but not trap, capture was correlated with abundance estimates across sites and taxa. Logistical limitations ensure that mark-recapture studies will not fully replace other bee sampling methods, but they do provide a feasible way to monitor selected species and measure the performance of other sampling methods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating bee abundance: can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?

et al. 2022

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“…Increasingly, the weaknesses of pollinator monitoring schemes that represent a misallocation of resources, or advocate the use of inappropriate or sub-optimal collecting methods, or employ methods that strongly bias collections in favour of certain taxa or body sizes, are being strongly critiqued in the ecological literature (e.g. Tepedino et al 2015;Prendergast & Hogendoorn 2021;Saunders et al 2021;Thompson et al 2021;Tepedino & Portman 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Non-lethal sampling methods such as timed quadrat counts, timed observations of individual plants or flowers, transects, and recording flower or blossom occupancy, have been suggested to provide a more representative sample of pollinator assemblages and allow direct identification of specific plantpollinator interactions (Hodge et al 2017;Krahner et al 2021;Prendergast & Hogendoorn 2021). In turn, these observational methods are criticised because they are prone to inter-observer error and often preclude fine taxonomic resolution or separation of similar looking taxa in the field (Prendergast et al 2020;Krahner et al 2021;Saunders et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the effects of observation period, floral density, and weather conditions on the consistency and accuracy of timed pollinator counts

Mahon¹,

Hodge²

2022

J Poll Ecol

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Insect pollinators are experiencing substantial declines as a result of habitat loss, agricultural intensification, invasive pests, and climate change. To investigate factors causing pollinator declines, evaluate the success of conservation measures, and institute long-term monitoring schemes, it is essential to validate and standardize pollinator sampling techniques. This study investigated how sampling duration, weather conditions, and abundance of floral resources influenced the results of timed pollinator counts by repeatedly sampling the same pollinator assemblage in an Irish meadow. The likelihood of detection of Apis mellifera, Bombus spp, solitary bees, and Syrphidae was strongly associated with the density of floral units or floral cover in the observation plot. Also, even though protocol criteria restricted pollinator counts to the middle of the day and benevolent weather, pollinator counts were strongly influenced by factors such as cloud cover, light levels, wind speed and relative humidity. Increasing the duration of the timed counts from 5-minutes to 30-minutes considerably increased the probability of detection of each pollinator group. Additionally, the perceived diversity of the pollinator assemblage at the meadow was markedly affected by sampling duration and floral abundance. To improve the consistency or comparability of studies using timed pollinator counts, we recommend that criteria are set restricting surveys to narrow ranges of weather conditions and floral density when possible. Additionally, pollinator field investigations or monitoring programs would benefit from a systematic evaluation of how erroneous non-detection of target taxa can be reduced to acceptable levels by modifying sampling duration.

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Scholarly shortcomings and a lack of evidence beleaguer bee sampling critique: A response to Prendergast and Hogendoorn (2021)

Cited by 2 publications

References 12 publications

Estimating bee abundance: can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?

Estimating bee abundance: can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?

Evaluating the effects of observation period, floral density, and weather conditions on the consistency and accuracy of timed pollinator counts

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