Small wild bee abundance declines with distance into strawberry crops regardless of field margin habitat

MacInnis, Gail; Buddle, Christopher M.; Forrest, Jessica R. K.

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2020.02.007

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Although the median predicted changes in population abundance and stability are generally small across our simulated landscapes (<10%), we stress these are the net changes measured at the 10 × 10 km 2 landscape scale and incorporate dilution by stable populations in unchanging habitats distant from both rotating crops and boundary features. Our model's foraging prescription replicates the diminishing impact of boundary features on pollinator abundance with distance observed in the field (MacInnis et al, 2020;Morandin & Kremen, 2013), implying that more extreme changes would have been recorded had we chosen to measure over smaller spatial scales and that increasing the landscape-level effect would require increasing boundary feature cover beyond current levels.…”

Section: Impacts Of Boundary Features On Bee Population Stabilitymentioning

confidence: 83%

Field boundary features can stabilise bee populations and the pollination of mass‐flowering crops in rotational systems

Gardner

Breeze

Clough

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Section: Impacts Of Boundary Features On Bee Population Stabilitymentioning

confidence: 83%

Field boundary features can stabilise bee populations and the pollination of mass‐flowering crops in rotational systems

Gardner

Breeze

Clough

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…As pollinator abundance in crop fields reliably declines with distance from edge (e.g. Aljuwayd, 2017; Bailey et al, 2014; Chacoff & Aizen, 2006; MacInnis et al, 2020), complex landscapes with diverse matrices of forests and natural habitat are essential to maintain pollination services and food security.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is important as forest patches are globally important for their role as buffers to pesticide and pathogen risks in agroecosystems (e.g. McNeil et al, 2020; Obregon et al, 2021; Park et al, 2020) and that there is higher bee abundance, visitation, pollination success and even yield in crops and rows near woods (Bailey et al, 2014; Castle et al, 2019; Chacoff & Aizen, 2006; Ganuza et al, 2022; Gemmill‐Herren & Ochieng', 2008; MacInnis et al, 2020; Proesmans, Bonte, et al, 2019; Rahimi et al, 2022; Watson, 2013). Actively managing forests for health, diversity and climate resilience is thus an important conservation action for supporting vibrant pollinator communities in orchard agroecosystems.…”

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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“…2009; Horth & Campbell 2017; MacInnis et al . 2020; MacInnis & Forrest 2020). We hypothesized that A. mellifera will be observed at the strawberry flowers, due to their generalist feeding habits, and that they will be observed at a broad range of temperatures based on the broad thermal limits previously documented (Sánchez‐Echeverría et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of environmental temperature on bee activity at strawberry farms

2022

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The response of bees to changing environmental temperatures has implications for pollination in natural and agricultural systems, with rising average temperatures and increased environmental stochasticity predicted to cause pollinator population declines. A growing body of evidence for the role of native bees in crop pollination suggests that understanding the temperatures at which bees are active is important for maintaining agricultural productivity under climate change. This study used two methods to sample bees at strawberry farms in south-eastern Australia, matching activity observations with microclimate temperature to understand how temperature impacts bee activity. Apart from Apis mellifera (introduced), two native bees were identified, Lasioglossum spp. and Exoneura robusta. Apis mellifera was the most abundant species across all environmental temperatures, and E. robusta the least. Visual and sweep-netting survey results found activity temperature range was broader for A. mellifera (16.21-41.05°C) than Lasioglossum (16.49-38.91°C) and E. robusta (26-38.82°C). The results suggest that activity temperature varies among bee species, with potential implications for community composition and plant pollination under climate change.

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Small wild bee abundance declines with distance into strawberry crops regardless of field margin habitat

Cited by 15 publications

References 44 publications

Field boundary features can stabilise bee populations and the pollination of mass‐flowering crops in rotational systems

Field boundary features can stabilise bee populations and the pollination of mass‐flowering crops in rotational systems

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

The effect of environmental temperature on bee activity at strawberry farms

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