Temperature and livestock grazing trigger transcriptome responses in bumblebees along an elevational gradient

Brenzinger, Kristof; Maihoff, Fabienne; Peters, Marcell K.; Schimmer, Leonie; Bischler, Thorsten; Claßen, Alice

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.105175

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Whether pollination efficiency by bumble bee remains stable in the future will depend on the responses of bumble bees to warming temperatures. A variety of adaptive and plastic responses, that might allow the cold‐evolved genus Bombus to handle increasing temperatures are conceivable, from gene expression to behavioural adaptation (Brenzinger et al, 2022; Maebe et al, 2021). However, given the current global decline in abundance and range of most Bombus species (Arbetman et al, 2017; Marshall et al, 2020; Suzuki‐Ohno et al, 2020), pursuing the climatic niche appears to be the more rapid and likely response of this genus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smaller, more diverse and on the way to the top: Rapid community shifts of montane wild bees within an extraordinary hot decade

Maihoff

Frieß

Hoiss

et al. 2022

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim: Global warming is assumed to restructure mountain insect communities in space and time. Theory and observations along climate gradients predict that insect abundance and richness, especially of small-bodied species, will increase with increasing temperature. However, the specific responses of single species to rising temperatures, such as spatial range shifts, also alter communities, calling for intensive monitoring of real-world communities over time.Location: German Alps and pre-alpine forests in south-east Germany. Methods:We empirically examined the temporal and spatial change in wild bee communities and its drivers along two largely well-protected elevational gradients (alpine grassland vs. pre-alpine forest), each sampled twice within the last decade. Results:We detected clear abundance-based upward shifts in bee communities, particularly in cold-adapted bumble bee species, demonstrating the speed with which mobile organisms can respond to climatic changes. Mean annual temperature was identified as the main driver of species richness in both regions. Accordingly, and in large overlap with expectations under climate warming, we detected an increase in bee richness and abundance, and an increase in small-bodied species in low-and midelevations along the grassland gradient. Community responses in the pre-alpine forest gradient were only partly consistent with community responses in alpine grasslands. Main Conclusion:In well-protected temperate mountain regions, small-bodied bees may initially profit from warming temperatures, by getting more abundant and diverse. Less severe warming, and differences in habitat openness along the forested gradient, however, might moderate species responses. Our study further highlights the utility of standardized abundance data for revealing rapid changes in bee communities over only one decade.

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