The role of dietary breadth in national bumblebee (Bombus) declines: Simple correlation?

Connop, Stuart; Hill, Tom; Steer, Jonathan; Shaw, Phil

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.07.021

Cited by 24 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The strong preference of bumble bees for Fabaceae also agrees with results from previous studies (Goulson and Darvill 2004;Goulson et al 2005Goulson et al , 2008aConnop et al 2010;Redpath et al 2010). Fabaceae seem thus to be highly important for bumble bees, especially for longer-tongued species, such as B. hortorum (19 visits to Fabaceae in this study, 47.5 %), B. lapidarius (68 visits, 52.3 %), and B. pascuorum (76 visits, 32.2 %).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Although several bumble bee species are still common (but see Lye et al 2012), the occurrence of a general bumble bee decline has been debated for 60 years (Fitzpatrick et al 2007;Goulson et al 2008b;Connop et al 2010). One frequently discussed cause for the observed decline is habitat alteration and loss, especially through intensified farming (Fischer and Lindenmayer 2007;Goulson et al 2008b;Bommarco et al 2010;Pellissier et al 2013) and increasing urbanization (Ahrné et al 2009;Kearns and Oliveras 2009;Bates et al 2011;Geslin et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant diversity and composition compensate for negative effects of urbanization on foraging bumble bees

et al. 2015

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-Bumble bees play an important role as pollinators of many crop plants and wild flowers. As in many wild bees, their abundance and diversity have declined in recent years, which may threaten the stability of pollination services. The observed decline is often linked with the loss or alteration of natural habitat, e.g., through urbanization, the conversion of natural habitat into largely sealed areas (concrete) inhabited by humans. The effects of urbanization on bumble bees remain as yet controversial with both positive and negative effects reported. We investigated how habitat isolation through increasing areas of concrete, as well as the diversity, abundance, and community composition of floral resources, determine bumble bee abundance and diversity in cities. We found plant species diversity and abundance to be more important than the amount of concrete in driving the abundance and species richness of common bumble bees in a German city. Moreover, plant species composition, i.e., the presence of specific plant species and families (e.g., Fabaceae), played a prominent role. In particular, flower-rich parks and gardens can offer a continuous food supply for bumble bees and attract bumble bee foragers even to isolated patches in the city center.bee decline / habitat fragmentation / Hymenoptera / pollination / urban landscape

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant diversity and composition compensate for negative effects of urbanization on foraging bumble bees

et al. 2015

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“…(see e.g., Waters et al 2011). Our results on the diet breadth of B. lapidarius in peaty, wet meadows further support the results in agricultural landscapes, as they showed high constancy when foraging for pollen (Carvell et al 2006;Connop et al 2010; Leonhardt and Blüthgen 2 0 1 2 ) . H o w e v e r, s t u d i e s s h o w e d t h a t B. lapidarius can also present diet breadth as large as other co-occurring bumble bee species, or even larger (Goulson and Darvill 2004;Kleijn and Raemakers 2008).…”

Section: Bumble Bee Floral Choicessupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Studies usually focus on the bumble bee's host plant use and foraging constancy (Carvell et al 2006;Connop et al 2010;Kleijn and Raemakers 2008), or on the pollen nutritive value of several plant species (Hagbery and Nieh 2012;Leonhardt and Blüthgen 2012;Tasei and Aupinel 2008;Vanderplanck et al 2014b). However, the bee's host plant choices coupled with the nectar and pollen quality of host plants have been rarely addressed (Hanley et al 2008;Leonhardt and Blüthgen 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen and nectar quality drive the major and minor floral choices of bumble bees

et al. 2014

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-To investigate whether floral resource quality impacts on bumble bee floral choices, we determined the pollen foraging constancy and floral choices of four bumble bee species commonly occurring in peaty, wet meadows in South Belgium. We subsequently analyzed the chemical contents of pollen and nectar, as well as the nectar production of the major host plant species. Individuals of B. lapidarius and B. pascuorum collected high-quality pollen (i.e., having high essential amino acid and phytosterol content) on Comarum palustre and Trifolium pratense, whereas individuals of B. terrestris s.l. and B. hypnorum enlarged their diet breadth to less valuable pollen resources (Cirsium palustre and Valeriana repens). Since Persicaria bistorta and Comarum palustre offer abundant and concentrated nectar, these plant species might represent major nectar sources for bumble bee species in peaty, wet meadows. The present study demonstrated the role of pollen composition on differences in foraging strategies among bumble bee species.amino acids / floral rewards / nectar sugars / phytosterols / polylectism

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“…The main hypotheses to explain the observed declines in bee populations are: the impact of pathogen infections and pathogen spill-over from reared pollinators (as reviewed in Meeus et al 2011), the use of pesticides (Thompson 2001;Blacquière et al 2012), diet specialization (Rasmont and Mersch 1988;Connop et al 2010), and landscape modification (Hines and Hendrix 2005;Kremen et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microsatellite analysis in museum samples reveals inbreeding before the regression of Bombus veteranus

et al. 2012

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-The worldwide decline of pollinators is an emerging threat and is a matter both for ecological and economic concerns. Population genetics can be used to correlate bumblebee decline with genetic parameters. In order to do so, historical data are needed. We used eight microsatellite loci to genotype pinned museum specimens of the declining bumblebee Bombus veteranus. Bumblebee samples were collected spanning a period of three decades . We detected low genetic diversity and inbreeding in the samples collected during the respective time periods. Inbreeding was also confirmed by the occurrence of sterile diploid males. Based on the data obtained, we speculate that low genetic diversity and inbreeding did not directly result in the collapse of B. veteranus in Belgium. However, inbreeding might still play an indirect role in the decline of bumblebee populations because of the appearance of diploid males and because a low H E might reduce the capacity to react to the drivers of bumblebee decline. microsatellites / ancient DNA / museum collections / genetic diversity / bumblebee decline

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The role of dietary breadth in national bumblebee (Bombus) declines: Simple correlation?

Cited by 24 publications

References 39 publications

Plant diversity and composition compensate for negative effects of urbanization on foraging bumble bees

Plant diversity and composition compensate for negative effects of urbanization on foraging bumble bees

Pollen and nectar quality drive the major and minor floral choices of bumble bees

Microsatellite analysis in museum samples reveals inbreeding before the regression of Bombus veteranus

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