TY - JOUR
T1 - A bee’s-eye view of landscape change: differences in diet of 2 Andrena species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) between 1943 and 2021
AU - Boyes, Clare
AU - Rowntree, Jennifer K
AU - Coulthard, Emma
PY - 2024/9/30
Y1 - 2024/9/30
N2 - Declines in pollinating insects have been linked to changes in land cover, affecting the availability of nesting sites and floral resources. Our study is the first analysis of changes in pollen load composition of 2 mining bees, Andrena barbilabris (Kirby) and Andrena flavipes (Panzer) (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), at the same sites in central England, over 75 years. This provides a unique opportunity to remove spatial variation and review temporal changes in pollen diet within the context of landscape change. We analyzed modern-day pollen load composition for these species and compared it with historical data from the same sites. We then examined potential links between land-use change and the bees’ diets. Both bees showed dietary flexibility and lower diet breadth for A. barbilabris, and the bees’ foraging strategies appear to have changed. Andrena flavipes collected more pollen taxa in a single load, while A. barbilabris appeared to source pollen from greater distances. Landscape changes at the studied sites have affected the nutritional environment for these bees. Our findings are supported by an existing assessment of floral resources, which found floral diversity has decreased overall in both the habitats used by these bees. However, more research is needed on the nutritional content of pollens used by these bees, both now and historically, to estimate how pollen diversity has changed. The bee’s-eye view underlines the importance of understanding how species respond to local changes so that effective conservation strategies can be developed.
AB - Declines in pollinating insects have been linked to changes in land cover, affecting the availability of nesting sites and floral resources. Our study is the first analysis of changes in pollen load composition of 2 mining bees, Andrena barbilabris (Kirby) and Andrena flavipes (Panzer) (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), at the same sites in central England, over 75 years. This provides a unique opportunity to remove spatial variation and review temporal changes in pollen diet within the context of landscape change. We analyzed modern-day pollen load composition for these species and compared it with historical data from the same sites. We then examined potential links between land-use change and the bees’ diets. Both bees showed dietary flexibility and lower diet breadth for A. barbilabris, and the bees’ foraging strategies appear to have changed. Andrena flavipes collected more pollen taxa in a single load, while A. barbilabris appeared to source pollen from greater distances. Landscape changes at the studied sites have affected the nutritional environment for these bees. Our findings are supported by an existing assessment of floral resources, which found floral diversity has decreased overall in both the habitats used by these bees. However, more research is needed on the nutritional content of pollens used by these bees, both now and historically, to estimate how pollen diversity has changed. The bee’s-eye view underlines the importance of understanding how species respond to local changes so that effective conservation strategies can be developed.
KW - agriculture
KW - biodiversity
KW - pollen
KW - Animals
KW - Diet
KW - Ecosystem
KW - England
KW - Bees/physiology
KW - Pollen
KW - Pollination
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieae093
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205447304&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/context/bms-research/article/2775/viewcontent/ieae093.pdf
U2 - 10.1093/jisesa/ieae093
DO - 10.1093/jisesa/ieae093
M3 - Article
C2 - 39348595
SN - 1536-2442
VL - 24
JO - Journal of Insect Science
JF - Journal of Insect Science
IS - 4
M1 - 27
ER -