native bees in a changing world; bartomeus2011
DESCRIPTION
This is my standard bee presentation, with some background on bee life histories and how global change is affecting them.TRANSCRIPT
Nacho Bartomeus - [email protected] - @ibartomeus
Native bees in a changing world
Honeybee
Honeybee
Honey
Honeybee
Honey Sting
There are more than 20.000 bee species world wide
>4000 in the USA >400 in the NJ
What makes a bee a bee?
What makes a bee a bee?
Vegetarian
Furry
Colletes sp
Insects: Hymenopterans: bees
Adult
Life cycle of a solitary bee
spring
Adult
NestLife cycle
summer-autumn-winter
spring
Adult
NestLife cycle
Larva
summer-autumn-winter
spring
Adult
MatingNestLife cycle
Larva
summer-autumn-winter
spring
Why are bees so important
All species are important per se
+ for plants: 85% of world plants are to some degree pollinated by bees (Ollerton et al 2011)
+ for agriculture: 76% of crops are bee dependent (Klein et al 2007)
Other pollinators
Beetles Flies Bees Butterflies Birds
The usual suspects
0cm
2cm
4cm
8cm
10cm
Other pollinators
Beetles Flies Bees Butterflies Birds
The usual suspects
0cm
2cm
4cm
8cm
10cm
& even Lizards... as long as they carry pollen
& Bats,
Back to the bees importance for agriculture:
Not native (need to be managed)Not perfect Problems associated
Honeybee
CCDAfricanized Honeybee
Diseases (Varroa mites)
Not native (need to be managed)Not perfect Problems associated
Honeybee
“Sweat bees, giving free tomato buzz pollination since ever”
CCDAfricanized Honeybee
Diseases (Varroa mites)
Back to the bees importance for agriculture:
What about natives bees?
Don’t need to manage (almost)
Give a stable pollination service (Winfree & Kremen 2009)
Don’t sting (almost)Generally good pollinators
bee 2bee1bee 4 bee 3
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Flowering
CCDA syndrome, not a disease
Transportation & nutritionDomestication associated problems
Nosema fungi & IAP virusVarroa mitesPesticides?
But is not because of:Cell phonesGMO
Are natives doing well in this days?
Well... bees are difficult to research:
Are natives doing well in this days?
Well... bees are difficult to research:
short lived
mobile
small
What about its importance as pollinators?
Natives bees are doing well in NJ Winfree et al 2007
>
But not in extensive monocultures crops
Why not?
Flowers bloom for a short period of timeNo nesting sites: bees need both, flowers, and nests!
Insecticides?
What about its importance as pollinators?
Good practices:
Flowering along all seasonNest sites
Small plots
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Crop
And their populations?
Some Bumblebees are declining:
Illinois: 4 sp locally extirpated4 sp decreased
Gritxi et al 2009
Few winers, many loosers?
Ontario: 7 sp declining; 2 sp increasing Colla & Parcker 2008
Cameron et al 2011
NY & NJ
And their populations?
Some Bumblebees are declining:
Nosema bombii fungiIntroduction of
Bombus affinis
And their populations?
Other bees and syrphids: Britain and netherlands:
And their populations?
Land useGlobal change:
Effect of human disturbance on bee abundance
Winfree et al. 2009, Ecology!
(Fedridge et al 2008)
Natural HabitatBlack Rock Forest: ~176 sp
Land useGlobal change:
Suburban HabitatGardens: ~145 sp
(Fedridge et al 2008)
Land useGlobal change:
Natural HabitatBlack Rock Forest: ~176 sp
Suburban HabitatGardens: ~145 sp
NY CityCommunity gardens: ~60 sp
(Matteson et al 2007)
Land useGlobal change:
Natural HabitatBlack Rock Forest: ~176 sp
02
46
810
Exotic species,replacement
time period
num
ber o
f spe
cies
05
1015
Exotic species, replacement
time period
num
ber o
f rec
ords
02
46
810
Exotic species,replacement
time period
num
ber o
f spe
cies
05
1015
Exotic species, replacement
time period
num
ber o
f rec
ords
Alien speciesGlobal change:
Time Time
Abundance of Alien speciesNumber of Alien species
Suburban HabitatGardens: ~145 sp
(6% alien)
NY CityCommunity gardens: ~ 60 sp
(19% alien)
Alien speciesGlobal change:
Natural HabitatBlack Rock Forest: ~176 sp
(4% alien)
days
from
1 Ja
nuar
y
Phenology
ClimateGlobal change: (Bartomeus et al 2011)
days
from
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yClimateGlobal change:
days
from
1 Ja
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yClimateGlobal change:
days
from
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yClimateGlobal change:
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from
1 Ja
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Year
Tem
pera
ture
Time
ClimateGlobal change:
Year
Tem
pera
ture
Mean April Temperature
days
from
1 Ja
nuar
yClimateGlobal change:
days
from
1 Ja
nuar
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Year
Tem
pera
ture
-Day of collection
ClimateGlobal change:
days
from
1 Ja
nuar
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Year
Tem
pera
ture
days
from
1 Ja
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Year
Tem
pera
ture
{
~10 days of mean advance
days
from
1 Ja
nuar
y
Year
Tem
pera
ture
{
most dramatic advance in the last 40 years
{
ClimateLand use
Invasive species
Main drivers of Global change:
Chemicals
Conclusions
If we take a little care on them, we can relay on bees for pollinating “our” plants
more info:http://winfreelab.rutgers.edu/
http://www.xerces.org/
http://greatpollinatorproject.org/
Thank you