Forest fragmentation modifies the composition of bumblebee communities and modulates their trophic and competitive interactions for pollination

Martínez, Carmelo Gómez; Aase, Anne Lene T.O.; Totland, Ørjan; Rodríguez‐Pérez, Javier; Birkemoe, Tone; Sverdrup‐Thygeson, Anne; Lázaro, Amparo

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67447-y

Cited by 24 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 84 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…It was observed that along with abundance and richness, the composition of the bumblebee communities also changed during the eight-year study. We concluded with Gomez-Martinez [ 37 ] that species adapted to forest habitats decreased in number with forest fragmentation, while species related to open areas become more abundant.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

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Effects of Open and Forest Habitats on Distribution and Diversity of Bumblebees (Bombus) in the Małopolska Upland (Southern Poland): Case Study

Bąk-Badowska

Wojciechowska

Czerwik-Marcinkowska

2021

Biology

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Bumblebees are an important insect group occurring in different land ecosystems, but the number of these species has declined dramatically across Poland as well as in Europe in recent years. The fragmentation of bumblebee habitats influences the abundance and richness in community composition and trophic and competitive interactions. During the years 2003–2006 and 2017–2020, we studied the diversity and distribution of bumblebee species in two natural (boron-mixed Vaccinio-Piceetea and riparian forest Querco-Fagetea) and two semi-natural (segetal-ruderal Stellarietea mediae ruderal Artemisietea vulgaris) habitats in southern Poland. For that, we evaluated how habitats as well as local flowering communities influenced bumblebees’ abundance, richness, and community composition in 16 sites (which are located in four parks). Bumblebee communities responded to environmental factors in different ways according to the type of habitat. Vegetation factors were the most important drivers of bumblebee community structures. Forests showed the lowest bumblebee abundance, richness, and diversity, and the highest dominance levels of these parameters were found in the open ruderal-segetal habitats. The meadows from the Molinio arrhenatheretea class were characterized by bumblebee communities with a more complex structure. Species diversity was positively correlated with open ruderal-segetal habitats, and negatively with mixed forest cover, while abundance was positively correlated with forest cover. Studies like this are necessary to anticipate the impact of habitat fragmentation on bumblebee decline.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Studies have shown that while some species have considerably declined in fragmented habitats, others have remained relatively abundant. Habitat fragmentation can affect the diversity of bumblebee species and communities, and may depend, among other aspects, on their habitat preferences, foraging ranges, and behavioural patterns [ 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Open and Forest Habitats on Distribution and Diversity of Bumblebees (Bombus) in the Małopolska Upland (Southern Poland): Case Study

Bąk-Badowska

Wojciechowska

Czerwik-Marcinkowska

2021

Biology

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“…Furthermore, fragmentation effects on other trophic levels also influence plant community dynamics, which may contribute to differences between observation and simulation. Edge effects on pollinator composition can change seed crops and hence fitness of different species (Brudvig et al., 2015; Gómez‐Martínez et al., 2020). Recruitment success can be influenced by compositional changes to dispersers and predators of seeds in fragments (Almeida‐Neto et al., 2008; Galetti & Dirzo, 2013; Markl et al., 2012; Menke et al., 2012; Paine & Beck, 2007), for example, loss of large‐bodied dispersers or increased abundance of rodents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal limitation and weaker stabilizing mechanisms mediate loss of diversity with edge effects in forest fragments

Krishnadas

Stump

2021

Journal of Ecology

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Whether fragmented ecosystems can maintain diversity is a key ecological question. The ability of fragmented forests to support diversity is determined by both landscape‐scale metapopulation dynamics and within‐patch mechanisms that govern species coexistence. Within‐patch dynamics can be affected by proximity to forest edges. Edge effects on abiotic and biotic processes can alter species' performance and species interactions, but it is unclear how edge effects bear upon the long‐term ability of fragmented forests to maintain diversity. We apply modern coexistence theory as a framework to predict the impact of edge effects on species coexistence. Using field data for a tropical tree community, we parameterized a spatially explicit simulation model to quantify how habitat and density dependence during seedling establishment affect diversity of later life stages. We matched simulated future communities to observed patterns of diversity and community structure for established seedlings and adults, coupled with sensitivity analysis of simulated effects. We found that early recruitment dynamics contributed to community structure at older life stages, corroborating empirical work on the importance of early life‐stage dynamics for diversity. Edge effects reduced the diversity maintained in patches. The progressive loss of diversity was not due to changes in relative competitive ability (fitness differences), but due to weaker stabilization via density‐dependent seed mortality. Results were robust to wide changes in the absolute values of model parameters, suggesting that variation in the strength of individual processes did not change their relative importance for diversity. Synthesis. Weakening of stabilizing processes that promote species self‐limitation in ecological communities could compromise the ability of habitat fragments to maintain diversity. Quantifying the relative importance of intraspecific versus interspecific interactions—to assess stabilizing mechanisms and fitness differences—can help evaluate when habitat amount versus quality plays a larger role in maintaining diversity of fragments.

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“…More generally, this caveat highlights the wealth of community interactions that underpin all plant-pollinator network links and are essential to pollinator health and plant reproduction alike. These unsung contributors range from larval food sources and breeding sites [113,114] to competitors for floral resources [115,116], to predators and parasites lurking within flowers [10,117,118]. Likewise, herbivores can have indirect effects on pollinator health through induced changes in floral resource quality [16,[119][120][121].…”

Section: (D) Resolving the Conflicts Inherent To Pollinating Herbivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualism has its limits: consequences of asymmetric interactions between a well-defended plant and its herbivorous pollinator

Balbuena

Broadhead

Dahake

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Concern for pollinator health often focuses on social bees and their agricultural importance at the expense of other pollinators and their ecosystem services. When pollinating herbivores use the same plants as nectar sources and larval hosts, ecological conflicts emerge for both parties, as the pollinator's services are mitigated by herbivory and its larvae are harmed by plant defences. We tracked individual-level metrics of pollinator health—growth, survivorship, fecundity—across the life cycle of a pollinating herbivore, the common hawkmoth, Hyles lineata , interacting with a rare plant, Oenothera harringtonii , that is polymorphic for the common floral volatile ( R )-(−)-linalool. Linalool had no impact on floral attraction, but its experimental addition suppressed oviposition on plants lacking linalool. Plants showed robust resistance against herbivory from leaf-disc to whole-plant scales, through poor larval growth and survivorship. Higher larval performance on other Oenothera species indicates that constitutive herbivore resistance by O. harringtonii is not a genus-wide trait. Leaf volatiles differed among populations of O. harringtonii but were not induced by larval herbivory. Similarly, elagitannins and other phenolics varied among plant tissues but were not herbivore-induced. Our findings highlight asymmetric plant–pollinator interactions and the importance of third parties, including alternative larval host plants, in maintaining pollinator health. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes’.

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Forest fragmentation modifies the composition of bumblebee communities and modulates their trophic and competitive interactions for pollination

Cited by 24 publications

References 84 publications

Effects of Open and Forest Habitats on Distribution and Diversity of Bumblebees (Bombus) in the Małopolska Upland (Southern Poland): Case Study

Effects of Open and Forest Habitats on Distribution and Diversity of Bumblebees (Bombus) in the Małopolska Upland (Southern Poland): Case Study

Dispersal limitation and weaker stabilizing mechanisms mediate loss of diversity with edge effects in forest fragments

Mutualism has its limits: consequences of asymmetric interactions between a well-defended plant and its herbivorous pollinator

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