Long-term data shows increasing dominance of Bombus terrestris with climate warming

Herbertsson, Lina; Khalaf, Reem; Johnson, Karin; Bygebjerg, Rune; Blomqvist, Sofia; Persson, Anna

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2021.03.008

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…While neither colonizing nor resident species exhibit mechanisms to synchronize foraging activity with earlier flowering under warm conditions, low‐elevation bees have a more generalized strategy of seasonal resource use (Figure 2) that may allow them to take advantage of the richer floral resources available over the season in locations with longer flowering intervals. Our findings, while based on observational rather than experimental data, concur with the prediction that phenotypic plasticity of generalist species buffers them from the disruptive effects of climate change (Herbertsson et al, 2021; Schweiger et al, 2010; Sponsler et al, 2022). Results support the view that a legacy of strong selection for survival and reproduction in a cold environment constrains the performance of resident alpine bumble bees under warming, and favors colonizing species with more generalized phenology and greater heat tolerance (Martinet et al, 2015; Oyen et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Climate driven disruption of transitional alpine bumble bee communities

Miller‐Struttmann

Miller

Galen

2022

Global Change Biology

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Pollinators at high elevations face multiple threats from climate change including heat stress, failure to phenological match advancing flower resources and competitive pressure from range-expanding species of lower elevations. We conducted long-term multi-site surveys of alpine bumble bees to determine how phenology of range-stable and range-expanding species is responding to climate change. We ask whether bumble bee responses generate mismatches with floral resources, and whether these mismatches in turn promote community disruption and potential species replacement. In alpine environments of the central Rocky Mountains, range-stable and range-expanding bumble bees exhibit phenological mismatches with flowering host plants due to earlier flowering of preferred resources under warmer spring temperatures. However, workers of range-stable species are more canalised in their foraging schedules, exploiting a relatively narrow portion of the flowering season. Specifically, range-stable species show less variance in phenology in response to temporally and spatially changing conditions than range-expanding ones. Because flowering duration drives the seasonal abundance of floral resources at the landscape scale, we hypothesize that canalisation of phenology in alpine bumble bees could reduce their access to earlier or later season flowers. Warmer conditions are decreasing abundances of range-stable alpine bumble bees above the timberline, increasing abundance of range-expanding species, and facilitating a novel and more species-diverse bumble bee community. However, this trend is not explained by greater phenological mismatch of range-stable bees. Results suggest that conversion of historic habitats for cold-adapted alpine bumble bee species into refugia for more heat-tolerant congeners is disrupting bumble bee communities at high elevations, though the precise mechanisms accounting for these changes are not yet known. If warming continues, we predict that the transient increase in diversity due to colonization by historically low-elevation species will likely give way to declines of alpine bumble bees in the central Rocky Mountains.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Climate driven disruption of transitional alpine bumble bee communities

Miller‐Struttmann

Miller

Galen

2022

Global Change Biology

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“…Given that mean daily temperatures are projected to increase across much of the temperate range of bumblebees (i.e. c. 2-4℃ rise by 2100; IPCC, 2014), our findings suggest global warming may actually push bumblebee colonies closer to their flight thermal optimum, potentially improving foraging returns and pollination delivery (Deutsch et al, 2008;Herbertsson et al, 2021;Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019). However, our results also suggest that if ambient temperatures more frequently pass 30℃ from extreme climatic events such as extended heatwaves, this could start to have detrimental effects on key behaviours underpinning colony fitness (Meehl & Tebaldi, 2004).…”

Section: Impacts Of Climate Changementioning

confidence: 91%

Thermal flight performance reveals impact of warming on bumblebee foraging potential

2021

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“…In a global change framework, land-use change and climate change may have a synergic effect on biological invasions, facilitating this kind of insect's invasion process. Furthermore, B. terrestris and other large bumblebees are expected to become dominant species with climate warming 34 , worsening the future invasion scenario.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion dynamics of the European bumblebee Bombus terrestris in the southern part of South America

Fontúrbel

Murúa

Vieli

2021

Sci Rep

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Invasive species are one of the main biodiversity loss drivers. Some species can establish and thrive in novel habitats, impacting local communities, as is the case of managed pollinators. In this regard, an invasive species' expansion process over time is critical for its control and management. A good example is the European bumblebee Bombus terrestris, which has rapidly invaded the southern part of South America after being repeatedly introduced in Chile for crop pollination since 1997. We assessed the temporal dynamics of B. terrestris invasion in Argentina and Chile by compiling 562 occurrence points from 2000 to 2019. We used two estimators (minimum convex polygon and 95% fixed kernel) to estimate the increase of the invaded area over time. We found that the area invaded by B. terrestris in the southern part of South America presents a linear increase over time, which was consistent for both estimators. In this scenario, species traits, environmental characteristics, and introduction dynamics facilitate a rapid invasion process that will continue to expand, reaching other South American countries in the near future. As this bumblebee is a super-generalist, it probably will expand across South America, as climate niche modelling predicts, if no actions were taken.

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Long-term data shows increasing dominance of Bombus terrestris with climate warming

Cited by 17 publications

References 29 publications

Climate driven disruption of transitional alpine bumble bee communities

Climate driven disruption of transitional alpine bumble bee communities

Thermal flight performance reveals impact of warming on bumblebee foraging potential

Invasion dynamics of the European bumblebee Bombus terrestris in the southern part of South America

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