Seasonal bee communities vary in their responses to local and landscape scales: implication for land managers

Abstract

Context There is great interest in land management practices for pollinators; however, a quantitative comparison of landscape and local effects on bee communities is necessary to determine if adding small habitat patches can increase bee abundance or species richness. The value of increasing floral abundance at a site is undoubtedly influenced by the phenology and magnitude of floral resources in the landscape, but due to the complexity of measuring landscape-scale resources, these factors have been understudied. Objectives To address this knowledge gap, we quantified the relative importance of local versus landscape scale resources for bee communities, identified the most important metrics of local and landscape quality, and evaluated how these relationships vary with season. Methods We studied season-specific relationships between local and landscape quality and wild-bee communities at 33 sites in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA. We paired site surveys of wild bees, plants, and soil characteristics with a multi-dimensional assessment of landscape composition, configuration, insecticide toxic load, and a spatio-temporal evaluation of floral resources at local and landscape scales. Results We found that the most relevant spatial scale varied by season. Spring bees depended on landscape resources, but summer bees responded more to local quality, implying that site-level management is most likely to be successful in supporting summer bees. Semi-natural habitats, including forests, wetlands, and other aquatic habitats, were particularly important for spring bees. Conclusions By considering spatial and temporal variation in resources, we developed season-specific recommendations to improve habitat quality for wild bees and offset manifold stressors threatening these essential pollinators.