Soil properties and biochemical composition of ground‐dwelling bee nests in agricultural settings

Lybrand, Rebecca A.; Fedenko, Jennifer; Tfaily, Malak M.; Rao, Sujaya

doi:10.1002/saj2.20085

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“… Antoine and Forrest (2020) observed that Andrenidae species prefer comparatively compact surfaces for construction of their nesting cavity. Generally, among all wild bee species the clay soils are most preferred for nest construction; while as some wasp species prefer soils with higher proportion of sand (90%) ( Lybrand et al2020 ). Normally we observed, females make short round flights around the nest and come back to nest entrance, and it is assumed that low temperature may be responsible for their short flights.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting behaviour and foraging characteristics of Andrena cineraria (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Dar

Sofi

El-Sharnouby

et al. 2021

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

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The current studies were carried out in the three experimental locations of Kashmir valley during 2013 to 2016. The species Andrena cineraria formed the dense nest aggregations in plan grounds, barren lands and hilly areas near the fruit orchards and other landscapes with clay loam soil type. The species start flying and foraging in the orchards from April till July. The nests were allodalous, 29–36 cm in depth, with cells located obliquely around the main barrow. The nests were dense with a maximum density of 11.09 nests/m 2 observed in landscapes of Budgam. The barrow diameters were found varying with depth from main entrance. The maximum barrow diameter recorded was 2.05 mm. At certain depth, the female constructs the first cell and the upper nest burrow is vertical and lower is oblique. The nest entrance is generally hidden under the tumulus. In the depth of average 30.48 cm, each cell directly opens to main burrow either alternately or unilaterally. The cell number, diameter, and length varied with depth. Foraging behaviour of A. cineraria on various fruit crops and other shrubs and social forestry trees were determined and the abundance, visitation rate, total visits and time spend per flower were found significant, especially on fruit crops. The significance of the studies is important for the melittologists, as it will help in the conservation of bee fauna. The study is also important in using this species for pollination purpose and would also help to detect and understand the possible pre-adaptation of species in temperate region of Kashmir valley.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting behaviour and foraging characteristics of Andrena cineraria (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Dar

Sofi

El-Sharnouby

et al. 2021

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

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“…We also compared whether our traps were similarly distributed with respect to slope and aspect between treatments using a chi‐square test, as slope and aspect may influence bee preferences for nesting (Lybrand et al, 2020; Potts & Willmer, 1997; R Core Team, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prescribed fire increases the number of ground‐nesting bee nests in tallgrass prairie remnants

Brokaw

Portman

Bruninga‐Socolar

et al. 2023

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Prescribed burning is a common management technique in tallgrass prairie remnants, but there have been few empirical studies that directly examine burning impacts on the nesting preferences and habitat of ground‐nesting bees. We used emergence traps in remnant tallgrass prairies in western Minnesota, USA to determine whether ground‐nesting bees prefer to nest in burned or unburned prairies. We estimated the total number of nests made by actively nesting bees in burned and unburned patches by assessing each specimen for wing and mandible wear, sex, and sociality. We also measured characteristics that may influence bee nesting preferences including bare ground, thatch depth, vegetative cover, and the floral community. We found more nests of actively nesting ground‐nesting bees in burned patches than unburned patches, but no differences in effective number of species of ground‐nesting bees or community composition. Burned patches had higher amounts of percent bare ground and a thinner thatch layer, but no differences in percent vegetative cover, floral abundance, flowering plant species richness, effective number of species of flowers or community composition. Our results suggest that ground‐nesting bees prefer to nest in burned patches of remnant tallgrass prairies and highlight opportunities for future research to better understand bee nesting ecology in response to prairie management.

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“…the vast majority of non-parasitic bees [116,117] and several ant species) and for those that use soil to construct their cells above ground (e.g. Megachillidae [118]), the impacts of altered soil properties can be profound [119].…”

Section: Effects Mediated By Changes On Nesting Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of soils on pollination and seed dispersal

Carvalheiro

Bartomeus

Rollin

et al. 2021

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Ongoing environmental changes are affecting physical, chemical and biological soil components. Evidence of impacts of soil changes on pollinators' and seed dispersers' behaviour, fitness and density is scarce, but growing. Here, we reviewed information on such impacts and on a number of mechanisms that may explain its propagation, taking into account the full range of resources required by the large and diverse number of species of these two important functional groups. We show that while there is substantial evidence on the effects of soil nitrogen enrichment and changes in soil water content on the quality and quantity of floral and fruit resources, little is known on the effects of changes of other soil properties (e.g. soil pH, soil structure, other nutrients). Also, the few studies showing correlations between soil changes and pollinator and seed disperser foraging behaviour or fitness do not clearly identify the mechanisms that explain such correlation. Finally, most studies (including those with nitrogen and water) are local and limited to a small number of species, and it remains unclear how variable such effects are across time and geographical regions, and the strength of interactive effects between soil properties. Increasing research on this topic, taking into consideration how impacts propagate through species interaction networks, will provide essential information to predict impacts of ongoing environmental changes and help guide conservation plans that aim to minimize impacts on ecosystem functioning. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People’.

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Soil properties and biochemical composition of ground‐dwelling bee nests in agricultural settings

Cited by 11 publications

References 44 publications

Nesting behaviour and foraging characteristics of Andrena cineraria (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Nesting behaviour and foraging characteristics of Andrena cineraria (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Prescribed fire increases the number of ground‐nesting bee nests in tallgrass prairie remnants

The role of soils on pollination and seed dispersal

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