Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1007/s11284-011-0852-1
Document Shareable Link
Title (Primary) Assessing bee species richness in two Mediterranean communities: importance of habitat type and sampling techniques
Author Nielsen, A.; Steffan-Dewenter, I.; Westphal, C.; Messinger, O.; Potts, S.G.; Roberts, S.P.M.; Settele, J.; Szentgyörgyi, H.; Vaissière, B.E.; Vaitis, M.; Woyciechowski, M.; Bazos, I.; Biesmeijer, J.C.; Kunin, W.E.; Tscheulin, T.; Lamborn, E.; Petanidou, T.
Source Titel Ecological Research
Year 2011
Department BZF
Volume 26
Issue 5
Page From 969
Page To 983
Language englisch
Supplements https://esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1007%2Fs11284-011-0852-1&file=ere0969-sup-0001.doc
Keywords Hymenoptera; Apoidea; Sampling methods; Pan traps; Transect walks; Abundance; based Coverage Estimator (ACE); Subunit-based rarefaction curves; Olive groves; Phrygana; Mediterranean scrub; Biodiversity hotspot
Abstract

The decline of bees has raised concerns regarding their conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem services they provide to bee-pollinated wild flowers and crops. Although the Mediterranean region is a hotspot for bee species richness, their status remains poorly studied. There is an urgent need for cost-effective, reliable, and unbiased sampling methods that give good bee species richness estimates. This study aims: (a) to assess bee species richness in two common Mediterranean habitat types: semi-natural scrub (phrygana) and managed olive groves; (b) to compare species richness in those systems to that of other biogeographic regions, and (c) to assess whether six different sampling methods (pan traps, variable and standardized transect walks, observation plots and trap nests), previously tested in other European biogeographic regions, are suitable in Mediterranean communities. Eight study sites, four per habitat type, were selected on the island of Lesvos, Greece. The species richness observed was high compared to other habitat types worldwide for which comparable data exist. Pan traps collected the highest proportion of the total bee species richness across all methods at the scale of a study site. Variable and standardized transect walks detected the highest total richness over all eight study sites. Trap nests and observation plots detected only a limited fraction of the bee species richness. To assess the total bee species richness in bee diversity hotspots, such as the studied habitats, we suggest a combination of transect walks conducted by trained bee collectors and pan trap sampling.

Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=11272
Nielsen, A., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Westphal, C., Messinger, O., Potts, S.G., Roberts, S.P.M., Settele, J., Szentgyörgyi, H., Vaissière, B.E., Vaitis, M., Woyciechowski, M., Bazos, I., Biesmeijer, J.C., Kunin, W.E., Tscheulin, T., Lamborn, E., Petanidou, T. (2011):
Assessing bee species richness in two Mediterranean communities: importance of habitat type and sampling techniques
Ecol. Res. 26 (5), 969 - 983 10.1007/s11284-011-0852-1