Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1890/11-2260.1 |
| Document | Shareable Link |
| Title (Primary) | High population variability and source–sink dynamics in a solitary bee species |
| Author | Franzén, M.; Nilsson, S.G. |
| Source Titel | Ecology |
| Year | 2013 |
| Department | BZF |
| Volume | 94 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Page From | 1400 |
| Page To | 1408 |
| Language | englisch |
| Data and Software links | https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3305958.v1 |
| Keywords | Andrena humilis, apiformes, bee conservation, bet-hedging strategy, colonization, diapause, extinction, metapopulation, population dynamics |
| UFZ wide themes | RU1; |
| Abstract | Although solitary bees are considered to play key roles in
ecosystem functions, surprisingly few studies have explored their population
dynamics. We investigated the population dynamics of a rare, declining, solitary
bee (Andrena humilis) in a landscape of 80 km2 in southern
Sweden from 2003 to 2011. Only one population was persistent throughout all
years studied; most likely this population supplied the surrounding landscape
with 11 smaller, temporary local populations. Despite stable pollen
availability, the size of the persistent population fluctuated dramatically in a
two-year cycle over the nine years, with 490–1230 nests in odd-numbered years
and 21–48 nests in even-numbered years. These fluctuations were not
significantly related to climatic variables or pollen availability. Nineteen
colonization and 14 extinction events were recorded. Occupancy decreased with
distance from the persistent population and increased with increasing resource
(pollen) availability. There were significant positive correlations between the
size of the persistent population and patch occupancy and colonization.
Colonizations were generally more common in patches closer to the persistent
population, whereas extinctions were independent of distance from the persistent
population. Our results highlight the complex population dynamics that exist for
this solitary bee species, which could be due to source–sink dynamics, a
prolonged diapause, or can represent a bet-hedging strategy to avoid natural
enemies and survive in small habitat patches. If large fluctuations in solitary
bee populations prove to be widespread, it will have important implications for
interpreting ecological relationships, bee conservation, and
pollination.
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| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=13865 |
| Franzén, M., Nilsson, S.G. (2013): High population variability and source–sink dynamics in a solitary bee species Ecology 94 (6), 1400 - 1408 10.1890/11-2260.1 |
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