Investigating The Potential Negative Impacts Of Managed Honey Bees Apis Mellifera On Native New Zealand Plant Pollinator Communities

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Investigating The Potential Negative Impacts Of Managed Honey Bees Apis Mellifera On Native New Zealand Plant Pollinator Communities

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Author : Freya Jackson
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2019

Investigating The Potential Negative Impacts Of Managed Honey Bees Apis Mellifera On Native New Zealand Plant Pollinator Communities written by Freya Jackson and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019 with Honeybee categories.

The interactions formed between plants and their animal pollinators play a valuable role in maintaining ecological integrity and sustaining ecosystem function. The introduction of an exotic pollinator may disrupt native plant-pollinator. Worldwide, there is contradictory evidence as to whether honey bees cause changes to the diversity and abundance to new pollinator communities, changes to native pollinator foraging behaviour, and/or consequences to plant reproductive success. The relative impact of honey bees is likely to depend on the behavior and guilds of native bees, changes in habitat availability and seasons. The impact of introduced honey bees is likely to be greater on small and remote oceanic islands with high levels of endemism, such as Aotearoa New Zealand. Given the widespread occurrence of honey bees in New Zealand, and recent increases in bee keeping, the impacts on native plants and pollinators need to be addressed. The objective of my study was to explore the potential negative impacts of honey bees on native New Zealand plant-pollinator communities. Using a comparative observational approach as well as some field manipulations and molecular analyses, I surveyed pollinator behavior, pollination processes, and plant fitness for two widespread and taonga plants, pōhutukawa and kānuka at three different sites across New Zealand, two with honey bees (Thames and Waiheke Island), and one without honey bees (Great Mercury Island). The widespread distribution of honey bees in New Zealand makes finding study sites without bees but with comparable plants very difficult. First, I examine interspecific (between pollinator species) and intraspecific (between individuals of one pollinator species) differences in foraging behaviour, and floral resource preferences between introduced honey bees and native solitary bees to gauge the potential for competition. Negative impacts on native pollinators was also assessed by measuring the body size of native bees across the three different study sites. Second, I compared the quality and quantity of pollen on the stigmatic surface, number of pollen tubes in the style, and number of seeds within a capsule to explore questions relating to plant reproductive success in the presence of honey bees. DNA metabarcoding techniques were used to assess pollen loads carried by both honey bees and native pollinator species. Overall pollinator body size, diversity and abundance was significantly lower in sites where honey bees are present. Specifically, the diversity of pollinators visiting pōhutukawa was significantly lower at Waiheke Island than Great Mercury Island. Honey bees are poor pollinators of pōhutukawa and their dominance at Waiheke also resulted in lower conspecific pollen deposition on stigmas, lower numbers of pollen tube in the style, which correlated with reduced pōhutukawa seed set. Kānuka was pollinated almost exclusively by native bees, and there was higher pollination rates on Waiheke. This is likely due to increased intraspecific competition between Leioproctus imitatus on Waiheke Island, resulting in higher delivery of conspecific pollen to the stigmas, increased number of pollen tubes in the style, and higher reproductive success. Results from pollen DNA analyses also demonstrate honey bees’ preference for pōhutukawa, but also exotic plants in the families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. There was a significant difference in the quality and quantity of pollen carried by different pollinators. Pollen loads carried by honey bees reflected their preferences for exotic plants. Out of all the native insects, native Leioproctus carried larger pollen loads consisting of higher proportion of conspecific pollen relative to the plants that they were observed visiting. The species richness of the pollen carried by Leioproctus were significantly lower in sites where honey bees are present, especially for exotic pollen from Asteraceae. This suggests there is competition between Leioproctus and honey bees for highly rewarding exotic plant species, which may explain the observed reduced native bee body size where honey bees are present. In order to limit the potential impact of honey bees on native plant-pollinator, I urge land managers to consider site specific attributes such as conservation status of resident plant and pollinator community and flowering peak period when making decisions regarding bee hive placement. The introduction of honey bees to small offshore islands that offer refugia to from mainland threats (such as Great Mercury Island) should be discouraged.

Assessing The Impact Of Super Abundant Non Native Honey Bees Apis Mellifera On Native Plants And Pollinators

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Author : Dillon Joseph Travis
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2023

Assessing The Impact Of Super Abundant Non Native Honey Bees Apis Mellifera On Native Plants And Pollinators written by Dillon Joseph Travis and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023 with categories.

Nestled in the California Floristic Provence, a biodiversity hotspot, San Diego County is home well over 2,500 species of plants and at least 650 bee species, many of which are endemic to the region. Despite the great diversity of pollinators like bees, non-native honey bees (Apis mellifera) make up greater than 70% of all visits to native plants in habitat. Lacking a baseline of pollinators populations and plant reproduction before the arrival of honey bees in the 1800s, the impact of this super abundant non-native species is not well known. In this dissertation, I take an applied and exploratory perspective to study and better understand the effects of honey bees on native plants and pollinators. In the first chapter, I demonstrate that honey bee pollination of native plants leads to decreased fitness of both the parent and progeny generations of three common native plants. In the second chapter, I determine if geitonogamous visitation by honey bees is a conserved behavior throughout its global range by reviewing peer reviewed manuscripts containing relevant information. In the third chapter I quantified the mass of pollen removed by honey bees daily from multiple study sites and estimated the number of native bees of average size that could have been produced with this pollen, and the mass of native bees that could be produced by directly converting observed honey bee biomass into native bees. Finally, in the fourth chapter I set out to determine if honey bees negatively impact native pollinator populations by comparing native pollinator diversity and abundance both in the presence and absence of honey bees using Santa Cruz Island where honey bees have been eradicated, and the Santa Monica Mountains where honey bees persist. Altogether, this work reveals the stunning impact honey bees have on both native plants and pollinators in San Diego County and Southern California. I hope that this dissertation can be used to inform conservationists and policy makers about the impacts of honey bees on our native plants and pollinators so that they may be preserved for generations to come.

Land Use Intensification

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Author : Saul Cunningham
language : en
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Release Date : 2012-07-18

Land Use Intensification written by Saul Cunningham and has been published by CSIRO PUBLISHING this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-07-18 with Science categories.

There can be little doubt that there are truly colossal challenges associated with providing food, fibre and energy for an expanding world population without further accelerating already rapid rates of biodiversity loss and undermining the ecosystem processes on which we all depend. These challenges are further complicated by rapid changes in climate and its additional direct impacts on agriculture, biodiversity and ecological processes. There are many different viewpoints about the best way to deal with the myriad issues associated with land use intensification and this book canvasses a number of these from different parts of the tropical and temperate world. Chapters focus on whether science can suggest new and improved approaches to reducing the conflict between productive land use and biodiversity conservation. Who should read this book? Policy makers in regional, state and federal governments, as well as scientists and the interested lay public.

Pollinators And Pollination

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Author : Jeff Ollerton
language : en
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing Ltd
Release Date : 2021-01-18

Pollinators And Pollination written by Jeff Ollerton and has been published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2021-01-18 with Science categories.

A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there would be an impact on food security, and human health would suffer. Written by one of the world’s leading pollination ecologists, this book provides an introduction to what pollinators are, how their interactions with flowers have evolved, and the fundamental ecology of these relationships. It explores the pollination of wild and agricultural plants in a variety of habitats and contexts, including urban, rural and agricultural environments. The author also provides practical advice on how individuals and organisations can study, and support, pollinators. As well as covering the natural history of pollinators and flowers, the author discusses their cultural importance, and the ways in which pollinator conservation has been portrayed from a political perspective. The book draws on field work experiences in South America, Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands and the UK. For over 30 years the author has spent his career researching how plants and pollinators evolve relationships, how these interactions function ecologically, their importance for society, and how we can conserve them in a rapidly changing world. This book offers a unique and personal insight into the science of pollinators and pollination, aimed at anyone who is interested in understanding these fascinating and crucial ecological interactions.

Effects Of Pollen Collected By Honey Bees From Pollination Dependent Agricultural Cropping Systems On Honey Bee Nutrition

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Author : Ellen Topitzhofer
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2014

Effects Of Pollen Collected By Honey Bees From Pollination Dependent Agricultural Cropping Systems On Honey Bee Nutrition written by Ellen Topitzhofer and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014 with Bee pollen categories.

Managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies are important pollinators of many cultivated crops. Honey bee colony declines averaging 30% annually in the United States for the past 7 years have caused significant concern and hence have been a topic of intensive investigation. These declines are reportedly due to multiple factors. Poor nutrition, which may be a result of current migratory pollination practices, is one such factor. Migratory pollination is a common practice of beekeepers from the Pacific Northwest and involves the placement of managed honey bee colonies within a series of cropping systems. There is a gap in knowledge on how migratory pollination practices impact honey bee nutrition. To understand the potential impacts of migratory pollination on honey bee nutrition, it is critical to assess the diversity of pollen collected by bees when colonies are placed adjacent to these cropping systems. In this study, we describe the diversity of pollen collected by honey bee colonies managed by beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States when placed in seven major cropping systems. We quantified the percent of target crop pollen and overall diversity of pollen collected by honey bees when colonies were placed in these cropping systems. We collected and identified pollen in almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.)), cherry (Prunus avium L.), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba Benth.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and carrot (Daucus carota (Hoffm.)) cropping systems. We found that pollen collected from colonies placed in almond cropping systems was predominately Prunus sp., and hence, low in pollen diversity. At the other end of the spectrum, pollen collected from colonies placed adjacent to blueberry cropping systems did not yield any target pollen types (Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L.), but was high in overall pollen diversity. The pollen collected from colonies placed in other cropping systems was largely intermediate in diversity between these two extremes. There were not many plant species in bloom when pollen was collected from colonies placed in almond cropping system, whereas more plants were in bloom when we collected pollen from colonies placed in blueberry cropping system. The results of this study demonstrate that honey bees collected pollen from plants in the surrounding environment and collected different degrees of pollen diversity across different cropping systems in which the colonies were placed. We further determined if pollen diversity influences colony-level protein utilization and biosynthesis of protein in nurse bees by conducting a pollen feeding experiment. Pollen collected from four different cropping systems in the first study was used to formulate four different diets, each varying in pollen diversity. We measured protein consumption in experimental colonies and by sampling nurse bees from each colony to estimate hypopharyngeal gland protein content and proteolytic enzyme activity after five weeks of feeding on the experimental pollen diets. Experimental colonies fed on pollen collected from almond cropping system exhibited a high protein consumption rate. However, low protein content as found in hypopharyngeal glands of nurse bees in these colonies. The nurse bees in these colonies also had low proteolytic enzyme activity, which indicates a lower rate of protein digestion. Overall, these results suggest that the diet representing pollen collected from almond cropping systems had low digestion rate and may have resulted in lower nurse bee hypopharyngeal gland protein. However, we cannot say this with certainty, as there were other confounding factors involved, such as presence of pesticides in the pollen collected from the cropping systems.

Investigation Of Carbon Microparticles To Protect Bees Against Potential Pesticide Risks

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Author : Saffet Sansar
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2019

Investigation Of Carbon Microparticles To Protect Bees Against Potential Pesticide Risks written by Saffet Sansar and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019 with Honeybee categories.

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most popular commercial insect pollinator in agriculture because of the ease of transportation and placement during crop bloom. However, pesticide use is a major concern for honey bee health. The dependence of agriculture on both pesticides and pollination means that honey bees will remain at risk for exposure. Limiting the exposure to pesticides is a priority, but unintended and low level/sublethal exposure is a constant risk. We investigated a feed additive with the potential to protect bees against the negative effects of sublethal pesticide exposure. In the first experiment, caged bee trials were designed to investigate the effect of carbon microparticles on honey bee survival when the bees were exposed to different kinds of insecticides. Different groups of bees were exposed to thiamethoxam, chlorpyrifos or carbaryl insecticide. Counts of dead bees were recorded daily during the experiment and the nonparametric Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to determine the survivorship curve among groups then a Log-Rank test was used to compare group differences in survival rate. Survival rates differed significantly depending on the insecticides used. However, there was no significant difference in survival between bees in cages fed carbon microparticles before insecticide exposure and those that were not provided the carbon microparticles. In the second experiment, effects of carbon microparticles on honey bee flight behavior before and after exposure to sublethal doses of imidacloprid insecticides in the field were evaluated. A radiofrequency identification (RFID) system was used to monitor the effect of sublethal doses of imidacloprid on individual forager bees by measuring the timespan between two visits at the same feeding station. A subset of foragers from each colony was fitted with RFID tags and trained to a common feeding station. Analyses were conducted using base R functions for generalized linear models following a framework for evaluating the number of foragers visiting the feeding station. Significant differences occurred between groups exposed to different concentrations of imidacloprid. Feeding a honey bee colony with carbon microparticles did not alter the effect of imidacloprid on forager flight activity between colony and the feeding station.

The Impact Of The European Honey Bee Apis Mellifera On Australian Native Bees

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Author : Dean Paini
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2004

The Impact Of The European Honey Bee Apis Mellifera On Australian Native Bees written by Dean Paini and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2004 with Animal introduction categories.

The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) has been present in Australia for approximately 150 years. For the majority of that time it was assumed this species could only be of benefit to Australia‘s natural ecosystems. More recently however, researchers and conservationists have questioned this assumption. Honey bees are an introduced species and may be affecting native fauna and flora. In particular, native bees have been highlighted as an animal that may be experiencing competition from honey bees as they are of similar sizes and both species require nectar and pollen for their progeny. Most research to date has focused on indirect measures of competition between honey bees and native bees (resource overlap, visitation rates and resource harvesting). The first chapter of this thesis reviews previous research explaining that many experiments lack significant replication and indirect measures of competition cannot evaluate the impact of honey bees on native bee fecundity or survival. Chapters two and four present descriptions of nesting biology of the two native bee species studied (Hylaeus alcyoneus and an undescribed Megachile sp.). Data collected focused on native bee fecundity and included nesting season, progeny mass, number of progeny per nest, sex ratio and parasitoids. This information provided a picture of the nesting biology of these two species and assisted in determining the design of an appropriate experiment. Chapters three and five present the results of two experiments investigating the impact of honey bees on these two species of native bees in the Northern Beekeepers Nature Reserve in Western Australia. Both experiments focused on the fecundity of these native bee species in response to honey bees and also had more replication than any other previous experiment in Australia of similar design. The first experiment (Chapter three), over two seasons, investigated the impact of commercial honey bees on Hylaeus alcyoneus, a native solitary bee. The experiment was monitored every 3-4 weeks (measurement interval). However, beekeepers did not agist hives on sites simultaneously so measurement intervals were initially treated separately using ANOVA. Results showed no impact of honey bees at any measurement interval and in some cases, poor power. Data from both seasons was combined in a Wilcoxon‘s sign test and showed that honey bees had a negative impact on the number of nests completed by H. alcyoneus. The second experiment (Chapter 5) investigated the impact of feral honey bees on an undescribed Megachile species. Hive honey bees were used to simulate feral levels of honey bees in a BACI (Before/After, Control/Impact) design experiment. There was no impact detected on any fecundity variables. The sensitivity of the experiment was calculated and in three fecundity variables (male and female progeny mass and the number of progeny per nest) the experiment was sensitive enough to detect 15-30% difference between control and impact sites. The final chapter (Chapter six) makes a number of research and management recommendations in light of the research findings.

Status Of Pollinators In North America

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Author : National Research Council
language : en
Publisher: National Academies Press
Release Date : 2007-05-13

Status Of Pollinators In North America written by National Research Council and has been published by National Academies Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2007-05-13 with Technology & Engineering categories.

Pollinators-insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for plant reproduction-are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. For example, most fruit, vegetable, and seed crops and some crops that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel depend on animals for pollination. This report provides evidence for the decline of some pollinator species in North America, including America's most important managed pollinator, the honey bee, as well as some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds. For most managed and wild pollinator species, however, population trends have not been assessed because populations have not been monitored over time. In addition, for wild species with demonstrated declines, it is often difficult to determine the causes or consequences of their decline. This report outlines priorities for research and monitoring that are needed to improve information on the status of pollinators and establishes a framework for conservation and restoration of pollinator species and communities.

Mutualistic Networks

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Author : Jordi Bascompte
language : en
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Release Date : 2013-12-08

Mutualistic Networks written by Jordi Bascompte and has been published by Princeton University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-12-08 with Science categories.

Mutualistic interactions among plants and animals have played a paramount role in shaping biodiversity. Yet the majority of studies on mutualistic interactions have involved only a few species, as opposed to broader mutual connections between communities of organisms. Mutualistic Networks is the first book to comprehensively explore this burgeoning field. Integrating different approaches, from the statistical description of network structures to the development of new analytical frameworks, Jordi Bascompte and Pedro Jordano describe the architecture of these mutualistic networks and show their importance for the robustness of biodiversity and the coevolutionary process. Making a case for why we should care about mutualisms and their complex networks, this book offers a new perspective on the study and synthesis of this growing area for ecologists and evolutionary biologists. It will serve as the standard reference for all future work on mutualistic interactions in biological communities.

Honeybees Apis Mellifera On Public Conservation Lands

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Author : Catherine Beard
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2015

Honeybees Apis Mellifera On Public Conservation Lands written by Catherine Beard and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2015 with Honeybee categories.

The honeybee (Apis mellifera) has been intentionally introduced to many parts of the world to produce honey and improve the pollination of food crops. Although honeybees are seldom viewed as harmful in environments outside their natural range, a growing body of research confirms that their presence can have negative consequences for indigenous ecosystems across the globe. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of applications for beehives on public conservation lands in New Zealand, making it important that we fully understand the impacts that honeybees may have on indigenous ecosystems. Introduced honeybees are known to disadvantage indigenous fauna by competing for floral resources. However, in New Zealand ecosystems, these interactions are generally poorly understood, largely due to a lack of knowledge about species diversity, population numbers and the ecology of the majority of flower-visiting fauna. There is also a widely held belief that there is ample nectar/pollen within New Zealand ecosystems to support both introduced bees and indigenous flower visitors, although with recent changes in land use and environmental pressures, this may not be the case. Honeybees have also been shown to alter pollination processes in indigenous plants and facilitate the reproduction of weeds, and may act as vectors for pathogens and disease, although little information is available in the New Zealand context. Despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence for the impact of honeybees in the natural environments of New Zealand, they do pose a very real threat to indigenous biodiversity. Therefore, it is recommended that the precautionary principle is used to inform the management of honeybees on public conservation lands in the interests of both conservation and economics.