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A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee Bombus Hive Entrances
Published on: July 9, 2020
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Maine's Bumble Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Assemblage-Part 1: Composition, Seasonal and Regional Distribution, and
Ronald G Butler1, Christopher Lage2, Scott E Dobrin3
1Department of Biology, University of Maine, Farmington, ME 04938, USA.
Environmental Entomology
|September 9, 2021
Summary
Maine bumble bee populations show declining diversity and utilize varied floral resources across ecoregions. This suggests pollinator networks may be unstable and at risk from environmental changes.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Global bumble bee declines threaten ecosystems and agriculture.
- Bumble bees are crucial pollinators for Maine's agricultural crops.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a statewide survey of bumble bee species in Maine.
- To assess seasonal and ecoregional abundance, richness, diversity, and floral resource use.
- To identify factors influencing bumble bee assemblage composition and stability.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a quantitative survey across 40 sites in Maine's three ecoregions.
- Recorded 11 Bombus species, noting abundance and floral resource use.
- Utilized statistical analyses including MRPP and nonmetric multidimensional scaling.
Main Results:
- Species richness did not vary by ecoregion but declined seasonally.
- Species diversity differed by ecoregion and decreased over the season.
- Ecoregional differences in species composition and floral resource use were identified.
- Assemblage differences correlated with forage availability, elevation, development, and forest cover.
Conclusions:
- Maine bumble bee assemblages exhibit ecoregional variation and seasonal declines.
- Low connectance and nestedness in pollinator networks indicate potential instability.
- Bumble bee populations in Maine may be vulnerable to external perturbations.
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