Patterns and Drivers of Bumblebee Diversity in Gansu.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Biogeography
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Understanding factors driving community assemblage is vital for biodiversity management.
• Gansu province is a global hotspot for bumblebee species diversity.
• Bumblebee populations face increasing threats from habitat changes and climate shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore bumblebee species distribution and habitat suitability in Gansu using environmental variables.
• To identify the key environmental drivers influencing bumblebee community assemblage.
• To delineate biogeographic zones and assess their contribution to bumblebee diversity patterns.

Main Methods:

• Utilized bumblebee distribution data (52 species, 2002-2022) from Gansu and surroundings.
• Employed MaxEnt for habitat suitability prediction based on 17 environmental variables.
• Applied canonical correspondence analysis and Ward's agglomerative cluster analysis to assess community structure and beta diversity.

Main Results:

• Net primary productivity, water vapor pressure, temperature and precipitation seasonality, and annual precipitation were identified as major drivers of bumblebee distribution.
• Four distinct biogeographic zones were delineated: Southern humid, Western Qilian snow mountain, Eastern Loess plateau, and Western dry mountain zones.
• The Southern humid and Eastern Loess plateau zones showed higher beta diversity, indicating distinct bumblebee assemblages.

Conclusions:

• Environmental factors significantly influence bumblebee assemblages across different groups and regions.
• The identified biogeographic zones and influential environmental drivers provide critical baseline data for conservation.
• Further research with enhanced data is recommended to refine understanding of bumblebee biogeography and inform conservation strategies in Gansu.