Shifts in honeybee foraging reveal historical changes in floral resources

Decreasing floral resources as a result of habitat loss is one of the key factors in the decline of pollinating insects worldwide. Understanding which plants pollinators use is vital to inform the provision of appropriate floral resources to help prevent pollinator loss. Using a globally important pollinator, the honeybee, we show how changes in agricultural intensification, crop use and the spread of invasive species, have altered the nectar and pollen sources available in the UK. Using DNA metabarcoding, we analysed 441 honey samples from 2017 and compared these to a nationwide survey of honey samples from 1952. We reveal that shifts in major plants foraged by honeybees are driven by changes in the availability of these plants within the landscape. Improved grasslands are the most widespread habitat type in the UK, and management changes within this habitat have the greatest potential to increase floral resource availability.

Brennan, Georgina LLund University,Lunds universitet,Centrum för miljö- och klimatvetenskap (CEC),Naturvetenskapliga fakulteten,Akvatisk ekologi,Forskargrupper vid Lunds universitet,Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC),Faculty of Science,Aquatic Ecology,Lund University Research Groups(Swepub:lu)ge6356br (författare)
Lowe, AbigailBangor University,National Botanic Garden of Wales (författare)
Creer, SimonBangor University (författare)
Ford, Col RNational Botanic Garden of Wales (författare)
de Vere, NatashaNational Botanic Garden of Wales,Aberystwyth University (författare)
Bangor UniversityNational Botanic Garden of Wales (creator_code:org_t)

Ingår i:Communications Biology: Springer Science and Business Media LLC4:12399-3642

Av författaren/redakt...: Jones, Laura; Brennan, Georgin ...; Lowe, Abigail; Creer, Simon; Ford, Col R; de Vere, Natasha

Om ämnet

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER: LANTBRUKSVETENSK ...; och Annan lantbruksv ...; och Miljö och naturv ...

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.