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Can I read Diet Characterisation of Solitary Bees on Farmland: Dietary Specialisation Predicts Rarity on EtoBox?
Diet Characterisation of Solitary Bees on Farmland: Dietary Specialisation Predicts Rarity by T. J. Wood; J. M. Holland; D. Goulson is a Environmental Science article available to read on EtoBox.
What is Diet Characterisation of Solitary Bees on Farmland: Dietary Specialisation Predicts Rarity about?
Changes in agricultural practice across Europe and North America have been associated with declines in wild bee populations. Bee diet breadth has been associated with sensitivity to agricultural intensification, but much of this analysis has been conducted at the categorical level of generalist or specialist, and it is not clear to what extent the level of generalisation within generalist species is also associated with species persistence. We used pollen load analysis to quantify the pollen diets of wild solitary bees on 19 farms across southern England, UK. A total of 72 species of solitary bees were recorded, but only 31 species were abundant enough to allow for formal diet characterisation. The results broadly conformed to existing literature with the majority of species polylectic and collecting pollen from a wide range of plants. Pollen load analysis consistently identified pollens from more plant species and families from each bee species than direct observation of their foraging behaviour. After rarefaction to standardise pollen load sample sizes, diet breadth was significantly associated with frequency of occurrence, with more generalist bees present on more farms than les
Who reads Diet Characterisation of Solitary Bees on Farmland: Dietary Specialisation Predicts Rarity?
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Environmental Science.
- Author
- T. J. Wood; J. M. Holland; D. Goulson
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Published
- 2016
- Language
- EN
- Field
- Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)