Buzzing through Canada's Maritime Provinces: Unveiling wild bee community dynamics amidst habitat changes and blooming landscapes
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Date
2024-04
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
The decline of wild pollinators, particularly bees, poses a global threat to terrestrial ecosystems. While habitat loss and agricultural intensification are recognized culprits, the complex relationship between wild bee communities, floral resources, and varied habitats remains understudied. Focusing on the forest landscapes of the Maritime Provinces in Canada, we conducted surveys across 47 sites, encompassing forests, agriculture, and pastures. Contrary to previous findings in other regions, our results indicate higher wild bee species abundance and richness in agricultural and pasture habitats compared to uncleared forests. However, our results also suggested that the wild bee community composition across the three habitats was similar. Floral resources demonstrated habitat and seasonal dependencies, influencing wild bee communities differently among the habitats. Our findings underline the need for specialized conservation strategies, balancing agricultural productivity with biodiversity preservation, and highlight avenues for future research on wild bee populations and their complex interactions with diverse ecosystems.