Article
Zoology
Dan Zhang, Ze-Qing Niu, Alain Pauly, Wa Da, Chao-Dong Zhu
Summary: Two Chinese species of the genus Lipotriches are discussed in this paper. One is recognized as a new species and the other is a new species and subgenus record for China. The number of Chinese species in the subfamily Nomiinae and the genus Lipotriches have been updated to 47 and 15, respectively.
Article
Biology
Jeremy Jones, Romina Rader
Summary: Bee and non-bee insect pollinators are crucial for food crop production, but nutritional challenges in agricultural landscapes are reducing pollinator populations. Efforts to enhance crop pollinator health through floral resource plantings have been inconsistent in achieving desired pollination outcomes. Tailored habitat enhancements, based on understanding the needs of specific pollinators, are necessary to support pollinator health and crop pollination outcomes.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoyu Shi, Changsheng Ma, Williamson Gustave, Michael Orr, Tuanjit Sritongchuay, Zhaofeng Yuan, Mei Wang, Xiaokai Zhang, Qingsong Zhou, Yixin Huang, Arong Luo, Chaodong Zhu
Summary: Wild bees are essential for pollinating crops and fruits worldwide, but they are facing decline due to various stressors. This study focuses on the impact of metalloid pollution, specifically arsenic (As) and selenium (Se), on wild bee communities in Southeast China. The results show that metalloid concentrations in wild bees varied among species, with the large carpenter bee having significantly lower levels than the other two species. The proportion of semi-natural habitat was found to be significantly related to reduced selenium concentration in wild bee bodies. Arsenic pollution negatively affected bee diversity, but not abundance, while selenium had no significant impact on diversity or abundance. Therefore, monitoring metalloid pollution in wild bees and their food resources is recommended.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Julian Brown, Scott V. C. Groom, Romina Rader, Katja Hogendoorn, Saul A. Cunningham
Summary: The conversion of natural vegetation to agriculture is a major factor in global biodiversity decline, negatively impacting ecosystem services such as pollination. Studies show that wild pollinators visit crops more frequently in areas with higher levels of natural or semi-natural vegetation. However, in some regions and years, wild bees are rare in apple orchards, indicating that managing land cover to enhance wild bee visitation may not have a significant impact on apple pollination in southeast Australia.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Erin B. Lowe, Russell Groves, Claudio Gratton
Summary: Planting flowers along crop field edges effectively increases pollinator richness and abundance, with plantings becoming more effective as they mature. However, the impact on crop pollination and yield is inconsistent, and planting size and richness do not change these results. Critical knowledge gaps remain regarding how plantings can improve ecosystem service provision and delivery.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Entomology
Katherine C. Kral-O'Brien, Torre J. Hovick, Jason P. Harmon
Summary: Previous studies have shown that bee visitation benefits yields of pollinator-independent crops, but whether these crops benefit bees has not been extensively researched. Research found that pollinator-independent crops provide a low percentage of pollen in general, but certain crops like Brassica napus and Glycine max can provide sufficient protein and essential amino acids for bees. Bees require access to semi-natural landscapes within diverse cropping systems to improve health and reproduction.
ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Pablo L. Hunicken, Carolina L. Morales, Ana E. De Villalobos, Lucas A. Garibaldi
Summary: Approximately 75% of global crop productivity relies on insect pollination, but wild pollinator populations are declining. Research shows that crop productivity is similar between honeybees and other managed pollinators, and using both honeybees and other pollinators can increase crop yield. The study also suggests that increasing pollinator diversity can improve pollination service, particularly in systems with a low abundance of pollinators.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Yulia Astafurova, Maxim Yu Proshchalykin
Summary: This study examined the type specimens of the bee genus Sphecodes described from Italy and deposited in Germany. Detailed information and illustrations of the main types of six nominal species were provided. The study synonymized several species and rediagnosed Sphecodes combai Nobile & Turrisi, 2004, while also accepting the synonymy of S. campadellii Nobile & Turrisi, 2004 with S. geoffirllus (Kirby, 1802) as suggested by previous researchers.
JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Entomology
Isaac L. Esquivel, Katherine A. Parys, Michael J. Brewer
Summary: The diversity and abundance of native bees play an important role in providing pollination services to a variety of crops. While self-pollinating crops can benefit from cross-pollination by insects, there are still contradictory evidence in some systems. Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between native bee pollinators and crops, including the nutritional benefits of nectar and pollen to the bees themselves.
ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carlos Martinez-Nunez, David Kleijn, Cristina Ganuza, Dennis Heupink, Ivo Raemakers, Winfried Vertommen, Thijs P. M. Fijen
Summary: Increasing crop diversity alone does not contribute to maintaining diverse wild pollinator communities in agricultural landscapes. Instead, temporal and spatial heterogeneity in semi-natural habitats play a key role in sustaining rich pollinator communities.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Xiaoyu Shi, Jan Christoph Axmacher, Arong Luo, Changsheng Ma, Mingqiang Wang, Rui Cheng, Zeqing Niu, Qingsong Zhou, Yi Zou, Chao-Dong Zhu
Summary: A study found that agricultural landscapes with mixed oilseed rape/milk vetch cultivation had higher wild pollinator diversity compared to landscapes with oilseed rape monocultures. Although mixed cultivation did not benefit specific pollinator groups like cavity-nesting bees as expected, the higher pollinator diversity associated with mixed cultivation is believed to increase yields of insect-pollinated crops, offering a potential mitigation measure for the negative impacts of agricultural intensification on wild pollinator communities.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Diego Centeno-Alvarado, Ariadna Valentina Lopes, Xavier Arnan
Summary: Over time, intensification of agricultural systems has led to declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services, negatively impacting food production and security. Diversifying current farming systems through agroforestry practices can potentially mitigate these harmful impacts by providing suitable habitat for native pollinators and thus maintaining pollination services. This review synthesizes the findings of previous studies and highlights that agroforestry generally promotes or maintains pollination services compared to conventional agriculture, supporting the perspective that it represents a sustainable alternative. Future research should focus on understanding the effects of crop management intensity, irrigation, and organic inputs on pollination services.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biology
Laura L. Ingwell, John J. Ternest, Jacob R. Pecenka, Ian Kaplan
Summary: The study indicates that both insecticides and non-crop forage play integral roles in shaping pollinator health in agricultural landscapes, but the relative importance and interaction of these two factors depend on which aspect of 'health' is being considered.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Chang Wang, Zhe Liu, Zicheng Wang, Wenhui Pang, Long Zhang, Zhaozhu Wen, Yiran Zhao, Juan Sun, Zeng-Yu Wang, Chao Yang
Summary: Autotoxicity is a phenomenon in which a plant inhibits the growth of the same species through the release of toxic chemical compounds. This study found that the leguminous plant M. truncatula exhibits autotoxicity and allelopathic effects, providing a new model species for further research on autotoxicity and allelopathy.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pascal Thiebeau, Julie Auberger, Hugues Clivot, Aurelie Wilfart, Sylvie Recous
Summary: This study quantified the environmental footprint of dehydrated alfalfa production in France and found that renewable energy and improvements in production tools have reduced energy consumption and the impact on climate change. However, land competition has increased.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Entomology
James H. Cane, Heidi E. M. Dobson, Brendan Boyer
Article
Ecology
James H. Cane
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2017)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
James H. Cane, Vincent J. Tepedino
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2017)
Article
Entomology
Jerome G. Rozen, Corey Shepard Smith, James H. Cane
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Ecology
James H. Cane
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2018)
Article
Entomology
Corey J. Andrikopoulos, James H. Cane
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Horticulture
Corey J. Andrikopoulos, James H. Cane
Review
Forestry
James W. Rivers, Sara M. Galbraith, James H. Cane, Cheryl B. Schultz, Michael D. Ulyshen, Urs G. Kormann
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Byron G. Love, James H. Cane
RANGELAND ECOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
(2019)
Article
Entomology
James H. Cane
Article
Ecology
Sara M. Galbraith, James H. Cane, Andrew R. Moldenke, James W. Rivers
Review
Entomology
James H. Cane
Summary: The term monolecty was originally defined for bees that collect pollen from the same single species of floral host, but now it is suggested to be applied to bees that use a single genus of flowering host.
Article
Entomology
James Cane
Summary: This study focuses on the annual emergence dates of four species of ground-nesting bees, finding that they exhibit a similar emergence range as wildflowers and are related to temperature cues. Global warming is affecting seasonal events, but native bees seem to have the phenological flexibility to adapt to the changing climate and maintain their pollination services.
Article
Entomology
James H. Cane, Byron G. Love
Summary: Ground-nesting bees like Nomia melanderi have larval provisions with strong hygroscopic properties, allowing them to absorb significant amounts of water vapor from their preferred nesting soil, resulting in mature larvae weighing more than their consumed provision masses. In contrast, cavity-nesting bees such as Osmia species only absorb minimal water vapor from their nesting substrates, causing their mature larvae to weigh less than the provision they consumed. This phenomenon explains various nesting behaviors in these bee species, as well as the impact of hygroscopy on the microbial composition of their provision masses.
Editorial Material
Ecology
James H. Cane