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Spatio-temporal variation in species assemblages in field edges: seasonally distinct responses of solitary bees to local habitat characteristics and landscape conditions

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Abstract

The bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) are important pollinators in many ecosystems, but their diversity has declined in Europe during the past century, mainly due to habitat loss. However, some of the habitat requirements of wild bees are met in anthropogenic landscape elements, such as road sides, power-line strips and field edges. Moreover, as the bee species assemblages change throughout the season the habitat requirements of the bee fauna may change accordingly. Understanding such seasonally distinct responses of solitary bees with different phenologies may be of high value for local conservation planning. The purpose of this study was to examine if the habitat quality of field edges for solitary bees change throughout the season, and how this temporal variation relates to local habitat and landscape conditions. By sampling solitary bees in 18 field edges in southeast Norway throughout the season we found that the species richness and abundance of bees was highest in sun exposed field edges, independently of the season. However, we found phenologically distinct responses to the landscape context. Moreover, field edges situated in landscapes with a high proportion of forests and semi-natural landscape elements hosted the most phenologically diverse bee species assemblages. We conclude that in order to fulfil the habitat requirements of bee species assemblages throughout the season, one should conserve and direct habitat restoration schemes towards increasing sun exposure at field edges with a diverse flora and a high proportion of semi-natural areas in the vicinity.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Mike Edwards and David Baldock from the Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) for invaluable help with bee identification. David Sydenham, Håkon Celius and Celin Marie Hoel Olsen assisted during field work. We thank Anders Nielsen for comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. The manuscript was further improved by the comments of Jorge M. Lobo and two anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O.B. 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway

    Markus Arne Kjær Sydenham, Katrine Eldegard & Ørjan Totland

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  1. Markus Arne Kjær Sydenham
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  2. Katrine Eldegard
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  3. Ørjan Totland
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Correspondence to Markus Arne Kjær Sydenham.

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Communicated by Jorge M. Lobo.

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Sydenham, M.A.K., Eldegard, K. & Totland, Ø. Spatio-temporal variation in species assemblages in field edges: seasonally distinct responses of solitary bees to local habitat characteristics and landscape conditions. Biodivers Conserv 23, 2393–2414 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0729-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0729-z

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