Publication details
Long-term changes of steppe-associated wild bees differ between shell-nesting and ground-nesting species
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Insect Conservation |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | Full text |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10841-020-00232-4 |
| Keywords | Distribution; Steppe habitat; Reduction; Conservation; Eucera; Osmia; Chrysura |
| Description | Bees and wasps inhabiting steppe formations are, according to recent red lists, among the most endangered species, quickly disappearing from local faunas of central European countries. Several species, which are specialised nesters in empty gastropod shells, show the opposite pattern. Based on their distribution maps, we found that these species are recently more common and widespread than in the past. In contrast, the bee species nesting in the ground showed clearly the opposite result. They are much rarer now than in the past. Climatic data suggest that the bees nesting in gastropod shells have expanded towards higher altitudes and/or areas of lower mean July temperature. The main reasons of these distributional shifts are (i) unfavourable nature conservation management practices during the twentieth century, resulting in the successional shifts of steppe formations towards shrubs and mesic grasslands, (ii) human-driven change of many sites towards wood plantations or crop fields, and (iii) the increase of the number of available gastropod shells (i.e. nesting resources for shell-nesting bees) in steppe habitats as the response to the mentioned successional changes. |