The Bees of Canada. Cory S. Sheffield, PhD York University

Transcription

1 The Bees of Canada Cory S. Sheffield, PhD York University

2 Bees are Vegetarian Wasps

3 Bees as Pollinators 100 million year relationship with plants These relationships have shaped terrestrial ecosystems as we now know them

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5 Sable Island Located about 300 km off the coast of Nova Scotia, at 44 N 60 W Approximately 50 km long and 3 km wide The Graveyard of the Atlantic

6 Sable Island Largely a sand bar, so its shape and size have shifted dramatically throughout its recorded history

7 Famous Sable Island Inhabitants

8 Famous Sable Island Inhabitants

9 Famous Sable Island Inhabitants

10 Sable Island Birds Over 340 species of birds have been observed on Sable Island, and records continue to be kept by residents and visitors to the island Of the 12 species of birds that regularly breed on Sable Island, the most famous is the Ipswich Sparrow, which is an endemic sub-species of the Savannah Sparrow

11 Ipswich Sparrow

12 Sable Island Insects A total of 489 species of insects have been recorded on the island The pattern of their distribution in North America has given rise to theories that Sable Island may have acted as a coastal-plain refugium during the Pleistocene glaciation

13 Sable Island Plants Of the more than 175 plant species presently on the island, about 40 are introductions Few of these have thrived, and they mostly occur in areas where buildings and structures provide some protection from wind and blowing sand

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15 Sable Island Plants Most of the island's native flora is typical of mainland Nova Scotia and northeastern North America About twenty native plants, however, have a very restricted distribution beyond Sable Island, and some are listed as "rare" in Nova Scotia

16 Sable Island Plants Many of the islands plant species require insects for pollination Several require bee visitors for buzz pollination

17 Sable Island Cranberries The island gave us lots of berries - cranberries, strawberries, blueberries. Every October we all turned out for the cranberry picking, even the lifesaving crew. One year we picked 400 barrels of No. 1 cranberries and I made 48 quarts of jelly. I wished I had never seen a cranberry...the Government sold them for $5 a barrel. The money helped pay to run the lifesaving station Trixie Boutillier Resident of Sable Island from 1885 to 1912

18 Sable Island Cranberries What cost $5 in 1890 would cost ca $114* in 2007 ($45,600/year) *The Inflation Calculator

19 Bees of Sable Island Megachile melanophaea Osmia simillima Lasioglossum novascotiae *Lasioglossum new sp.

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21 Our Ecological Footprint A measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems Compares human demand with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate

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23 Human Carrying Capacity The maximum population that can be supported at a given living standard by the interaction of any given human-ecological system A terrible conceptual flaw is thinking that environmental and human resources are largely irrelevant to human population size

24 Human Population Density

25 Human Population Growth

26 Human Population

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28 Many of our crops require cross pollination by bees

29 Pollination

30 Need for Pollinators Bees are the most important group of animal pollinators Apis mellifera is the most widely used and important pollinator of our crops

31 Value of Honey Bees Through their pollination of crop plants, honey bees are the third most valuable domestic animal in Europe Jürgen Tautz 2008 The Buzz About Bees

32 Worth More than Chickens?

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36 Honey Bees and CCD If (honey) bee deaths should reach 80 to 90 percent worldwide...the Earth s carrying capacity for humans could be reduced, essentially overnight, from a maximum of twelve billion to about six billion Charles Pellegrino 2007 (As quoted in Schutt 2008 Dark Banquet )

37 Dependant on Honey Bees We have been placing all our eggs in one basket thousand species of bees in Canada

38 In addition to honey bees... BIOL 2P05 - Lecture 13 38

39 ...we should look at our native bees

40 Bees of Canada Melittidae Megachilidae Apidae Andrenidae Halictidae Colletidae

41 Melittidae Macropis Melitta (?)

42 Melittidae Our species are oilbees (genus Macropis) Dependant on floral oils from plants of the genus Lysimachia

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45 Megachilidae Anthidiellum Anthidium Ashmeadiella Atoposmia Chelostoma Coelioxys Dianthidium Heriades Hoplitis Megachile Osmia Protosmia Stelis

46 Megachilidae One of the most important groups of bees from a crop pollination perspective Many are manageable

47 Apidae Anthophora Apis Bombus Ceratina Diadasia Doeringiella Epeoloides Epeolus Eucera Habropoda Holcopasites Melecta Melissodes Neolarra Nomada Peponapis Svastra Xeromelecta Xylocopa Zacosmia

48 Apidae Includes bumble bees Several species have recently been catching attention due to their increasing rarity

49 Andrenidae Andrena Calliopsis Panurginus Perdita *Protandrena

50 Andrenidae Very important pollinators of many spring crops including apple and blueberry Many are floral specialist

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52 Halictidae Illustrations from Goulet, H., and J.T. Huber (Eds.) Hymenoptera of the World: An identification guide to families. Agapostemon Augochlora Augochlorella Augochloropsis Dieunomia Dufourea Halictus Lasioglossum Nomia Sphecodes

53 Halictidae Many species Very difficult taxonomically All levels of sociality

54 Colletidae Colletes Hylaeus

55 Colletidae Cellophane bees Line nests with cellophane-like secretion to store wet pollen provisions

56 Bees in Canada N of 60 there are over 100 bee species Mostly Bombus in high arctic

57 Bees in Canada Province/ Territory No. of Species NS NB PE 65 NF 55 QC ON MB 170 SK 161 AB BC NU 8 NT YT

58 Bees in Canada Province/ Territory No. of Species NS NB PE 65 NF 55 QC ON MB 170 SK 161 AB BC NU 8 NT 80 YT 52

59 Bees in Canada Province/ Territory No. of Species NS 206 NB 147 PE 65 NF 55 QC 243 ON 379 MB 170 SK 161 AB BC NU 8 NT 80 YT 52

60 Bees in Canada Province/ Territory No. of Species NS 206 NB 147 PE 65 NF 55 QC 243 ON 379 MB 170 SK 161 AB 286 BC 352 NU 8 NT 80 YT 52

61 Bee Faunal Similarity

62 Barcoding Bees of North America Presently about 30-35% of the North American bee fauna is barcoded (ca 70% of Canada s fauna) Many problematic bee taxa will be resolved with DNA barcoding

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64 Barcoding Bees Taxonomic studies Great potential for ecological studies: pollination diversity conservation

65 Impact of Introduced Species Several introduced into North America What impact of native fauna?

66 Ground-nesting bees Most species of bees Usually in bare patches in well drained soils

67 Ground-nesting bees Depth and complexity varies Soil preferences Up to several 100 tunnels per m 2 From Batra 1984

68 Ground-nesting bees

69 Ground-nesting bees Nest built vertically in banks Nest Plug From Batra 1984

70 Cavity-nesting bees

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72 Megachile leafcutter bees

73 Natural Cavities

74 Nest entrance

75 Cavity Nesters - Osmia From Michener 2000

76 Cavity Nesters - Osmia From Michener 2000

77 Cavity Nesters - Excavator Ceratina calcarata

78 Cavity Nesting Bees Nesting sites are the limiting factor for species richness and abundance Trap nests encourage bees in orchard systems Sheffield et al Can. Ent. 140:

79 Very inexpensive - and reusable

80 Commercial Orchards

81 Lupines consistently bloom following apple

82 Weight + SE (g) Use of Lupines F 1, 3 2 =12. 51, P= Sheffield et al. Can. Ent. (submitted) 0 Ne a r L u p i n e s F ro m L u p i n e s

83 Number of Bees + SE Use of Lupines F 1, 3 2 =17. 41, P < Sheffield et al. Can. Ent. (submitted) 0 Ne a r L u p i n e s F ro m L u p i n e s

84 Everyone can and should appreciate bees!!!

85 The End?