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Foto på Ciara Dwyer

Ciara Dwyer

Postdoc

Foto på Ciara Dwyer

Shining a light on bumblebee foraging strategies: bumblebee species niche partitioning is related to visual sensory traits

Författare

  • Océane Bartholomée
  • Ciara Dwyer
  • Pierre Tichit
  • Paul Caplat
  • Emily Baird
  • Henrik G. Smith

Summary, in English

Local coexistence of bees has been explained by flower resource partitioning, but coexisting bumblebee species often have strongly overlapping diets. We investigated if light microhabitat niche separation, underpinned by visual traits, could serve as an alternative mechanism underlying local coexistence of bumblebee species. To this end, we focused on a homogeneous flower resource—bilberry—in a heterogeneous light environment—hemi-boreal forests. We found that bumblebee communities segregated along a gradient of light intensity. The community-weighted mean of the eye parameter—a metric measuring the compromise between light sensitivity and visual resolution—decreased with light intensity, showing a higher investment in light sensitivity of communities observed in darker conditions. This pattern was consistent at the species level. In general, species with higher eye parameter (larger investment in light sensitivity) foraged in dimmer light than those with a lower eye parameter (higher investment in visual resolution). Moreover, species realized niche optimum was linearly related to their eye parameter. These results suggest microhabitat niche partitioning to be a potential mechanism underpinning bumblebee species coexistence. This study highlights the importance of considering sensory traits when studying pollinator habitat use and their ability to cope with changing environments.

Avdelning/ar

  • Biodiversitet och bevarandevetenskap
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • Centrum för miljö- och klimatvetenskap (CEC)
  • LU profilområde: Naturbaserade framtidslösningar
  • Biodiversitet

Publiceringsår

2023

Språk

Engelska

Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Volym

290

Issue

1996

Dokumenttyp

Artikel i tidskrift

Förlag

Royal Society Publishing

Ämne

  • Zoology
  • Ecology

Status

Published

Forskningsgrupp

  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science

ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt

  • ISSN: 1471-2954