Synergistic effects of non-Apis bees and honey bees for pollination services
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Standard
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B , Vol. 280, No. 1754, 20122767, 07.03.2013, p. 2012-2767.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Synergistic effects of non-Apis bees and honey bees for pollination services
AU - Brittain, Claire
AU - Williams, Neal
AU - Kremen, Claire
AU - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
PY - 2013/3/7
Y1 - 2013/3/7
N2 - In diverse pollinator communities, interspecific interactions may modify the behaviour and increase the pollination effectiveness of individual species. Because agricultural production reliant on pollination is growing, improving pollination effectiveness could increase crop yield without any increase in agricultural intensity or area. In California almond, a crop highly dependent on honey bee pollination, we explored the foraging behaviour and pollination effectiveness of honey bees in orchards with simple (honey bee only) and diverse (non-Apis bees present) bee communities. In orchards with non-Apis bees, the foraging behaviour of honey bees changed and the pollination effectiveness of a single honey bee visit was greater than in orchards where non-Apis bees were absent. This change translated to a greater proportion of fruit set in these orchards. Our field experiments show that increased pollinator diversity can synergistically increase pollination service, through species interactions that alter the behaviour and resulting functional quality of a dominant pollinator species. These results of functional synergy between species were supported by an additional controlled cage experiment with Osmia lignaria and Apis mellifera. Our findings highlight a largely unexplored facilitative component of the benefit of biodiversity to ecosystem services, and represent a way to improve pollinator-dependent crop yields in a sustainable manner.
AB - In diverse pollinator communities, interspecific interactions may modify the behaviour and increase the pollination effectiveness of individual species. Because agricultural production reliant on pollination is growing, improving pollination effectiveness could increase crop yield without any increase in agricultural intensity or area. In California almond, a crop highly dependent on honey bee pollination, we explored the foraging behaviour and pollination effectiveness of honey bees in orchards with simple (honey bee only) and diverse (non-Apis bees present) bee communities. In orchards with non-Apis bees, the foraging behaviour of honey bees changed and the pollination effectiveness of a single honey bee visit was greater than in orchards where non-Apis bees were absent. This change translated to a greater proportion of fruit set in these orchards. Our field experiments show that increased pollinator diversity can synergistically increase pollination service, through species interactions that alter the behaviour and resulting functional quality of a dominant pollinator species. These results of functional synergy between species were supported by an additional controlled cage experiment with Osmia lignaria and Apis mellifera. Our findings highlight a largely unexplored facilitative component of the benefit of biodiversity to ecosystem services, and represent a way to improve pollinator-dependent crop yields in a sustainable manner.
KW - Biology
KW - Biodiversity
KW - Blue orchard bee
KW - Ecosystem service
KW - Interspecific interactions
KW - Osmina lignaria
KW - Wild bees
KW - Ecosystems Research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84872232149&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2012.2767
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2012.2767
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 23303545
VL - 280
SP - 2012
EP - 2767
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B
SN - 1471-2954
IS - 1754
M1 - 20122767
ER -