Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy
Abstract Habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of global pollinator declines, yet even after recent unprecedented periods of anthropogenic land-use intensification the amount of habitat needed to support insect pollinators remains unknown. Here we use comprehensive pan trap bee survey dat...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26872-x |
| _version_ | 1797865016438816768 |
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| author | Alana Pindar Nigel E. Raine |
| author_facet | Alana Pindar Nigel E. Raine |
| author_sort | Alana Pindar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of global pollinator declines, yet even after recent unprecedented periods of anthropogenic land-use intensification the amount of habitat needed to support insect pollinators remains unknown. Here we use comprehensive pan trap bee survey datasets from Ontario, Canada, to determine which habitat types are needed and at what spatial scales to support wild bee communities. Safeguarding wild bee communities in a Canadian landscape requires 11.6–16.7% land-cover from a diverse range of habitats (~ 2.6–3.7 times current policy guidelines) to provide targeted habitat prescriptions for different functional guilds over a variety of spatial scales, irrespective of whether conservation aims are enhancing bee species richness or abundance. Sensitive and declining habitats, like tallgrass woodlands and wetlands, were important predictors of bee biodiversity. Conservation strategies that under-estimate the extent of habitat, spatial scale and specific habitat needs of functional guilds are unlikely to protect bee communities and the essential pollination services they provide to both crops and wild plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:02:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-faa3958a96714bd2b30f040c4569f80c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:02:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-faa3958a96714bd2b30f040c4569f80c2023-03-22T10:57:39ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-03-0113111310.1038/s41598-022-26872-xSafeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policyAlana Pindar0Nigel E. Raine1School of Science and Techonology, Cape Breton UniversitySchool of Environmental Sciences, University of GuelphAbstract Habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of global pollinator declines, yet even after recent unprecedented periods of anthropogenic land-use intensification the amount of habitat needed to support insect pollinators remains unknown. Here we use comprehensive pan trap bee survey datasets from Ontario, Canada, to determine which habitat types are needed and at what spatial scales to support wild bee communities. Safeguarding wild bee communities in a Canadian landscape requires 11.6–16.7% land-cover from a diverse range of habitats (~ 2.6–3.7 times current policy guidelines) to provide targeted habitat prescriptions for different functional guilds over a variety of spatial scales, irrespective of whether conservation aims are enhancing bee species richness or abundance. Sensitive and declining habitats, like tallgrass woodlands and wetlands, were important predictors of bee biodiversity. Conservation strategies that under-estimate the extent of habitat, spatial scale and specific habitat needs of functional guilds are unlikely to protect bee communities and the essential pollination services they provide to both crops and wild plants.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26872-x |
| spellingShingle | Alana Pindar Nigel E. Raine Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy Scientific Reports |
| title | Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy |
| title_full | Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy |
| title_fullStr | Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy |
| title_short | Safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy |
| title_sort | safeguarding pollinators requires specific habitat prescriptions and substantially more land area than suggested by current policy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26872-x |
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