A study published last week in the journal Science has found the likely culprit in the disappearance of bumblebee colonies across the northern hemisphere.
The bumblebee decline is a phenomenon that mirrors the decline of honeybees in recent years but is one that may have even more foreboding ecological implications.
In a world where species ranging from sea turtles to bald eagles are labeled as endangered, it’s tempting to write off the decline of bee population as just another addition to the list of threatened animals. However, bees are a key player in our ecosystem and their shrinking geographic range is bad news.
Bumble bees, known for being an aerodynamic anomaly, are key players in agriculture with quick and widespread pollination habits. Photo – Getty Images.
Colony collapse disorder, one of climate change’s most nefarious consequences, grabbed headlines a few years ago when honeybees were announced as at-risk. As it turns out, the bumble’s more recent demise is equally mysterious.
Scientists expected bumblebees to simply move into cooler climates, abandoning their habitats as temperatures went up and moving towards the poles. But they didn’t. Instead they found that colonies were neither migrating away from nor surviving in their newly uninhabitable homes. While the reason for this isn’t completely clear, one theory suggests that the plant populations in cooler areas are too difficult for bumblebees to adapt to.
Is this more consequential than the decline of honeybees?
Well, the two species are valued for different reasons. Bumblebees are incredibly important in commercial pollination of agriculture, and thanks to some anatomical features that differentiate them from honeybees, as well as a longer foraging season, they can pollinate different plants at quicker rates. And according to a BioEssays study, production of 39 out of the world’s 57 most important crops rely heavily on the very bees that are now dying at unprecedented rates.
Climate change responses of 67 bumble bee species across full latitudinal and thermal limits in Europe and North America. Graph – Science.
The Science study investigated other possible contributors to this phenomenon, such as use of pesticides, but after looking at patterns in more than 400,000 observations of 67 bee species from data going back to 1901, climate change arose as the probable culprit.
“Climate change appears to contribute distinctively, and consistently, to accumulating range compression among bumblebee species across continents,” noted the study.
Here in Washington state, home to iconic rhododendrons, endless fields of tulips, resilient wildflowers, and countless other species of flowers, we may need to put a new environmental worry on our radar.
However, scientists say there may be hope for bumblebees if folks plant bumble-friendly flowers and berries to encourage bee populations to make a stable home here where it’s still safe for them.
from The Big Science Blog http://ift.tt/1gSE4DN
A study published last week in the journal Science has found the likely culprit in the disappearance of bumblebee colonies across the northern hemisphere.
The bumblebee decline is a phenomenon that mirrors the decline of honeybees in recent years but is one that may have even more foreboding ecological implications.
In a world where species ranging from sea turtles to bald eagles are labeled as endangered, it’s tempting to write off the decline of bee population as just another addition to the list of threatened animals. However, bees are a key player in our ecosystem and their shrinking geographic range is bad news.
Bumble bees, known for being an aerodynamic anomaly, are key players in agriculture with quick and widespread pollination habits. Photo – Getty Images.
Colony collapse disorder, one of climate change’s most nefarious consequences, grabbed headlines a few years ago when honeybees were announced as at-risk. As it turns out, the bumble’s more recent demise is equally mysterious.
Scientists expected bumblebees to simply move into cooler climates, abandoning their habitats as temperatures went up and moving towards the poles. But they didn’t. Instead they found that colonies were neither migrating away from nor surviving in their newly uninhabitable homes. While the reason for this isn’t completely clear, one theory suggests that the plant populations in cooler areas are too difficult for bumblebees to adapt to.
Is this more consequential than the decline of honeybees?
Well, the two species are valued for different reasons. Bumblebees are incredibly important in commercial pollination of agriculture, and thanks to some anatomical features that differentiate them from honeybees, as well as a longer foraging season, they can pollinate different plants at quicker rates. And according to a BioEssays study, production of 39 out of the world’s 57 most important crops rely heavily on the very bees that are now dying at unprecedented rates.
Climate change responses of 67 bumble bee species across full latitudinal and thermal limits in Europe and North America. Graph – Science.
The Science study investigated other possible contributors to this phenomenon, such as use of pesticides, but after looking at patterns in more than 400,000 observations of 67 bee species from data going back to 1901, climate change arose as the probable culprit.
“Climate change appears to contribute distinctively, and consistently, to accumulating range compression among bumblebee species across continents,” noted the study.
Here in Washington state, home to iconic rhododendrons, endless fields of tulips, resilient wildflowers, and countless other species of flowers, we may need to put a new environmental worry on our radar.
However, scientists say there may be hope for bumblebees if folks plant bumble-friendly flowers and berries to encourage bee populations to make a stable home here where it’s still safe for them.
from The Big Science Blog http://ift.tt/1gSE4DN
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