Bumble bee colony dynamics: quantifying the importance of land use and floral resources for colony growth and queen production. (23rd February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Crone, Elizabeth E.; Williams, Neal M.
• Editors: Irwin, Rebecca
• Is Part Of: Ecology letters. Volume 19:Number 4(2016:Apr.)
• Page Start: 460
• Page End: 468
• Publication Date: 2016-02-23
• Subjects: Bombus vosnesenskii -- colony growth -- floral resources -- life history -- population viability -- reproduction -- social insects; Ecology -- Periodicals; 577
• DOI: 10.1111/ele.12581
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1461-023X

Abstract

Abstract: Bumble bee ( Bombus ) species are ecologically and economically important pollinators, and many species are in decline. In this article, we develop a mechanistic model to analyse growth trajectories of Bombus vosnesenskii colonies in relation to floral resources and land use. Queen production increased with floral resources and was higher in semi‐natural areas than on conventional farms. However, the most important parameter for queen production was the colony growth rate per flower, as opposed to the average number of available flowers. This result indicates the importance of understanding mechanisms of colony growth, in order to predict queen production and enhance bumble bee population viability. Our work highlights the importance of interpreting bumble bee conservation efforts in the context of overall population dynamics and provides a framework for doing so.