No evidence of decline in bumblebee abundance and species richness from edge to interior in moderately-sized red clover fields

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41330%2F25%3A103588" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41330/25:103588 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02205-x" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02205-x</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02205-x" target="_blank" >10.1007/s10980-025-02205-x</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

No evidence of decline in bumblebee abundance and species richness from edge to interior in moderately-sized red clover fields

Original language description

ContextMass-flowering crops have the potential to mitigate the negative effects of agricultural intensification on resource availability for pollinators, but their full utility also depends on pollinators providing consistent pollination services across the entire field. However, the spatial extent of pollination services in mass-flowering fields remains poorly understood, particularly within the landscape context.ObjectivesWe evaluated bumblebee abundance and species richness along the gradient from field edge to center in mass-flowering red clover fields, while also accounting for the composition of the surrounding landscape and field size. Additionally, we examined within-field foraging patterns of individual bumblebee species.MethodsBumblebee species richness and abundance were assessed during peak flowering in 27 clover fields in Estonia, along transects extending from field edge to field center at equal distances.ResultsNearly all true bumblebee species (20 of 21) of the national fauna were observed to forage on red clover fields. Contrary to our expectations, bumblebee foraging patterns in the studied fields did not show a negative edge-to-center gradient. While species richness did not change within fields, abundance even tended to increase toward the field interior. The responses of individual species varied, ranging from no edge-to-center change (Bombus lucorum, B. terrestris) to a decline (B. pascuorum). Neither field size nor the composition of surrounding landscape influenced the observed foraging patterns.ConclusionsThe absence of edge-to-center trends in bumblebee species richness and abundance cautiously suggests that pollination services may be relatively evenly distributed in moderately sized mass-flowering fields within a diverse landscape. Consequently, field size is unlikely to be a major limiting factor for effective pollination in this system.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10511 - Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Landscape Ecology

ISSN

0921-2973

e-ISSN

0921-2973

Volume of the periodical

40

Issue of the periodical within the volume

9

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

001563554900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105014891530