Decline of bumble bees is related to agricultural intensification

Numerous studies from Europe and the US have documented recent declines in many species of bumble bees, and such declines were often observed in areas where anthropogenic changes in habitat have occurred, such as agricultural intensification and urbanisation. Attempts to conserve bumble bees should involve wildlife-friendly approaches to agriculture, such as increasing agricultural land set-asides and hedgerows, and employing integrated pest management.

Bumble bees (Bombus) provide the vital ecosystem service of pollination in both natural and managed systems, and declines in their abundance and distribution have serious ecological and economic ramifications. Numerous studies from Europe have documented recent declines in many species of bumble bees, and such declines were often observed in areas where anthropogenic changes in habitat have occurred, such as agricultural intensification and urbanisation. In Illinois bumble bee species richness declined substantially during the middle of the century (1940-1960), which coincided with large-scale agricultural intensification in Illinois between 1940 and 1960. Impoverishment of the bumblebee community over the past 35 years has also been documented for southern Ontario.

Bronnen:

JC Grixti et al. (2009) Biological Conservation 142: 70-84
http://www.aphidnet.org/GrixtiEtAl2009.pdf

SR Colla (2008) Biodivers Conserv 17: 1379-1391
http://www.springerlink.com/content/9wt3518801t47860/fulltext.pdf

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