Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae
Abstract An organism’s body size is a fundamental trait linked to its metabolism, life-history and dispersal. In holometabolous insects, whose size is fixed at adult eclosion, body size can be influenced by environmental factors during development (e.g. nutrition and temperature), or by ecological f...
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2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02416-5 |
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| author | Lucie M. Baltz Julienne de Vastey Hanna Gardein Felix Klaus Henri Greil Robert J. Paxton Panagiotis Theodorou |
| author_facet | Lucie M. Baltz Julienne de Vastey Hanna Gardein Felix Klaus Henri Greil Robert J. Paxton Panagiotis Theodorou |
| author_sort | Lucie M. Baltz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract An organism’s body size is a fundamental trait linked to its metabolism, life-history and dispersal. In holometabolous insects, whose size is fixed at adult eclosion, body size can be influenced by environmental factors during development (e.g. nutrition and temperature), or by ecological filtering during adulthood. In bees, larger body size has been linked to advantages in foraging efficiency, thermoregulation, and survival, while excessive variation in body size within populations may indicate developmental instability. Shifts in adult body size have been associated with temperature changes, food resource availability and habitat fragmentation, all of which can be modulated by urbanisation. However, the relationship between urban landscapes and wild bee body size remains poorly understood. In this study we investigated how local floral (food) resources, landscape structure and temperature influence the body size of the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae. Our findings highlight that food resources, semi-natural cover and edge density are the most significant environmental factors influencing body size shifts. Specifically, H. scabiosae body size increased with the species richness of flowering host plants at the local patch level. Within sampling sites, body size variation was positively associated with semi-natural cover, suggesting that habitat structure or competition may contribute to size heterogeneity, potentially disrupting size uniformity. Conversely, it was negatively associated with edge density, indicating that a higher amount of ecotones may promote greater size uniformity within populations. Our findings reinforce the idea that enhancing floral resources and improving habitat connectivity through green corridors can support wild bee populations in urban areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26cfe2183bfb44d2ba2216fd446ff325 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2730-7182 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-26cfe2183bfb44d2ba2216fd446ff3252025-08-20T03:42:34ZengBMCBMC Ecology and Evolution2730-71822025-07-0125111410.1186/s12862-025-02416-5Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosaeLucie M. Baltz0Julienne de Vastey1Hanna Gardein2Felix Klaus3Henri Greil4Robert J. Paxton5Panagiotis Theodorou6General Zoology, Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-WittenbergWashington & Lee UniversityInstitute for Bee Protection, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)– Federal Research Centre for Cultivated PlantsInstitute for Bee Protection, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)– Federal Research Centre for Cultivated PlantsInstitute for Bee Protection, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)– Federal Research Centre for Cultivated PlantsGeneral Zoology, Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-WittenbergGeneral Zoology, Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-WittenbergAbstract An organism’s body size is a fundamental trait linked to its metabolism, life-history and dispersal. In holometabolous insects, whose size is fixed at adult eclosion, body size can be influenced by environmental factors during development (e.g. nutrition and temperature), or by ecological filtering during adulthood. In bees, larger body size has been linked to advantages in foraging efficiency, thermoregulation, and survival, while excessive variation in body size within populations may indicate developmental instability. Shifts in adult body size have been associated with temperature changes, food resource availability and habitat fragmentation, all of which can be modulated by urbanisation. However, the relationship between urban landscapes and wild bee body size remains poorly understood. In this study we investigated how local floral (food) resources, landscape structure and temperature influence the body size of the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae. Our findings highlight that food resources, semi-natural cover and edge density are the most significant environmental factors influencing body size shifts. Specifically, H. scabiosae body size increased with the species richness of flowering host plants at the local patch level. Within sampling sites, body size variation was positively associated with semi-natural cover, suggesting that habitat structure or competition may contribute to size heterogeneity, potentially disrupting size uniformity. Conversely, it was negatively associated with edge density, indicating that a higher amount of ecotones may promote greater size uniformity within populations. Our findings reinforce the idea that enhancing floral resources and improving habitat connectivity through green corridors can support wild bee populations in urban areas.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02416-5CitiesHost plantsIntertegular distanceUrbanisationFood resourcesSemi-natural cover |
| spellingShingle | Lucie M. Baltz Julienne de Vastey Hanna Gardein Felix Klaus Henri Greil Robert J. Paxton Panagiotis Theodorou Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae BMC Ecology and Evolution Cities Host plants Intertegular distance Urbanisation Food resources Semi-natural cover |
| title | Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae |
| title_full | Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae |
| title_fullStr | Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae |
| title_full_unstemmed | Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae |
| title_short | Local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee, Halictus scabiosae |
| title_sort | local floral resources and edge density within the urban ecosystem promote larger and less variable body size in the great banded furrow bee halictus scabiosae |
| topic | Cities Host plants Intertegular distance Urbanisation Food resources Semi-natural cover |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02416-5 |
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