The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe
Abstract The number of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps is abundant in agricultural areas and they contribute significantly to ecosystem services. Due to their specialization in nesting sites and food sources, these groups are sensitive to habitat condition changes and they are therefore important...
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Wiley
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70306 |
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| author | Imre Demeter Károly Lajos Adalbert Balog Miklós Sárospataki |
| author_facet | Imre Demeter Károly Lajos Adalbert Balog Miklós Sárospataki |
| author_sort | Imre Demeter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The number of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps is abundant in agricultural areas and they contribute significantly to ecosystem services. Due to their specialization in nesting sites and food sources, these groups are sensitive to habitat condition changes and they are therefore important indicators for environmental impact assessments. As semi‐natural habitats are steadily declining and often understudied, their significance for research is increasingly recognized. During this research, the role of wild bee species and cavity‐nesting Hymenopteran taxa as indicators was examined, along the unique combination of high nature value and traditional land use habitats in Eastern Europe, Transylvania. Transects and trap nests were used to test the diversity and abundance of wild bees and cavity‐nesting Hymenopterans to identify possible differences between highly protected and less protected areas. The differences in taxonomic groups between the sites and the potential effects of landscape structure on wild bees and cavity‐nesting Hymenopterans were also assessed. We detected a high diversity of wild bee species and a significant species replacement from one study year to another. Among the nest‐building Hymenopteran taxa, the majority of nests was built by Trypoxylon sp. during both study years, with a stronger dominance in the second year. The different taxonomic groups of wild bees and cavity‐nesting Hymenopterans showed differences in their habitat affinities. The majority of the sampled bumblebee species as well as Trypoxylon sp. had an affinity towards the study sites located within the highly protected study area. Altogether, we found different habitat preferences for different Hymenopteran groups (both wild bees and wasps) and conclude that these groups definitely have the potential to serve as indicators for differences in the intensity of land use. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c363bb2230864c2fb130e3c72f5f3bdb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-c363bb2230864c2fb130e3c72f5f3bdb2025-08-20T02:52:37ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-10-011410n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70306The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern EuropeImre Demeter0Károly Lajos1Adalbert Balog2Miklós Sárospataki3Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót HungaryDepartment of Zoology and Ecology, Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science Gödöllő HungaryDepartment of Horticulture, Faculty of Technical and Human Science Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania Tirgu‐Mures RomaniaDepartment of Zoology and Ecology, Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science Gödöllő HungaryAbstract The number of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps is abundant in agricultural areas and they contribute significantly to ecosystem services. Due to their specialization in nesting sites and food sources, these groups are sensitive to habitat condition changes and they are therefore important indicators for environmental impact assessments. As semi‐natural habitats are steadily declining and often understudied, their significance for research is increasingly recognized. During this research, the role of wild bee species and cavity‐nesting Hymenopteran taxa as indicators was examined, along the unique combination of high nature value and traditional land use habitats in Eastern Europe, Transylvania. Transects and trap nests were used to test the diversity and abundance of wild bees and cavity‐nesting Hymenopterans to identify possible differences between highly protected and less protected areas. The differences in taxonomic groups between the sites and the potential effects of landscape structure on wild bees and cavity‐nesting Hymenopterans were also assessed. We detected a high diversity of wild bee species and a significant species replacement from one study year to another. Among the nest‐building Hymenopteran taxa, the majority of nests was built by Trypoxylon sp. during both study years, with a stronger dominance in the second year. The different taxonomic groups of wild bees and cavity‐nesting Hymenopterans showed differences in their habitat affinities. The majority of the sampled bumblebee species as well as Trypoxylon sp. had an affinity towards the study sites located within the highly protected study area. Altogether, we found different habitat preferences for different Hymenopteran groups (both wild bees and wasps) and conclude that these groups definitely have the potential to serve as indicators for differences in the intensity of land use.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70306cavity‐nesting beeslandscape structuresolitary beesspider prey preferencewild bees |
| spellingShingle | Imre Demeter Károly Lajos Adalbert Balog Miklós Sárospataki The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe Ecology and Evolution cavity‐nesting bees landscape structure solitary bees spider prey preference wild bees |
| title | The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe |
| title_full | The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe |
| title_fullStr | The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe |
| title_short | The role of wild bees and cavity‐nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in Eastern Europe |
| title_sort | role of wild bees and cavity nesting wasps as ecological indicators of the last traditionally managed meadows in eastern europe |
| topic | cavity‐nesting bees landscape structure solitary bees spider prey preference wild bees |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70306 |
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