mr.d Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Life & Culture More than 4 dozen new bee species in Pennsylvania, says Penn State study Updated 10:13 AM; Today 10:13 AM A bee gathers nectar from wild bergamot flower. By Marcus Schneck | mschneck@pennlive.com A study of bees found in Pennsylvania has uncovered 49 species never before recorded in the state. Penn State researchers updating a 2010 checklist of bees in Pennsylvania have bumped the total number of species present to 437, including species not native to North America and several native species that may be endangered. That 2010 checklist included 372 species, based on inspections of more than 13,000 specimens in 20 collections across the state. For the update, the researchers reviewed more than 130,800 specimens and records of observations in insect collections, online repositories, published studies and ongoing research projects at universities, museums and government agencies. "Bees are a diverse and important group of insect pollinators," said lead researcher Shelby Kilpatrick, doctoral candidate in entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Overwhelming evidence of declines in managed and wild bee populations points to the need for a better understanding of bee diversity across different geographic areas. But despite extensive research, we still don't know enough about the diversity and distribution of native bee species." She noted that since the first checklist was published in 2010, thousands of additional specimens have been collected and databased, new species have been described, and the taxonomic status, or scientific classification, of some species has changed. National Honey Bee Day started in Harrisburg, and 14 other things you don’t know about honey bees The updated checklist of 437 species, including 79 new state species records representing five of the six bee families in North America. Among those 79 were 49 species reported for the first time in Pennsylvania and another 30 that did not appear on the 2010 checklist. The researchers documented new species records for all but two of the state's 67 counties. According to the study, of the six bee families in the state the one with the highest number of reported species, 118, was Apidae, which includes honeybees, bumble bees and carpenter bees. Next highest is Halictidae, commonly called sweat bees, with 110, and Andrenidae, known as mining bees, with 100. Megachilidae, comprised mostly of mason bees and leafcutter bees, accounted for 81 species; Colletidae, often referred to as cellophane bees and masked bees, had 24; and Melittidae, a family of rare, small bees that typically do not have common names, was represented by four species. National gardening survey finds boom in planting for pollinators The researchers, who published their results in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, also list at least five species of conservation concern that may be in decline or threatened, Kilpatrick noted. "We don't know the population status for most bee species, and some may be experiencing declines or other changes," she said. "To assess that, further research is required, but in the absence of these data, we provide a breakdown of the number of years since each species last was collected in Pennsylvania." Most bee species in the state have been collected between 2000 and 2018, but at least 56 species —nearly 13 percent – have not been detected within that time frame, according to Margarita López-Uribe, Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor and assistant professor of entomology, in whose laboratory Kilpatrick conducts her doctoral research. For example, Epeoloides pilosulus, part of a genus of cleptoparasitic bees that lay their eggs in the nests of other bee species, is considered a species of conservation concern due to extreme rarity within its range since the 1960s. "This species has not been reported in Pennsylvania since 1911, according to our data," López-Uribe said. Checklists such as this also are important for documenting the status of exotic species in the state, according to the researchers. "Non-native species potentially can out-compete native bees for resources, transmit diseases and parasites, change pollination effectiveness, and hybridize with local species," López-Uribe said. "On the other hand, exotic species also may have positive effects, such as serving as pollinators of native and agricultural plants or as bioindicators and biological control agents." Pennsylvania college adds beekeeping courses Overall, the updated checklist provides a new baseline for research on bee species, ecology and conservation in Pennsylvania, said Kilpatrick, who added that the study also will contribute to future updates of the Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan, which was developed by the state Department of Agriculture and entomologists in Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research. Other researchers involved in the study were Nancy Ostiguy, associate professor emeritus of entomology, and David Biddinger, research professor of entomology, both from Penn State; Jason Gibbs, Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba; Martin Mikulas, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and Sven-Erik Spichiger, Washington State Department of Agriculture. The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Graduate Training Program in Integrative Pollinator Ecology funded by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Strategic Networks and Initiatives Program. https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/06/more-than-4-dozen-new-bee-species-in-pennsylvania-says-penn-state-study.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A bee gathers nectar from wild bergamot flower. By Marcus Schneck | mschneck@pennlive.com A study of bees found in Pennsylvania has uncovered 49 species never before recorded in the state. Penn State researchers updating a 2010 checklist of bees in Pennsylvania have bumped the total number of species present to 437, including species not native to North America and several native species that may be endangered. That 2010 checklist included 372 species, based on inspections of more than 13,000 specimens in 20 collections across the state. For the update, the researchers reviewed more than 130,800 specimens and records of observations in insect collections, online repositories, published studies and ongoing research projects at universities, museums and government agencies. "Bees are a diverse and important group of insect pollinators," said lead researcher Shelby Kilpatrick, doctoral candidate in entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Overwhelming evidence of declines in managed and wild bee populations points to the need for a better understanding of bee diversity across different geographic areas. But despite extensive research, we still don't know enough about the diversity and distribution of native bee species." She noted that since the first checklist was published in 2010, thousands of additional specimens have been collected and databased, new species have been described, and the taxonomic status, or scientific classification, of some species has changed. National Honey Bee Day started in Harrisburg, and 14 other things you don’t know about honey bees The updated checklist of 437 species, including 79 new state species records representing five of the six bee families in North America. Among those 79 were 49 species reported for the first time in Pennsylvania and another 30 that did not appear on the 2010 checklist. The researchers documented new species records for all but two of the state's 67 counties. According to the study, of the six bee families in the state the one with the highest number of reported species, 118, was Apidae, which includes honeybees, bumble bees and carpenter bees. Next highest is Halictidae, commonly called sweat bees, with 110, and Andrenidae, known as mining bees, with 100. Megachilidae, comprised mostly of mason bees and leafcutter bees, accounted for 81 species; Colletidae, often referred to as cellophane bees and masked bees, had 24; and Melittidae, a family of rare, small bees that typically do not have common names, was represented by four species. National gardening survey finds boom in planting for pollinators The researchers, who published their results in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, also list at least five species of conservation concern that may be in decline or threatened, Kilpatrick noted. "We don't know the population status for most bee species, and some may be experiencing declines or other changes," she said. "To assess that, further research is required, but in the absence of these data, we provide a breakdown of the number of years since each species last was collected in Pennsylvania." Most bee species in the state have been collected between 2000 and 2018, but at least 56 species —nearly 13 percent – have not been detected within that time frame, according to Margarita López-Uribe, Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor and assistant professor of entomology, in whose laboratory Kilpatrick conducts her doctoral research. For example, Epeoloides pilosulus, part of a genus of cleptoparasitic bees that lay their eggs in the nests of other bee species, is considered a species of conservation concern due to extreme rarity within its range since the 1960s. "This species has not been reported in Pennsylvania since 1911, according to our data," López-Uribe said. Checklists such as this also are important for documenting the status of exotic species in the state, according to the researchers. "Non-native species potentially can out-compete native bees for resources, transmit diseases and parasites, change pollination effectiveness, and hybridize with local species," López-Uribe said. "On the other hand, exotic species also may have positive effects, such as serving as pollinators of native and agricultural plants or as bioindicators and biological control agents." Pennsylvania college adds beekeeping courses Overall, the updated checklist provides a new baseline for research on bee species, ecology and conservation in Pennsylvania, said Kilpatrick, who added that the study also will contribute to future updates of the Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan, which was developed by the state Department of Agriculture and entomologists in Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research. Other researchers involved in the study were Nancy Ostiguy, associate professor emeritus of entomology, and David Biddinger, research professor of entomology, both from Penn State; Jason Gibbs, Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba; Martin Mikulas, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and Sven-Erik Spichiger, Washington State Department of Agriculture. The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Graduate Training Program in Integrative Pollinator Ecology funded by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Strategic Networks and Initiatives Program. https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/06/more-than-4-dozen-new-bee-species-in-pennsylvania-says-penn-state-study.html
Petee Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 You can actually become part of these studies by building a Pollinator Garden and registering it with Penn State. They have programs looking for different bees every summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now