Ecology and Vulnerability

Ashton Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Although climate-specific information on Northeast RSGCN bee species is currently limited, research on more common bee species’ responses to climate change has increased over the last decade, with most studies focused on the Bombus genus (Buckner and Danforth, 2022). General research on Bombus spp. indicates that bees are particularly vulnerable to increased temperatures, causing range shifts north in latitude and to higher elevations (Dibble et al., 2017; Feuerborn et al., 2023). Along with range shifts, studies have shown the effects of increased temperature and precipitation patterns on foraging behavior and activity, which could impact reproduction, dispersal, and survival (Drummond et al., 2017). Collecting species-specific data across an entire range is difficult for many reasons, including time and cost restraints in response, researchers have been increasing the use of publicly available occurrence data to help answer questions. Buckner and Danforth (2022) used publicly available occurrence data to look at the response of Macropis nuda, an oil-collecting bee, and its host plant, Lysimachia ciliata, to four climate change scenarios. They found a shift in the species range to refugial habitat along with their host plant. M. nuda is closely related to two species on the RSGCN list above; this information could help inform researchers on potential future research for other Macropis species but does not provide us with the information needed for informed decision-making.

References

Buckner, M. A., & Danforth, B. N. (2022). Climate-driven range shifts of a rare specialist bee, macropis nuda (Melittidae), and its host plant, Lysimachia ciliata (Primulaceae. Global Ecology and Conservation, 37.

Dibble, A. C., Drummond, F. A., Stubbs, C., Veit, M., & Ascher, J. S. (2017). Bees of Maine, with a State Species Checklist. Northeastern Naturalist, 24(15), 1–48.

Drummond, F. A., Dibble, A. C., Stubbs, C., Bushmann, S. L., Ascher, J. S., & Ryan, J. (2017). A natural history of change in native bees associated with lowbush blueberry in Maine. Northeastern Naturalist, 24(m15), 49–68.

Feuerborn, C., Quinlan, G., Shippee, R., Strausser, T. L., Terranova, T., Grozinger, C. M., & Hines, H. M. (2023). Variance in heat tolerance in bumble bees correlates with species geographic range and is associated with several environmental and biological factors. Ecology and Evolution, 13(11).