Late-season survey of bumble bees along Canadian highways of British Columbia and Yukon Territories

• Main Authors: Hatten, Timothy D., Strange, James P., Maxwell, Jill M.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2015
• Subjects: Yukon; Canada; British Columbia; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol75/iss2/4; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/context/wnan/article/1394/viewcontent/WNAN_75.2.170_180_Hatten.pdf

Bumble bees are important pollinators of flowering plants, foraging and providing pollination services throughout the growing season. They are adapted to cool temperatures and are among the most important of all pollinators at high elevations and northern latitudes. Over the past several decades, multiple species of bumble bees have experienced declines in both geographic range and abundance in Europe and North America, while 4 species of the genus Bombus (Bombus) have suffered dramatic declines in the United States. Such declines are not as evident in Alaska, and the status of Bombus remains relatively unknown in the adjacent territories of Canada. To begin addressing this knowledge gap, we sampled the bumble bee fauna foraging on floral patches along 5 highways of Canada and southeastern Alaska in a short-term, one-time survey during late summer 2010. We observed 14 species and found Bombusassemblages to be structured by broad geographic features and ecoregions. TheBombus species B. (B.) occidentalis and B. (B.) terricola were relatively abundant in sample sites west and east of the Rocky Mountains, respectively, and B. (Pyrobombus)vagans, B. (Cullumanobombus) rufocinctus, and B. occidentalis were the most abundant species across all sites. Los abejorros son polinizadores importantes de las plantas con flores, forrajeando y prestando servicios de polinización a lo largo de la temporada de crecimiento. Están adaptados a las temperaturas bajas y se encuentran entre los polinizadores más importantes en altas elevaciones y en latitudes norteñas. En las últimas décadas, múltiples especies de abejorros han experimentado declives tanto en su distribución geográfica como en su abundancia en Europa y América del Norte, mientras que 4 especies del género Bombus (Bombus) han sufrido una disminución dramática en los E.U.A. Estos descensos no son tan evidentes en Alaska, y el estatus de Bombus sigue siendo relativamente desconocido en los territorios adyacentes de Canadá. Para empezar a solucionar esta brecha de ...