Bombus ruderatus

Last updated

Bombus ruderatus
Apidae - Bombus ruderatus.JPG
B. ruderatus on Centranthus ruber , Genova, Italy
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Species:
B. ruderatus
Binomial name
Bombus ruderatus
(Fabricius, 1775)

Bombus ruderatus, the large garden bumblebee or ruderal bumblebee, is a species of long-tongued bumblebee found in Europe and in some parts of northern Africa. [1] This species is the largest bumblebee in Britain and it uses its long face and tongue to pollinate hard-to-reach tubed flowers. Bumblebees are key pollinators in many agricultural ecosystems, which has led to B. ruderatus and other bumblebees being commercially bred and introduced into non-native countries, specifically New Zealand and Chile. [2] [3] Since its introduction in Chile, B. ruderatus has spread into Argentina as well. [2] Population numbers have been declining and it has been placed on the Biodiversity Action Plan to help counteract these declines. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Bombus ruderatus is part of the order Hymenoptera and the family Apidae. B. ruderatus is in the genus Bombus and is one of 239 species of bumblebees, with 23 of those existing in Britain alone. [5] B. ruderatus is part of the subgenus Megabombus, along with Bombus hortorum . [5] B. ruderatus is most closely related to B. hortorum. [1]

Description and identification

The body lengths of B. ruderatus reach about 22 mm (0.87 in) in queens, 16 mm (0.63 in) in workers and 15 mm (0.59 in) in males. It has a long face and tongue, which is well adapted for feeding on long-tubed flowers. The basic color of the body is black with two yellow bands on its mesonoma—one on its scutellum and one on its pronotum—and a single thin yellow band on the abdomen. [6] [7] A black band is located on the interwing and separates the two yellow bands on the thorax. [7] Similarly, queens are the most difficult to find as the bee is scarce in many areas and queens are less abundant within a colony itself. [1]

Similarities with Bombus hortorum

There are many similarities between B. ruderatus and B. hortorum, making it difficult to distinguish between the two species. [1] Due to numerous physical similarities, many scientists have suggested reassessing their current status as two distinct species. [5] Both bees are similar sizes, are black with two yellow bands, and the drones have similar genitalia. [1] Although they may be hard to assess at first glance, there are minor physical differences. For example, the width of two yellow bands on the scutellum and pronotum are relatively equal in B. ruderatus, while in B. hortorum, the band on the scutellum tends to be narrower than the band on the pronotum. [1] Physical variations may exist within a species as well, making it important to use other sources to distinguish between the two species. [1] [5] Studies of mitochondrial DNA has shown a 6.2% divergence for COII and a 9.2% divergence for cytochrome b. [1] These percentages are higher than the divergences between other distinct species, affirming that these bees are in fact two distinct species. [1]

Nests

Most Bombus ruderatus nests tend to be subterranean. Queens have been seen to return to their maternal nest site, but will assess it indiscriminately to determine if it is suitable for colonization. [8]

Distribution and habitat

Bombus ruderatus is naturally found in Europe and north Africa, favoring large flower-rich areas of meadowland that support numerous species of plants with long-corolla flowers. [1] [9] It is vital that pollen and nectar sources are available within foraging distance of nests from April to September. Specifically in Europe, this species is present in Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland. [9] Since the 1800s it has been used commercially in non-native countries to assist with crop pollination. [10] In 1885, B. ruderatus was introduced into New Zealand to pollinate the red clover plant, and in 1982, it was introduced into Chile for the same purpose. [2] [10] Since 1993, this species has also been seen in Argentina’s Patagonia, thought to have traveled there through the low-altitude sections of the Andes. Many parts of the world, including western Europe and North America, have seen declining populations of their native bumblebees due to many contributing factors. [1] In Britain specifically, habitat fragmentation has led to declines in B. ruderatus, in both population size and pollination range. [1] B. ruderatus is commonly found in sympatric distribution with B. hortorum, but the latter has seemed to be unaffected by fragmentation, since it is still relatively commonly in Britain. [1] Conversely, B. ruderatus has become one of the most rare of the 23 English bumblebees. [2]

Worker–queen conflict

Biased sex ratio

In New Zealand, colonies started by natural queens of Bombus ruderatus tended to have a male-biased sex ratio. [11] Additionally, the two sexes emerged at different times, with males usually emerging before new queens. [11] Male-biased sex ratios tend to occur when queens have multiple mates.

Larva ejection

In Bombus ruderatus, worker oviposition has been seen in association with oophagy, which may include the queen eating eggs deposited by workers. [12] Larvae ejection was also a common process done by workers and sometimes queens, and involved pulling live larvae out of cells and depositing them outside of the nest. [12] Analysis of ejected and survivor larvae showed no morphological difference so the reason for ejection is unknown, but female ejection occurred more frequently than male ejection. [12]

Diet

In Argentina, Bombus ruderatus is most commonly found feeding from plant species from families Fabaceae, Alstroemeriaceae, and Rosaceae. [3] Newly emergent queens tend to consume more pollen than the much smaller males. [12]

Parasites

Apicystis bombi , a pathogenic protozoan, has been recently found in Bombus ruderatus species in Argentina. [10] Apicystis bombi can have many negative effects in bee populations due to it high virulence, its generalism for many different bumblebee species, and its ability to affect both commercially produced and native born colonies. [10] Apicystis bombi can cause extreme physical and behavior effects within colonies, along with inhibiting colony foundation, both of which increase mortality. [10] This parasite is thought to have been contracted in B. ruderatus due to the interaction with another invasive species, Bombus terrestris . [10] B. terrestris was introduced in Argentina in 2006, and before this time, Apicystis bombi had not been found in any native or invasive species of bee. [10] The spread of parasites can happen through a process known as pathogen spillover, which may be a contributing factor to the declining bumblebee populations. This has been seen to occur in commercial trading when invasive species pass parasites or illnesses to native species, like in the situation with B. terrestris. [10]

Human importance

Agricultural importance

Bumblebees are important pollinators of crops and flowers, some of which are important for economic and agricultural reasons. [1] Bumblebees tend to be more effective pollinators than honeybees since they can fly at lower temperatures. [7] Honeybee pollination has been seen to decrease as the season progresses due to decreasing temperatures, while pollination of bumblebees usually remains relatively constant. [7] In 1982, Bombus ruderatus was brought to Chile to be used as a pollinator of the red clover, which is a small legume used for its seeds. [6] Chile is an important exporter in red clover seeds and thus their agricultural and economic success may depend on the effectiveness of bee pollination. [13] Most pollination of red clover is done by honeybees, but their pollination decreases in late summer to early fall, leading to less seed recovery. [13] B. ruderatus was introduced in order to compensate for late season decreases in pollination. Although there have been positive agricultural benefits from increased seed production, negative consequences, in terms of decreased native populations have been observed as well. [14]

Effects of invasion into non-native countries

Invasive species may be very harmful to native species by outcompeting them for resources or by passing illnesses through pathogen spillover. [10] [14] For example, the introduction of Bombus ruderatus and Bombus terrestris in Argentina have been shown to decrease the population of the native species, Bombus dahlbomii . [14] This can be seen in the comparison of the visitation frequency of the two species. Since the introduction of B. ruderatus, the visitation frequency of Bombus dahlbomii to certain plants has decreased, while it has increased in B. ruderatus. [14] Although a large part of the decline of Bombus dahlbomii populations in southern South America could be due to the introduction of Apicystis bombi by B. terrestris, resource and foraging competition with B. ruderatus has further facilitated the decline of the native Bombus dahlbomii . [10] [14] In general, B. dahlbomii tends to be more successful in areas where B. ruderatus or B. terrestris has not yet colonized. [14]

Declines in B. ruderatus and other bumblebee populations

In recent years, many countries have seen decreases in bee populations, specifically bumblebees. Some possible explanations could include habitat fragmentation, climate change, disease, agrochemicals, and other factors. [14] As stated previously, B. ruderatus has seen a population decline in Britain and has disappeared completely from many of its previous sites. [5] Declines in bee populations can lead to other ecological issues, such as declines in the success of plant species that rely on their pollination. [4]

Counteracting declining bee populations

Recently, the European Union has introduced agri-environment plans that can be used to pay farmers to manage their land in a way that benefits bee species. [4] Britain adopted the Environmental Stewardship scheme with the goal of enhancing the supply of pollen and nectar sources for bumblebees. [4] These plans hope to counteract some of the issues that commercial developments have caused. For example, intense crop management with decreased mixed farming has led to “botanical simplification” of habitats, which may have contributed to decreased bumblebee populations by decreasing the quality and quantity of resources and habitats. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumblebee</span> Genus of insect

A bumblebee is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera are known from fossils. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals.

<i>Crithidia</i> Genus of parasitic flagellate protist in the Kinetoplastea class

Crithidia is a genus of trypanosomatid Euglenozoa. They are parasites that exclusively parasitise arthropods, mainly insects. They pass from host to host as cysts in infective faeces and typically, the parasites develop in the digestive tracts of insects and interact with the intestinal epithelium using their flagellum. They display very low host-specificity and a single parasite can infect a large range of invertebrate hosts. At different points in its life-cycle, it passes through amastigote, promastigote, and epimastigote phases; the last is particularly characteristic, and similar stages in other trypanosomes are often called crithidial.

<i>Bombus terrestris</i> Species of bee

Bombus terrestris, the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee, is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. It is one of the main species used in greenhouse pollination, and so can be found in many countries and areas where it is not native, such as Tasmania. Moreover, it is a eusocial insect with an overlap of generations, a division of labour, and cooperative brood care. The queen is monandrous which means she mates with only one male. B. terrestris workers learn flower colours and forage efficiently.

<i>Bombus hortorum</i> Species of bee

Bombus hortorum, the garden bumblebee or small garden bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee found in most of Europe north to 70°N, as well as parts of Asia and New Zealand. It is distinguished from most other bumblebees by its long tongue used for feeding on pollen in deep-flowered plants. Accordingly, this bumblebee mainly visits flowers with deep corollae, such as deadnettles, ground ivy, vetches, clovers, comfrey, foxglove, and thistles. They have a good visual memory, which aids them in navigating the territory close to their habitat and seeking out food sources.

<i>Bombus pensylvanicus</i> Species of bee

Bombus pensylvanicus, the American bumblebee, is a threatened species of bumblebee native to North America. It occurs in eastern Canada, throughout much of the Eastern United States, and much of Mexico.

Two-spotted bumble bee Species of bee

The two-spotted bumble bee is a species of social bumble bee found in the eastern half of the United States and the adjacent south-eastern part of Canada. In older literature this bee is often referred to as Bremus bimaculatus, Bremus being a synonym for Bombus. The bee's common name comes from the two yellow spots on its abdomen. Unlike many of the other species of bee in the genus Bombus,B. bimaculatus is not on the decline, but instead is very stable. They are abundant pollinators that forage at a variety of plants.

<i>Bombus vosnesenskii</i> Species of bee

Bombus vosnesenskii, the yellow-faced bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee native to the west coast of North America, where it is distributed from British Columbia to Baja California. It is the most abundant species of bee in this range, and can be found in both urban and agricultural areas. Additionally, B. vosnesenskii is utilized as an important pollinator in commercial agriculture, especially for greenhouse tomatoes. Though the species is not currently experiencing population decline, urbanization has affected its nesting densities, and early emergence of the B. vosnesenskii has been implicated in the increasing lack of bee diversity on the West coast.

<i>Bombus occidentalis</i> Species of bee

Bombus occidentalis, the western bumblebee, is one of around 30 bumblebee species present in the western United States and western Canada. A recent review of all of its close relatives worldwide appears to have confirmed its status as a separate species.

<i>Bombus impatiens</i> Species of insect

Bombus impatiens, the common eastern bumble bee, is the most commonly encountered bumblebee across much of eastern North America. They can be found in the Eastern temperate forest region of the eastern United States, southern Canada, and the eastern Great Plains. Because of their great adaptability, they can live in country, suburbs, and even urban cities. This adaptability makes them a great pollinator species, leading to an increase in their commercial use by the greenhouse industry. This increase consequently led to their farther spread outside their previous distribution range. They are considered one of the most important species of pollinator bees in North America.

Nosema bombi is a microsporidian, a small, unicellular parasite recently reclassified as a fungus that mainly affects bumble bees. It was reclassified as Vairimorpha bombi in 2020. The parasite infects numerous Bombus spp. at variable rates, and has been found to have a range of deleterious effects on its hosts.

<i>Bombus muscorum</i> Species of bee

Bombus muscorum, commonly known as the large carder bee or moss carder bee, is a species of bumblebee in the family Apidae. The species is found throughout Eurasia in fragmented populations, but is most commonly found in the British Isles. B. muscorum is a eusocial insect. The queen is monandrous, mating with only one male after leaving a mature nest to found its own. Males mate territorially and the species is susceptible to inbreeding and bottlenecks. The species builds its nests on or just under the ground in open grassland and forages very close to the nest. In recent years, populations have significantly declined due to loss of natural habitat. B. muscorum is currently listed as vulnerable in Europe by the European Red List of Bees.

<i>Bombus dahlbomii</i> Species of bee

Bombus dahlbomii, also known as the moscardón, is a species of bumblebee endemic to southern South American temperate forests. B. dahlbomii is one of the largest bee species in the world, with matured queens growing up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long. Because of its size and furry appearance, the species has been described as "flying mice" colloquially, and "a monstrous fluffy ginger beast" by British ecologist David Goulson.

<i>Bombus affinis</i> Species of bee

Bombus affinis, commonly known as the rusty patched bumble bee, is a species of bumblebee endemic to North America. Its historical range in North America has been throughout the east and upper Midwest of the United States, north to Ontario, Canada, where it is considered a "species at risk", east to Quebec, south to Georgia, and west to the Dakotas. Its numbers have declined in 87% of its historical habitat range. On January 10, 2017, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service placed B. affinis on the list of endangered species, making the rusty patched bumblebee the first bee to be added to the list in the continental United States.

<i>Bombus terricola</i> Species of bee

Bombus terricola, the yellow-banded bumblebee, is a species of bee in the genus Bombus. It is native to southern Canada and the east and midwest of the United States. It possesses complex behavioral traits, such as the ability to adapt to a queenless nest, choose which flower to visit, and regulate its temperature to fly during cold weather. It was at one time a common species, but has declined in numbers since the late 1990s, likely due to urban development and parasite infection. It is a good pollinator of wild flowers and crops such as alfalfa, potatoes, raspberries, and cranberries.

Apicystis bombi is a species of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa. It infects bees, especially bumblebees. It is believed to have a cosmopolitan distribution in bumblebees and a sporadic occurrence in honey bees, and causes disease symptoms in nonresistant bee species.

Apicystis is a genus of parasitic alveolates of the phylum Apicomplexa.

Bombus hypocrita, also known as the short-tongued bumblebee, is a Japanese bumblebee commonly used in commercial pollination. These short-tongued bumblebees have a proboscis about 7-9mm long, which is folded under their head when flying. Bumblebees are a small fuzzy insect with yellow and black banding along their abdomen. They are round and covered in pile, the hair-like structures that give them their distinct fuzzy appearance.

Bombus lantschouensis is one of many bumblebee species native to China. Like all bumblebee species, they are characterized by their round bodies that are larger than honeybees. They have diverse color patterns. but are known for their eye-catching black and yellow coloring. They are also known for their furry-like appearance due to their body being covered in soft hair which are long branched setae. This hair is referred to as pile.

Crithidia bombi is a parasitic protist from the order Trypanosomatida. It is the most prevalent parasite of bumblebees.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Ellis; Knight; Goulson (12 July 2004). "Delineating species for conservation using mitochondrial sequence data: the taxonomic status of two problematic Bombus species (Hymenoptera: Apidae)". Journal of Insect Conservation. 9 (2): 75–83. doi:10.1007/s10841-004-4168-0. S2CID   3943552.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Morales, Carolina L; Arbetman, Marina P; Cameron, Sydney A; Aizen, Marcelo A (2013-07-15). "Rapid ecological replacement of a native bumble bee by invasive species". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 11 (10): 529–534. doi:10.1890/120321. ISSN   1540-9295. S2CID   86469248.
  3. 1 2 Abrahamovich; Telleria; Diaz (2001). "Bombus species and their associated flora in Argentina" (PDF). Bee World. 82 (2): 76–87. doi:10.1080/0005772x.2001.11099505. S2CID   84892002.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Heard, M. S.; Carvell, C.; Carreck, N. L.; Rothery, P.; Osborne, J. L.; Bourke, A. F. G. (2007-12-22). "Landscape context not patch size determines bumble-bee density on flower mixtures sown for agri-environment schemes". Biology Letters. 3 (6): 638–641. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0425. ISSN   1744-9561. PMC   2391233 . PMID   17925271.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Williams, Paul (May 2000). "Distinguishing females of the bumble bees Bombus ruderatus (F.) from Bombus hortorum (L.) in Britain: a preliminary application of quantitative techniques". ResearchGate.
  6. 1 2 Geslin, Morales (January 2015). "New records reveal rapid geographic expansion of Bombus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), an invasive species in Argentina". The Journal of Biodiversity Data.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "First record of the invasive bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L.) (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Argentina". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 132 (3): 285–289. 2006. doi:10.3157/0002-8320(2006)132[285:frotib]2.0.co;2. S2CID   86087652.
  8. ↑ Pomeroy, Nelson (1981-07-01). "Use of natural sites and field hives by a long-tongued bumble bee Bombus ruderatus". New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 24 (3–4): 409–414. doi: 10.1080/00288233.1981.10423408 . ISSN   0028-8233.
  9. 1 2 MacFarlane, R.P.; Gurr, L. 1995. Distribution of bumble bees in New Zealand. New Zealand Entomologist 18: 29-36.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Arbetman, Marina P.; Meeus, Ivan; Morales, Carolina L.; Aizen, Marcelo A.; Smagghe, Guy (2012-09-04). "Alien parasite hitchhikes to Patagonia on invasive bumblebee". Biological Invasions. 15 (3): 489–494. doi:10.1007/s10530-012-0311-0. hdl: 11336/79048 . ISSN   1387-3547. S2CID   254283366.
  11. 1 2 Owen, Rodd, Plowright (February 1980). "Sex Ratios in Bumble Bee Colonies: Complications due to Orphaning?". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 7 (4): 287–291. doi:10.1007/bf00300669. S2CID   37179872.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. 1 2 3 4 Pomeroy, Nelson (August 1979). "Brood bionomics of Bombus ruderatus in New Zealand". The Canadian Entomologist. 111 (8): 865–874. doi:10.4039/ent111865-8. S2CID   87854075.
  13. 1 2 Arretz, Macfarlane (1986). "The introduction of Bombus ruderatus to Chile for Red Clover pollination". Bee World. 67: 15–22. doi:10.1080/0005772x.1986.11098855.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Madjidian; Morales; Smith (April 2008). "Displacement of a native by an alien bumblebee: lower pollinator efficiency overcome by overwhelmingly higher visitation frequency". Oecologia. 156 (4): 835–845. Bibcode:2008Oecol.156..835M. doi:10.1007/s00442-008-1039-5. PMID   18443825. S2CID   26375343.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.