Temporal change in floral availability leads to periods of resource limitation and affects diet specificity in a generalist pollinator
(2023) In Molecular Ecology 32(23). p.6363-6376- Abstract
Generalist species are core components of ecological networks and crucial for the maintenance of biodiversity. Generalist species and networks are expected to be more resilient, and therefore understanding the dynamics of specialization and generalization in ecological networks is a key focus in a time of rapid global change. Whilst diet generalization is frequently studied, our understanding of how it changes over time is limited. Here we explore temporal variation in diet specificity in the honeybee (Apis mellifera), using pollen DNA metabarcoding of honey samples, through the foraging season, over two years. We find that, overall, honeybees are generalists that visit a wide range of plants, but there is temporal variation in the... (More)
Generalist species are core components of ecological networks and crucial for the maintenance of biodiversity. Generalist species and networks are expected to be more resilient, and therefore understanding the dynamics of specialization and generalization in ecological networks is a key focus in a time of rapid global change. Whilst diet generalization is frequently studied, our understanding of how it changes over time is limited. Here we explore temporal variation in diet specificity in the honeybee (Apis mellifera), using pollen DNA metabarcoding of honey samples, through the foraging season, over two years. We find that, overall, honeybees are generalists that visit a wide range of plants, but there is temporal variation in the degree of specialization. Temporal specialization of honeybee colonies corresponds to periods of resource limitation, identified as a lack of honey stores. Honeybees experience a lack of preferred resources in June when switching from flowering trees in spring to shrubs and herbs in summer. Investigating temporal patterns in specialization can identify periods of resource limitation that may lead to species and network vulnerability. Diet specificity must therefore be explored at different temporal scales in order to fully understand species and network stability in the face of ecological change.
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- author
- Lowe, Abigail ; Jones, Laura ; Brennan, Georgina LU ; Creer, Simon ; Christie, Lynda and de Vere, Natasha
- publishing date
- 2023-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- Apis mellifera, eDNA, global change, optimal foraging theory, plant–pollinator interactions, pollen DNA metabarcoding
- in
- Molecular Ecology
- volume
- 32
- issue
- 23
- pages
- 14 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:36200580
- scopus:85140367248
- ISSN
- 0962-1083
- DOI
- 10.1111/mec.16719
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Molecular Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- id
- 81088235-9d39-4ccf-824b-51a04170aa09
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-15 14:49:17
- date last changed
- 2025-07-09 13:45:17
@article{81088235-9d39-4ccf-824b-51a04170aa09,
abstract = {{<p>Generalist species are core components of ecological networks and crucial for the maintenance of biodiversity. Generalist species and networks are expected to be more resilient, and therefore understanding the dynamics of specialization and generalization in ecological networks is a key focus in a time of rapid global change. Whilst diet generalization is frequently studied, our understanding of how it changes over time is limited. Here we explore temporal variation in diet specificity in the honeybee (Apis mellifera), using pollen DNA metabarcoding of honey samples, through the foraging season, over two years. We find that, overall, honeybees are generalists that visit a wide range of plants, but there is temporal variation in the degree of specialization. Temporal specialization of honeybee colonies corresponds to periods of resource limitation, identified as a lack of honey stores. Honeybees experience a lack of preferred resources in June when switching from flowering trees in spring to shrubs and herbs in summer. Investigating temporal patterns in specialization can identify periods of resource limitation that may lead to species and network vulnerability. Diet specificity must therefore be explored at different temporal scales in order to fully understand species and network stability in the face of ecological change.</p>}},
author = {{Lowe, Abigail and Jones, Laura and Brennan, Georgina and Creer, Simon and Christie, Lynda and de Vere, Natasha}},
issn = {{0962-1083}},
keywords = {{Apis mellifera; eDNA; global change; optimal foraging theory; plant–pollinator interactions; pollen DNA metabarcoding}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{23}},
pages = {{6363--6376}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Molecular Ecology}},
title = {{Temporal change in floral availability leads to periods of resource limitation and affects diet specificity in a generalist pollinator}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.16719}},
doi = {{10.1111/mec.16719}},
volume = {{32}},
year = {{2023}},
}