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Jacob M. Cecala
Department of Entomology University of California Riverside California U.S.A.

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Original article
Published: 31 July 2021 in Ecological Entomology
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1. An ongoing challenge in ecology is predicting how characteristics of communities correspond to habitat features. Examining variation in functional traits across species may reveal patterns not discernible from measures of mere abundance or richness. For beneficial insects like wild bees, functional trait-based approaches are often used to characterise communities in different agricultural habitats. 2. However, no such approach has yet been applied in horticultural plant nurseries, which represent intensively managed artificial flowering plant assemblages. Certain nurseries mostly cultivate regionally native flowering plants, allowing one to test how differences between local plant assemblages may correlate with bee functional traits. 3. We surveyed bee assemblages at native and conventional plant nurseries in southern California from spring through autumn over 2 years, while also documenting the native status of blooming plants in sampling plots. Bees were classified into different functional categories based on their diet breadth, nesting location, and social organisation. 4. At native plant nurseries, we netted proportionally more specialist bee species and fewer generalist species than at conventional nurseries. Nesting location and social organisation of bee samples did not differ between nursery types. Meanwhile, landscape-level features were not associated with any observed functional trait metrics of bee collections. Furthermore, network-level specialisation of bee-plant interactions was higher at conventional nurseries. 5. Our results suggest that a horticultural cultivation practice is quantifiably correlated with the functional distribution of resident bee assemblages. These results are important and encouraging to pollinator conservation efforts in nursery systems and other human-modified landscapes dominated by ornamental plants.

ACS Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Erin E. Wilson Rankin. Wild bee functional diversity and plant associations in native and conventional plant nurseries. Ecological Entomology 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Jacob M. Cecala, Erin E. Wilson Rankin. Wild bee functional diversity and plant associations in native and conventional plant nurseries. Ecological Entomology. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Erin E. Wilson Rankin. 2021. "Wild bee functional diversity and plant associations in native and conventional plant nurseries." Ecological Entomology , no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 28 July 2021 in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences
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A key conservation goal in agroecosystems is to understand how management practices may affect beneficial species, such as pollinators. Currently, broad gaps exist in our knowledge as to how horticultural management practices, such as irrigation level, might influence bee reproduction, particularly for solitary bees. Despite the extensive use of ornamental plants by bees, especially little is known about how irrigation level may interact with insecticides, like water-soluble neonicotinoids, to influence floral rewards and bee reproduction. We designed a two-factor field cage experiment in which we reared Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) on containerized ornamental plants grown under two different irrigation levels and imidacloprid treatments (30% label rate dosage of a nursery formulation or an untreated control). Lower irrigation was associated with modest decreases in nectar volume and floral abundance in untreated plants, whereas irrigation did not affect plants treated with imidacloprid. Furthermore, higher irrigation decreased the amount of imidacloprid entering nectar. Imidacloprid application strongly reduced bee foraging activity and reproduction, and higher irrigation did not offset any negative effects on bees. Our study emphasizes the impact of a nursery neonicotinoid formulation on solitary bee foraging and reproduction, while highlighting interactions between irrigation level and neonicotinoid application in containerized plants themselves.

ACS Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Erin E. Wilson Rankin. Pollinators and plant nurseries: how irrigation and pesticide treatment of native ornamental plants impact solitary bees. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 2021, 288, 20211287 .

AMA Style

Jacob M. Cecala, Erin E. Wilson Rankin. Pollinators and plant nurseries: how irrigation and pesticide treatment of native ornamental plants impact solitary bees. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 2021; 288 (1955):20211287.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Erin E. Wilson Rankin. 2021. "Pollinators and plant nurseries: how irrigation and pesticide treatment of native ornamental plants impact solitary bees." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 288, no. 1955: 20211287.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2020 in Journal of Economic Entomology
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Bees are economically critical pollinators, but are declining broadly due to several stressors, including nontarget exposure to insecticides and deficiencies in nutrition. Understanding the simultaneous impact of stressors, particularly interactions between them, is critical to effectively conserving bees. Although behavioral effects of pesticides like neonicotinoids have received some attention in solitary bees, our understanding of how they are modulated by diet quality is limited. Furthermore, scarce data exist on what concentrations of orally ingested neonicotinoids elicit mortality in solitary bees. In a controlled exposure laboratory experiment, we investigated how diet quality, as sugar concentration, and chronic oral exposure to imidacloprid affect adult alfalfa leafcutting bees, Megachile rotundata (Fabricius). We provided individuals ad libitum with either 20 or 50% (m/m) sucrose syrups containing either 0, 30, or 300 ppb imidacloprid (measuring 0, 27, and 209 ppb via an ELISA assay). Over 5 wk, we tracked behavior and survivorship of individuals. Imidacloprid decreased survivorship in a dose-dependent fashion, but sucrose content did not affect survivorship, even in bees not fed imidacloprid. In the high imidacloprid treatment, 45% of bees were observed in a motionless supine position while still alive, with this effect appearing to be buffered against by the higher sucrose diet. Our results suggest that diets higher in sugar concentration may prevent an intermediate stage of poisoning, but do not ultimately extend longevity. In devising risk assessments for bees, it is important to consider that interactions between stressors may occur in the stages leading up to death even if survivorship is unaffected.

ACS Style

Jacob M Cecala; Danelle Angeline Baronia; Erin E Wilson Rankin. Sugar content of diet does not buffer against chronic oral imidacloprid exposure in the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 2020, 113, 2705 -2712.

AMA Style

Jacob M Cecala, Danelle Angeline Baronia, Erin E Wilson Rankin. Sugar content of diet does not buffer against chronic oral imidacloprid exposure in the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 2020; 113 (6):2705-2712.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacob M Cecala; Danelle Angeline Baronia; Erin E Wilson Rankin. 2020. "Sugar content of diet does not buffer against chronic oral imidacloprid exposure in the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)." Journal of Economic Entomology 113, no. 6: 2705-2712.

Article
Published: 27 July 2020 in Journal of Insect Behavior
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Pollinators such as bees need reliable access to nectar resources. However, competition for these carbohydrate rewards can be high among floral visitors. Moreover, invasive insects may further restrict pollinator access to flowers. For example, invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are known to harass and displace pollinators from flowers and reduce nectar reward acquisition. The foraging behavior of bees is strongly influenced by numerous chemical cues and signals at the flower. Thus, to avoid aggressive floral visitors, bees may use chemical cues when deciding whether or not they forage on the flower. Here, we demonstrate that Argentine ants deposit a pygidial gland chemical, iridomyrmecin, on a sugar source while feeding. Based on two-choice laboratory assays conducted with three commercially available bee species, the presence of iridomyrmecin in the sugar resource influenced the foraging decisions of Megachile rotundata and Osmia lignaria, but not those of Apis mellifera. Detailed insights into the chemical signals left by ants at floral resources and their effects on foraging decisions by pollinators can provide vital information for understanding the magnitude and mechanisms of impacts invasive ant species might have on pollinators.

ACS Style

Erin E. Wilson Rankin; Jacob M. Cecala; Nohely Hernandez Pineda; Qian Yue Lu; Erika Pelayo; Dong-Hwan Choe. Differential Feeding Responses of Several Bee Species to Sugar Sources Containing Iridomyrmecin, an Argentine Ant Trail Pheromone Component. Journal of Insect Behavior 2020, 33, 83 -90.

AMA Style

Erin E. Wilson Rankin, Jacob M. Cecala, Nohely Hernandez Pineda, Qian Yue Lu, Erika Pelayo, Dong-Hwan Choe. Differential Feeding Responses of Several Bee Species to Sugar Sources Containing Iridomyrmecin, an Argentine Ant Trail Pheromone Component. Journal of Insect Behavior. 2020; 33 (2-4):83-90.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Erin E. Wilson Rankin; Jacob M. Cecala; Nohely Hernandez Pineda; Qian Yue Lu; Erika Pelayo; Dong-Hwan Choe. 2020. "Differential Feeding Responses of Several Bee Species to Sugar Sources Containing Iridomyrmecin, an Argentine Ant Trail Pheromone Component." Journal of Insect Behavior 33, no. 2-4: 83-90.

Original article
Published: 26 May 2020 in Ecological Entomology
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1. Measurements of pollinator performance are crucial to pollination studies, enabling researchers to quantify the relative value of different pollinator species to plant reproduction. One of the most widely employed measures of pollinator performance is single‐visit pollen deposition, the number of conspecific pollen grains deposited to a stigma after one pollinator visit. To ensure a pollen‐free stigma, experimenters must first bag flowers before exposing them to a pollinator. 2. Bagging flowers, however, may unintentionally manipulate floral characteristics to which pollinators respond. In this study, we quantified the effect of bagging on nectar volume in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus ) flowers, and how this affects pollinator performance and behaviour. 3. Experimental bagging resulted in roughly 30‐fold increases in nectar volume relative to unmanipulated, open‐pollinated field flowers after only a few hours. Honey bees, but not native bees, consistently displayed elevated handling times and single‐visit pollen deposition on unmanipulated bagged flowers relative to those from which we removed nectar to mimic volumes in open‐pollinated flowers. 4. Furthermore, we identify specific bee foraging behaviours during a floral visit that account for differences in pollen deposition, and how these differ between honey bees and native bees. 5. Our findings suggest that experimental bagging of flowers, without accounting for artificially accumulated nectar, can lead to biased estimates of pollinator performance in pollinator taxa that respond strongly to nectar volume. We advise that pollination studies be attentive to nectar secretion dynamics in their focal plant species to ensure unbiased estimates of pollinator performance across multiple pollinator species.

ACS Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Pierre W. Lau; Joan M. Leong. Floral bagging differentially affects handling behaviours and single‐visit pollen deposition by honey bees and native bees. Ecological Entomology 2020, 45, 1099 -1107.

AMA Style

Jacob M. Cecala, Pierre W. Lau, Joan M. Leong. Floral bagging differentially affects handling behaviours and single‐visit pollen deposition by honey bees and native bees. Ecological Entomology. 2020; 45 (5):1099-1107.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Pierre W. Lau; Joan M. Leong. 2020. "Floral bagging differentially affects handling behaviours and single‐visit pollen deposition by honey bees and native bees." Ecological Entomology 45, no. 5: 1099-1107.

The scientific naturalist
Published: 22 February 2020 in Ecology
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ACS Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Erin E. Wilson Rankin. Mark–recapture experiments reveal foraging behavior and plant fidelity of native bees in plant nurseries. Ecology 2020, 101, e03021 .

AMA Style

Jacob M. Cecala, Erin E. Wilson Rankin. Mark–recapture experiments reveal foraging behavior and plant fidelity of native bees in plant nurseries. Ecology. 2020; 101 (6):e03021.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacob M. Cecala; Erin E. Wilson Rankin. 2020. "Mark–recapture experiments reveal foraging behavior and plant fidelity of native bees in plant nurseries." Ecology 101, no. 6: e03021.

Journal article
Published: 30 December 2019 in Sustainability
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Across urban environments, vegetated habitats provide refuge for biodiversity. Gardens (designed for food crop production) and nurseries (designed for ornamental plant production) are both urban agricultural habitats characterized by high plant species richness but may vary in their ability to support wild pollinators, particularly bees. In gardens, pollinators are valued for crop production. In nurseries, ornamental plants rarely require pollination; thus, the potential of nurseries to support pollinators has not been examined. We asked how these habitats vary in their ability to support wild bees, and what habitat features relate to this variability. In 19 gardens and 11 nurseries in California, USA, we compared how local habitat and landscape features affected wild bee species abundance and richness. To assess local features, we estimated floral richness and measured ground cover as proxies for food and nesting resources, respectively. To assess landscape features, we measured impervious land cover surrounding each site. Our analyses showed that differences in floral richness, local habitat size, and the amount of urban land cover impacted garden wild bee species richness. In nurseries, floral richness and the proportion of native plant species impacted wild bee abundance and richness. We suggest management guidelines for supporting wild pollinators in both habitats.

ACS Style

Monika Egerer; Jacob Cecala; Hamutahl Cohen. Wild Bee Conservation within Urban Gardens and Nurseries: Effects of Local and Landscape Management. Sustainability 2019, 12, 293 .

AMA Style

Monika Egerer, Jacob Cecala, Hamutahl Cohen. Wild Bee Conservation within Urban Gardens and Nurseries: Effects of Local and Landscape Management. Sustainability. 2019; 12 (1):293.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Monika Egerer; Jacob Cecala; Hamutahl Cohen. 2019. "Wild Bee Conservation within Urban Gardens and Nurseries: Effects of Local and Landscape Management." Sustainability 12, no. 1: 293.