Bee Guilds’ Responses to Urbanization in Neotropics: A Case Study

Abstract

The consequent deforestation of urban sprawl is one of the causes of the decline of wild bee communities. In this context, urban green areas (UGA) may play an important role and constitute refuge areas for bees. This study analyzed the influence of UGA conditions and their surroundings in bee guilds’ responses in a medium-sized Brazilian city (Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ). The bees were sampled for 12 months (2017–2018) in 12 UGAs, and bee abundance and species richness were evaluated in guilds considering: nesting behavior, nesting site, and trophic specialization. We used as explanatory variables conditions of UGAs—the number of trees (NT), diameter at breast height (DBH), flower cover (FC), plant richness (PR), percentage of paving (PV)—and of their surroundings—paving (SPV) and the number of buildings (NB). Results showed 80% of eusocial bees, 82% nest in cavities, and 99% were generalists. FC, DBH, and NB mainly explained the responses of different guilds in study areas from all explanatory variables. Thus, this study confirms different responses associated with bee guilds’ attributes. In order to conserve bee diversity, city planning must include more green areas with large flower covers and avoid long corridors of high buildings that can impact bee dispersion.

Keywords

• bees
• conservation
• pollinators
• urban management