Abstract
Abstract Regionally specific flower preference data are needed to optimize conservation habitat plantings for at‐risk pollinators such as bumble bees ( Bombus spp.). Current tools for selecting flowers for plantings rely on raw bee flower visits, which can be biased toward abundant flowers. To assist in planning habitat enhancements for bumble bees, we quantified genus‐ and species‐level floral preferences using a selection index that accounts for floral availability. Through 477 h of observation in Ohio, USA during the summers of 2017 and 2018, we recorded 22,999 observations of eight Bombus species visiting 96 flowering plant taxa. As a genus, Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly; the most strongly preferred plants included Asclepias spp., Cirsium spp., Convolvulaceae, Dipsacus spp., Echinacea purpurea , Monarda fistulosa , Penstemon digitalis , and Silphium spp. Only a few Fabaceae were highly selected ( Baptisia spp., Trifolium pratense , and Vicia spp.), while some were preferred only during their peak bloom ( Securigera varia ), and others were not preferred by bumble bees ( T. hybridum and Melilotus spp.). Diets differed among habitats, and in restored meadows, bumble bees selected for native planted species such as Monarda fistulosa , Asclepias syriaca , Echinacea purpurea , Penstemon digitalis , and Silphium spp. Diets and preferences shifted over the season, largely driven by changes in plant phenologies (e.g., in June, Penstemon was strongly selected, in July, Asclepias , and in August, Verbena ). For the three most common Bombus ( B. impatiens , B. griseocollis , and B. bimaculatus ), rarefaction analysis indicates that we were able to detect almost all plants in their summer diets. However, for five less common species, even our extensive sampling was insufficient to fully characterize their diets. The common Bombus species differed in their feeding niches, perhaps reducing interspecific competition. In contrast, we found high diet overlap between three rarer species— B. vagans , B. fervidus , and B. pensylvanicus , suggesting that these at‐risk species might benefit from different floral communities than would the common species. Five of eight species (including one that is currently under review for federal listing) most strongly preferred one or another non‐native plant, presenting managers with a conservation conundrum concerning how to balance the needs of bees with the preservation of native plants.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly.
BombusOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“As a genus, Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly”
e1“96 flowering plant taxa”
Claim · model-written summary
The most strongly preferred plants included Asclepias, Cirsium and Convolvulaceae.
- Taxon
- Asclepias spp., Cirsium spp., ConvolvulaceaeConvolvulaceae
Asclepias
Cirsiume0 - Outcome
- most strongly preferrede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the most strongly preferred plants included Asclepias spp., Cirsium spp., Convolvulaceae”
e1“Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly”
Claim · model-written summary
Other strongly preferred plants included Dipsacus, Echinacea and Monarda.
- Taxon
- Dipsacus spp., Echinacea purpurea , Monarda fistulosa
Monarda fistulosa
Dipsacus.jpg?width=60)
Echinacea purpureae0 - Outcome
- Dipsacus spp., Echinacea purpurea , Monarda fistulosae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Dipsacus spp., Echinacea purpurea , Monarda fistulosa”
e1“Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly”
Claim · model-written summary
Penstemon and Silphium were among the strongly preferred plants.
- Taxon
- Penstemon digitalis , and Silphium spp.
Silphium
Penstemon digitalise0 - Outcome
- Penstemon digitalis , and Silphium spp.e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Monarda fistulosa , Penstemon digitalis , and Silphium spp.”
e1“Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly”
Claim · model-written summary
Few Fabaceae were highly selected, including Baptisia, Trifolium pratense and Vicia.
- Taxon
- Baptisia spp., Trifolium pratense , and Vicia spp.
Vicia
Baptisia
Trifolium pratensee0 - Outcome
- highly selectede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Only a few Fabaceae were highly selected ( Baptisia spp., Trifolium pratense , and Vicia spp.)”
e1“bumble bees selected for native planted species”
Claim · model-written summary
Securigera varia was preferred only during peak bloom.
- Taxon
- Securigera varia
Securigera variae0 - Outcome
- preferred only during their peak bloome0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“some were preferred only during their peak bloom ( Securigera varia )”
e1“not preferred by bumble bees”
Claim · model-written summary
T. hybridum and Melilotus were not preferred by bumble bees.
- Taxon
- T. hybridum and Melilotus spp.
Melilotus
Trifolium hybridume0 - Outcome
- not preferrede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“others were not preferred by bumble bees ( T. hybridum and Melilotus spp.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Bumble bee diets differed among habitats.
- Taxon
- Monarda fistulosaMonarda fistulosae1
- Outcome
- Dietse0
- Direction
- differede0
- Setting
- habitatse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Diets differed among habitats”
e1“bumble bees selected for native planted species such as Monarda fistulosa , Asclepias syriaca , Echinacea purpurea , Penstemon digitalis , and Silphium spp.”
Claim · model-written summary
In restored meadows bumble bees selected native planted species including Monarda, Asclepias and Echinacea.
- Taxon
- Monarda fistulosa , Asclepias syriaca , Echinacea purpureaMonarda fistulosa
Asclepias syriacaEchinacea purpureae0 - Outcome
- selected for native planted speciese0
- Setting
- restored meadowse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in restored meadows, bumble bees selected for native planted species such as Monarda fistulosa , Asclepias syriaca , Echinacea purpurea”
Claim · model-written summary
Seasonal diets and preferences shifted with plant phenology.
- Taxon
- plante0
- Organ / stage
- plant phenologiese0
- Outcome
- Diets and preferences shiftede0
- Direction
- shiftede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Diets and preferences shifted over the season, largely driven by changes in plant phenologies”
e1“bumble bees selected for native planted species”
Claim · model-written summary
Rarefaction detected almost all summer diet plants of three common Bombus species.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee0
- Interactor
- B. impatiens , B. griseocollis , and B. bimaculatus
Bombus impatiens
Bombus griseocollis
Bombus bimaculatuse0pollinator - Outcome
- detect almost all plants in their summer dietse0
- Comparator
- three most common Bombuse0
Not reportedValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“For the three most common Bombus ( B. impatiens , B. griseocollis , and B. bimaculatus ), rarefaction analysis indicates that we were able to detect almost all plants in their summer diets.”
Claim · model-written summary
Sampling did not fully characterize diets of five less common species.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee1
- Outcome
- insufficient to fully characterize their dietse0
- Comparator
- five less common speciese0
Verbatim
e0“for five less common species, even our extensive sampling was insufficient to fully characterize their diets.”
e1“almost all plants in their summer diets”
Claim · model-written summary
Common Bombus species differed in feeding niches.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee1
- Outcome
- differed in their feeding nichese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The common Bombus species differed in their feeding niches”
e1“plants in their summer diets”
Claim · model-written summary
Three rarer Bombus species had high diet overlap.
- Taxon
- plantsViridiplantaee1
- Interactor
- B. vagans , B. fervidus , and B. pensylvanicus
Bombus pensylvanicus
Bombus fervidus
Bombus vaganse0pollinator - Outcome
- high diet overlape0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we found high diet overlap between three rarer species— B. vagans , B. fervidus , and B. pensylvanicus”
e1“plants in their summer diets”
Claim · model-written summary
Five of eight Bombus species most strongly preferred a non-native plant.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Five of eight species (including one that is currently under review for federal listing) most strongly preferred one or another non‐native plant”
e1“Bombus selected flowers nonrandomly”