Abstract
The deforestation consequent of urban sprawl is one of the causes of decline of wild bee communities and the urban green areas (UGA) can be important refuges 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; bee abundance and richness were evaluated in guilds considering: sociality (eusocial, intermediate and solitary), nesting (cavity and soil) and foraging (generalist and specialist). We used as explanatory variables conditions of UGAs—number of trees (NT), DBH, flower cover (FC), plant richness (PR), percentage of paving (PV)—and of their surroundings—paving (SPV) and number of buildings (NB). Results showed 80% of eussocial and generalist bees and 13% solitary; 82% nest in cavities and 20% were specialists. From all explanatory variables PV, NB, FC and SPV explained the responses of different guilds in study areas. This study confirms different responses by the guilds analysed. In order to conserve bee diversity, the management of UGAs must consider the abundance and richness of flowers, maintenance of exposed soil areas and the density of trees.
Highlights
We suggest that decisions about management of urban green areas must be a transdisciplinary decision making and planning
It is necessary to pay attention to factors that contributes to minimize the negative effects of urbanization on the bee community to find nesting places, foraging and feeding needs
Bee conservation programs in urban areas should include the management of plants that provide resources for bees and other pollinators
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.