Going native? Flower use by bumblebees in English urban gardens.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Although urban gardens provide opportunities for pollinators in an otherwise inhospitable environment, most garden plants are not native to the recipient biogeographical region and their value to local pollinators is disputed. This study tested the hypothesis that bumblebees foraging in English urban gardens preferentially visited sympatric Palaearctic-range plants over species originating outside their native range.

Methods

Twenty-seven surveys of flower availability and bumblebee visitation (Bombus spp.) were conducted over a 3-month summer period. Plants were categorized according to whether they were native British, Palaearctic or non-Palaearctic in origin. A phylogeny of the 119 plant species recorded was constructed and the relationship between flor

SUBMITTER: Hanley ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3962246 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature