Overwintering temperature and body condition shift emergence dates of spring-emerging solitary bees.

ABSTRACT: Solitary bees in seasonal environments must align their life-cycles with favorable environmental conditions and resources; the timing of their emergence is highly fitness relevant. In several bee species, overwintering temperature influences both emergence date and body weight at emergence. High variability in emergence dates among specimens overwintering at the same temperatures suggests that the timing of emergence also depends on individual body conditions. However, possible causes for this variability, such as individual differences in body size or weight, have been rarely studied. In a climate chamber experiment using two spring-emerging mason bees (Osmia cornuta and O. bicornis), we investigated the relationship between temperature, emergence date, body weight, and body

SUBMITTER: Schenk M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5960268 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature