Decline of six native mason bee species following the arrival of an exotic congener.

ABSTRACT: A potential driver of pollinator declines that has been hypothesized but seldom documented is the introduction of exotic pollinator species. International trade often involves movement of many insect pollinators, especially bees, beyond their natural range. For agricultural purposes or by inadvertent cargo shipment, bee species successfully establishing in new ranges could compete with native bees for food and nesting resources. In the Mid-Atlantic United States, two Asian species of mason bee (Osmia taurus and O. cornifrons) have become recently established. Using pan-trap records from the Mid-Atlantic US, we examined catch abundance of two exotic and six native Osmia species over the span of fifteen years (2003-2017) to estimate abundance changes. All native species showed substantial an

SUBMITTER: LeCroy KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7599227 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature