Home-and-away comparisons of life history traits indicate enemy release and founder effects of the solitary bee, Megachile sculpturalis

Authors: FORNHOFF, FELIX - UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG; LANNER, JULIA - UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND LIFE SCIENCES, VIENNA; ORR, MICHAEL - CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES; XIE, T - CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES; GUO, S - CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES; GUARIENTO, E - EURAC RESEARCH; TUERLINGS, TINA - GHENT UNIVERSITY; SMAGGHE, GUY - GHENT UNIVERSITY; Parys, Katherine; CETKOVIC, ALESANDAR - UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE; DUBAIC, JOVANA - UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE; GESLIN, BENOIT - UNIVERSITÉ D’AVIGNON ET DES PAYS DE VAUCLUSE; SCHARNHORST, V - UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND LIFE SCIENCES, VIENNA; PACHINGER, B - UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND LIFE SCIENCES, VIENNA; KLEIN, A - UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG; MEIMBERG, HARALD - UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND LIFE SCIENCES, VIENNA

Submitted to: Basic and Applied Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2024
Publication Date: 3/19/2024
Citation: Fornhoff, F., Lanner, J., Orr, M.C., Xie, T., Guo, S., Guariento, E., Tuerlings, T., Smagghe, G., Parys, K.A., Cetkovic, A., Dubaic, J.B., Geslin, B., Scharnhorst, V., Pachinger, B., Klein, A., Meimberg, H. 2024. Home-and-away comparisons of life history traits indicate enemy release and founder effects of the solitary bee, Megachile sculpturalis. Basic and Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2024.02.008.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2024.02.008

Interpretive Summary: The number of bees and other pollinators that are considered introduced or invasive are increasing, and understanding more about the basic biology of these species can help predict the impact that their introduction may have. The biology of these bees is not static, and introductions into new areas can cause genetic bottlenecks (founder effects) along with releasing them from the pressures of pathogens, predators, and parasites found in their native range. As a case study, life history traits of Megachile sculpturalis, a bee that's native to eastern Asia and has been introduced into both North America and Europe are compared.

Technical Abstract: The occurrences of introduced and invasive pollinators are increasing and knowledge of ecology and inter-species interactions is essential to predicting potential impacts on native ecosystems alongside providing a basis for potential management strategies. Life history traits are fundamental building blocks for understanding ecological interactions and often help explain the spread of non-native species. However, life history traits are not static, and may shift during the invasion processes as a consequence of genetic bottlenecks and the introduction of new environmental stressors. The dynamics of these traits can only be captured through their comparison between native and non-native environments. We conducted comparisons of life history traits in both the native and introduced ranges of the first invasive bee in Europe, Megachile sculpturalis. We compiled information on nest architecture, offspring, natural enemies, body size, and phenology using a variety of sources including: published literature, museum specimens, data from citizen science projects, field observations, and reared specimens. Megachile sculpturalis uses a broad variety of nesting materials including plastic for brood cell construction. Body size was comparable between ranges, but phenology shifted forward by one month in the introduced range. The abundance of natural enemies was similar between ranges but specialist enemies were missing in the introduced range. These trait shifts may be explained by founder effects or ecological filtering. The comparison between ranges of life history traits sheds light on the ecological-evolutionary process of this quickly spreading species and provides a better understanding of invasion processes in solitary bees.