Building height matters: nesting activity of bees and wasps on vegetated roofs
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by J. Scott Maclvor in
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Vegetated, “green” infrastructure, including terraces, balconies, and vegetated roofs and walls are increasingly common in urban landscapes, elevating habitat into novel contexts above ground. Highly mobile species, like bees and wasps, are often seen foraging on green infrastructure, but whether nesting opportunities are facilitated is not known. Cavity-nesting bees and wasps that provision brood in human-made trap nests were monitored over three years on 29 vegetated and non-vegetated roofs in Toronto, Canada. The study identified 27 species nesting on rooftops but found that building height was negatively correlated with the abundance of brood cells provisioned in trap nests, and positively correlated with the number of unfinished nests. A decline in green space area within a 600 m radius around each rooftop resulted in decreasing species richness and abundance. Although the introduced bee, Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) occupied more sites than any other bee or wasp (27.6%) and was the most abundant species, amounting to half (48.9%) of all brood reared, native bees were 73% of all bee species reared. The most abundant wasp was the native spider-collecting Trypoxylon collinum Smith (11.4%), but the introduced aphid-collecting Psenulus pallipes (Panzer) occurred at more sites (24.1%). For the pollination and pest controlling services they provide, bees and wasps should be considered in the design of vegetated roofs. Evidence here suggests that building height and surrounding green space at ground level impact bee and wasp diversity on vegetated roofs. Efforts supporting their populations using trap nests should target low- and mid-rise buildings (<5 building levels).
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Building height matters: nesting activity of bees and wasps on vegetated roofs
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by J. Scott Maclvor in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Vegetated, “green” infrastructure, including terraces, balconies, and vegetated roofs and walls are increasingly common in urban landscapes, elevating habitat into novel contexts above ground. Highly mobile species, like bees and wasps, are often seen foraging on green infrastructure, but whether nesting opportunities are facilitated is not known. Cavity-nesting bees and wasps that provision brood in human-made trap nests were monitored over three years on 29 vegetated and non-vegetated roofs in Toronto, Canada. The study identified 27 species nesting on rooftops but found that building height was negatively correlated with the abundance of brood cells provisioned in trap nests, and positively correlated with the number of unfinished nests. A decline in green space area within a 600 m radius around each rooftop resulted in decreasing species richness and abundance. Although the introduced bee, Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) occupied more sites than any other bee or wasp (27.6%) and was the most abundant species, amounting to half (48.9%) of all brood reared, native bees were 73% of all bee species reared. The most abundant wasp was the native spider-collecting Trypoxylon collinum Smith (11.4%), but the introduced aphid-collecting Psenulus pallipes (Panzer) occurred at more sites (24.1%). For the pollination and pest controlling services they provide, bees and wasps should be considered in the design of vegetated roofs. Evidence here suggests that building height and surrounding green space at ground level impact bee and wasp diversity on vegetated roofs. Efforts supporting their populations using trap nests should target low- and mid-rise buildings (<5 building levels).
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 5830 | 602 | 27 |
| Full Text Views | 329 | 43 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 736 | 60 | 0 |
