Light sensitive bumblebee species are associated with forest habitat and forest dominated landscapes

Light sensitive bumblebee species are associated with forest habitat and forest dominated landscapes | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 27 May 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Light sensitive bumblebee species are associated with forest habitat and forest dominated landscapes Authors : Océane Bartholomée 0000-0002-6541-4891 [email protected] , Pierre Tichit 0000-0003-0310-6073 , Jens Åström , Henrik G. Smith , Sandra Åström , Markus A.K. Sydenham 0000-0002-7711-2399 , and Emily Baird Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174834014.43546038/v1 Published Ecology and Evolution Version of record Peer review timeline 479 views 144 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Aim We investigate whether the eye parameter of bumblebees – a visual trait measuring the trade-off between light sensitivity and visual resolution – is associated with: (i) local habitats, (ii) forest cover at the landscape scale (1km radius) and (iii) the shade tolerance of the plants they forage on. Methods The association of bumblebee species with local habitat and forest cover at the landscape scale was analysed using generalised linear mixed models. We combined data from the Norwegian national bumblebee monitoring program with Corine CLC+ land cover, and bumblebee functional traits: eye parameter and inter-tegular distance. These analyses were done at species and community level. To determine if bumblebee light sensitivity correlated with the shade-tolerance of the plant they forage on, we combined bumblebee-plant interactions from a British database with a Swedish plant trait database. Results Our findings showed that bumblebee species with high eye parameters were more common and abundant in forest habitats and areas with greater forest cover, while species with low eye parameters showed the opposite trend. This pattern was reflected at the community level, as indicated by the community-weighted mean of the eye parameter, which increased with forest cover and was higher in forest habitats. Furthermore, bumblebees with higher eye parameters tended to forage on plants with greater shade tolerance. Main conclusions These results suggest that visual adaptations for light sensitivity contribute to shaping bumblebee species distributions across different scales. Our study underscores the importance of pollinator vision in understanding species niches and its value for species distribution modelling. Moreover, by relating pollinator visual abilities to plant niches for the first time, this study provides an important basis for future modelling of plant-pollinator interactions and targeted conservation measures for plants and pollinators in forested landscapes. Supplementary Material File (main_document.docx) Download 135.19 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 27 May 2025 Peer review timeline Published Ecology and Evolution Version of Record 22 Oct 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Ecology and Evolution Keywords community ecology ecosystem invertebrate multiple statistical terrestrial Authors Affiliations Océane Bartholomée 0000-0002-6541-4891 [email protected] Lund University View all articles by this author Pierre Tichit 0000-0003-0310-6073 Stockholm University View all articles by this author Jens Åström Norwegian Institute for Nature Research View all articles by this author Henrik G. Smith Lund University Centre for Environmental and Climate Research View all articles by this author Sandra Åström Norwegian Institute for Nature Research View all articles by this author Markus A.K. Sydenham 0000-0002-7711-2399 NINA View all articles by this author Emily Baird Stockholm University View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 479 views 144 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Océane Bartholomée, Pierre Tichit, Jens Åström, et al. Light sensitive bumblebee species are associated with forest habitat and forest dominated landscapes. Authorea . 27 May 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174834014.43546038/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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