1. Abundance, body size, and morphology of bumblebees in an area where an exotic species, Bombus terrestris, has colonized in Japan.
- Author
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Nagamitsu, Teruyoshi, Kenta, Tanaka, Inari, Naoki, Kato, Etsushi, and Hiura, Tsutom
- Subjects
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BUMBLEBEES , *INSECT behavior , *BEES , *ANTHROPOMETRY , *AGRICULTURAL research , *INSECT anatomy , *GREENHOUSES , *INTRODUCED species - Abstract
An exotic bumblebee species, Bombus terrestris, has colonized in Japan and becomes dominant in some local communities. We examined the effects of land use and bumblebee abundance on the number and body size of bumblebees collected using window traps in a lowland area in the southern Ishikari district, Hokkaido. In 2004, we collected 922 bumblebees of six species using 70 traps at 17 sites. A statistical model fitted to the data demonstrated that dispersion from commercial B. terrestris colonies used in greenhouses positively affected the number of B. terrestris caught by each trap. This exotic species was abundant in sites where paddy fields were prevalent, but three native species, B. hypocrita, B. ardens, and B. diversus, were abundant in sites where farms and woodlands were widespread. The local abundance of B. terrestris was not associated negatively with the number and body size of native bumblebees. Thus, we did not find any competitive interactions between exotic and native bumblebees although habitat conditions seem to be common determinants of the bumblebee populations. A morphological analysis showed that B. terrestris had intermediate tongue length between B. hypocrita and B. ardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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