Skip to content
Menu
Cellular & Organismic Networks @ LMU Munich
  • The Group
  • Research
    • Pollinator-Microbe-Plant interactions
    • Bee-Plant-Interactions
    • Tools
    • Other Ecology Research
    • Other Microbiome Research
  • Publications
  • Institution
Cellular & Organismic Networks @ LMU Munich

Functional resin use in solitary bees

Posted on November 28, 2021June 28, 2022

Overall, more than 30% of bee species depend on non-floral resources, such as resin. However, the importance of resin in bee ecology, particularly for solitary bees, has received very little attention thus far. A plethora of loose natural history observations, inferences, and author opinions hint towards a striking range of uses of resin for nesting by bees. In this review, we focus on resin use in solitary bees and identify extant knowledge, knowledge gaps, and future research directions with regard to the functional use of resin in bee nesting biology.

Resin use in solitary bee nests can be broadly grouped by functional roles for nest structure, chemical camouflage, defence, moisture regulation, and anti-microbial properties. We point out that resin usage appears to be constrained by environmental and physiological factors. Bee species-specific tolerances for resin toxicity and resin availability in the environment seem to determine resin choices and subsequently functional usage in nests. We finally highlight that resin may play a major role in determining the ambient nest microbiota, due to its strong antimicrobial properties. We conclude that a better mechanistic understanding of resin use in bee nesting biology can aid in assessing species range shifts in light of global change.

Chui, S. X., A. Keller, and S. Leonhardt (2021) ”Functional resin use in solitary bees”. Ecological Entomology in press
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13103

Tweets by CiyaTheFox

Recent Posts

  • Plants, pollinators and their interactions under global ecological change: The role of pollen DNA metabarcoding
  • Pollinator-flower interactions in gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020
  • Bumble bee workers face decreased efficiency of pollen collection and reduction in size due to Sulfoxaflor exposure in late European summer
  • Phylogenetic relatedness of food plants reveals highest insect herbivore specialisation at intermediate temperatures along a broad climatic gradient
  • Diets maintained in a changing world: Does land-use intensification alter wild bee communities by selecting for flexible generalists?

Categories

  • Bee-Plant-Interactions
  • Other Ecology Research
  • Other Microbiome Research
  • Plant Microbiomes
  • Pollinator Microbiomes
  • Tools
©2023 Cellular & Organismic Networks @ LMU Munich | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes.com