Impact of introduced honeybees, Apis mellifera, upon native bee communities in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands |
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Authors: | M Kato Akihiro Shibata Takaya Yasui Hidetoshi Nagamasu |
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Institution: | (1) Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606–8501, Japan Tel. +81-75-753-6849; Fax +81-75-753-2999 e-mail: kato@gaia.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp, JP;(2) Department of Natural Environment Sciences, Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, JP;(3) Kiyose, Ogasawara High School, Tokyo, Japan, JP;(4) Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto, Japan, JP |
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Abstract: | The Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands are oceanic islands located in the northwest Pacific, and have ten native (nine endemic) bee
species, all of which are nonsocial. The European honeybee (Apis mellifera), which was introduced to the islands for apiculture in the 1880s, became naturalized in a few islands shortly after introduction.
To detect the impact of the honeybees upon native bee diversity, we analyzed pollen harvest by honeybees and surveyed the
relative abundance of honeybees and native bees on flowers on several islands. Both hived and feral honeybee colonies were
active throughout the year, harvesting pollen of both native and alien flowers and from both entomophilous and anemophilous
flowers. Honeybees strongly depended on the alien plants, especially during winter to spring when native melittophilous flowers
were rare. From June to November, honeybees exhaustively utilized native flowers, which had originally been utilized and pollinated
by native bees. On Chichi and Haha Islands, where human disturbance of forests has been severe, both native and alien flowers
were dominated by honeybees, and native bees were rare or extinct even in well-conserved forests. In contrast, on Ani Island
and Haha's satellite islands where primary forests were well conserved and honeybees were still uncommon or absent, native
bees remained dominant. These results suggest that competition for nectar and pollen of the native flowers between honeybees
and native bees favors honeybees on the disturbed islands, which are thoroughly invaded by alien nectariferous, sometimes
aggressive, weedy plants.
Received: May 8, 1998 / Accepted: May 6, 1999 |
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Keywords: | Oceanic island Bee community Introduced honeybee Invasion Pollination Bonin Islands |
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