In plant poor regions honey bees out-compete local pollinators, which play vital specialist role
in plant pollination
New research indicates that introduced ‘alien’ honey bees are competing for rare resources with native bees and threatening the survival of plants that rely on interactions with specific pollinators.
The study, published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, was led by Dr. Olivia Norfolk of Anglia Ruskin University, who carried out the work alongside academics from the University of Nottingham.
The scientists monitored the interactions between plants and their pollinators in the mountainous region of St. Katherine Protectorate in South Sinai, Egypt. The region supports many range-restricted endemic plants and pollinators whose future may be jeopardized by the recent introduction of non-native honey bees.
The mountains are characterized by the presence of Bedouin orchard gardens, which act as hotspots for biodiversity, providing valuable habitat for wild plants, pollinators and migratory birds. These gardens form the basis of ….
