Mass loss of species among wild bees observed

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Austria is an important hotspot for wild bee species in Europe. More than 700 proven species can be found in the Alpine Republic. But researchers are concerned. They note a huge loss of species – even in a nature reserve: In the Sandberge Oberweiden area in eastern Marchfeld (Gänserndorf district, Lower Austria), which has been under protection since 1961, the number of wild bee species has halved in recent years. past 100 years.

The Sandberge Oberweiden are located in the middle of an intensively used landscape with its special flora and fauna. Due to the sandy soil and steppe character, the area is home to an exceptionally large number of specialized, rare species.

In their work, scientists from the Vienna Natural History Museum (NHM) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna have documented the wild bee community in this habitat and compared it with historical records spanning more than 100 years.

It shows that the area’s biodiversity has halved over the past 100 years: 164 of the 289 species have not been found in the area for more than 50 years, and many species were already rare.

Bees lack structures to build nests
According to the scientists, the study results indicate that changes in landscape use, such as the construction of windbreaks, forms of cultivation or over-fertilization, have caused the disappearance of structures that ground-nesting wild bee species need to build their nests.

Instead of bare ground surfaces, there are now more woody structures and densely growing grasses. This has also led to lower flower supply, depriving the wild bees of their food base.

Source: Krone

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