Shifts in honeybee foraging reveal historical changes in floral resources

Laura Jones et al. compare honey samples across the UK from 2017 to a nationwide survey of honey samples from 1952 in order to determine how nectar and pollen sources have changed over time. They find that shifts in major plants foraged by honeybees are driven by changes in the availability of these...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Laura Jones, Georgina L. Brennan, Abigail Lowe, Simon Creer, Col R. Ford, Natasha de Vere
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-01-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01562-4
Description
Summary:Laura Jones et al. compare honey samples across the UK from 2017 to a nationwide survey of honey samples from 1952 in order to determine how nectar and pollen sources have changed over time. They find that shifts in major plants foraged by honeybees are driven by changes in the availability of these plants within the landscape, and focus on improved grasslands as the most widespread habitat type and a potential target for management efforts to increase floral resource availability.
ISSN:2399-3642