Estimating bee abundance: can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?

Wild bees can be essential pollinators in natural, agricultural, and urban systems, but populations of some species have declined. Efforts to assess the status of wild bees are hindered by uncertainty in common sampling methods, such as pan traps and aerial netting, which may or may not provide a va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Apidologie 2022-03, Vol.53 (1), Article 10
Main Authors: BRIGGS, Emma L., BARANSKI, Christopher, MÜNZER SCHAETZ, Olivia, GARRISON, Gabriela, COLLAZO, Jaime A., YOUNGSTEADT, Elsa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Bees
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Entomology
Life Sciences
Pollinators
Population decline
Population number
Population statistics
Population studies
Review Article
Sampling
Sampling methods
Species
Taxa
Urban agriculture
Urban populations
Vertebrates
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Summary:Wild bees can be essential pollinators in natural, agricultural, and urban systems, but populations of some species have declined. Efforts to assess the status of wild bees are hindered by uncertainty in common sampling methods, such as pan traps and aerial netting, which may or may not provide a valid index of abundance across species and habitats. Mark-recapture methods are a common and effective means of estimating population size, widely used in vertebrates but rarely applied to bees. Here we review existing mark-recapture studies of wild bees and present a new case study comparing mark-recapture population estimates to pan trap and net capture for four taxa in a wild bee community. Net, but not trap, capture was correlated with abundance estimates across sites and taxa. Logistical limitations ensure that mark-recapture studies will not fully replace other bee sampling methods, but they do provide a feasible way to monitor selected species and measure the performance of other sampling methods.
ISSN:0044-8435
1297-9678
DOI:10.1007/s13592-022-00919-4