Bombus hyperboreusis a species ofArcticbumblebeewith acircumpolar distribution.The species is primarily found in the arctic areas ofGreenland,northernScandinavia,andRussia.[2]In 2015 the nearctic species,Bombus natvigi,was separated from this species, based on genetic analysis. Accordingly,Bombus hyperboreusis limited to the Palaearctic, despite older literature listing this species as occurring in the Nearctic.[1]
| Bombus hyperboreus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Bombus |
| Subgenus: | Alpinobombus |
| Species: | B. hyperboreus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bombus hyperboreus Schönherr,1809
| |
It is abrood parasite,and attacks and enslaves other bumblebee colonies in order to reproduce as they do not even have the ability to produce workers themselves. Most of its targets are colonies of species of the same subgenus,Alpinobombus.[3]
Taxonomy and phylogeny
editBombus hyperboreuswas originally namedB. arcticusin 1802. Zoologist Carl Schönherr independently named the species asB. hyperboreusin 1809. It was not until 1950 thatB. hyperboreuswas used commonly to identify the species, when it was recognized that the namearcticushad been widely misapplied for a different species named in 1824. Petitions were needed to change the name toB. hyperboreusofficially, to eliminate confusion with this other species, presently classified asBombus polaris.[4][5]
Bombus hyperboreusis part of the genusBombus,which is composed of all of the bumblebee species. It also falls under the subgenusAlpinobombusand is most closely related toBombus neoboreus.[5]
Bombus natvigihas been recently separated fromBombus hyperboreusbased on genetic analysis.Bombus hyperboreusis palaearctic, whileBombus natvigiis nearctic.[6]
Description
editDue to its parasitic lifestyle,workersare rarely present.Queensanddronesare similar, with thethoraxand anterior part of theabdomenbrownish-orange. The thorax has a black transversal band, while the last abdominal segments are black.[7]Because the environment the species inhabits is cold and windy, it is suggested that their black bands act as a method to increase their body temperature through solar radiation, and their long, dense hair coat minimizes insulation loss. The mean length of the queen is relatively large at 18.4 millimetres (0.72 in) and is presumed to allow the species to counter the strong effects of the windy and cold environment.[8]
Distribution and habitat
editMembers of the subgenusAlpinobombus,includingB. hyperboreus,live in grasslands and shrub land in high Arctic and alpine areas, otherwise known as theArctic tundra.They are distributed in the Arctic, Palearctic, and western Nearctic regions.[5]The distribution of the species in terms of altitude varies depending on the season. During the summer,B. hyperboreusmakes use of the entire altitudinal range (350–1,500 metres (1,150–4,920 ft)). However, they tend to inhabit and forage at basal altitudes in the spring and higher altitudes towards the end of the summer and beginning of autumn.[8]
Diet
editBombus hyperboreushave a varied diet and mostly forage on medium to deep flowers.[5]Some species that have been observed pollinating are of the genusPedicularis,specificallyPedicularis hirsutaandPedicularis lapponica.[9]But they are not limited to just those species. Near Lake Latnjajaure of northern Sweden,Bombus hyperboreushave been observed collecting pollen and nectar ofSaxifraga oppositifoliaand then switching to forage onAstragalus alpinusandBartsia alpinaonce those come into flower.[10]The flowers they forage on also vary depending on the season and altitude of their habitation. In Mt. Njulla of northern Sweden, for example, in the beginning of the summer,Rhododendron lapponicumandSalixspecies dominate their diet, but as the season goes on, their diet changes to consumption ofVacciniumspecies mid-summer and, finally, to consumption ofAstragalus alpinusandSolidago virgaureatowards the beginning of August.[8]
Colony cycle
editIn the early spring, mated queens emerge from the frozen ground in the tundra and seek out a growing colony of a different bee species.[11]Bombus hyperboreusobtains a colony by killing the queen of host species and enslaving her workers.[3][11]The queen produces solely queens and drones. Because queens do not produce workers of their own, they rely on the captured workers to care for them.[11]The number of queens and drones the species produces is far greater than any of the other alpine and non-alpine species of the Arctic region and are most commonly seen from early spring to the end of August, in tandem with the species that it usurps.[8]
Nesting
editNests are mainly found covered by foliage, such as moist, mossy shrub, lichens, twigs, withered leaves ofSalix glaucaand dry leaves ofPyrola grandiflora.The entrance to the nest is also usually well camouflaged. Sometimes, waxy coverings are used to support additional foliage above the nest. Inside the nest, many cocoons carry male and queen larvae, with most of the vacated ones containing honey, and a few containing pollen. The nests have a tremendous amount of honey (15 millilitres (0.53 imp fl oz; 0.51 US fl oz)), considering that a majority of the hive is composed of sexual beings, queens and drones, and few workers. The temperatures of the nests are closely regulated and maintained at a range of 25–35 °C (77–95 °F).[12]
Bees of the genusBombusorganize their cocoons in a certain manner. New cocoons are placed slightly to the side of other cocoons so that the emerging adults do not disturb the rest of the cells. After the emergence of the adults, the cocoons are used to store honey or pollen.[13]
Behavior
editParasitic behavior
editBombus hyperboreus,a cuckoo bumblebee,[14]is known to be asocial parasiteamong the bumblebee family, mostly attacking and enslaving colonies of species of the same subgenus. Though it mostly usurpsBombus polaris,there have been evidence ofB. hyperboreususurpingBombus balteatusandBombus jonellusas well. Most parasitic bumblebees depend on social bumblebees because they do not have pollen baskets and cannot produce their own wax. However,B. hyperboreusis different: although it is parasitic, it has pollen baskets and collects pollen.[3]
To begin usurpation, an impregnated queen emerges in the spring some time after aB. polarisqueen, and searches to invade her nest. After invading her colony, theB. polarisqueen is killed and her workers are enslaved. TheB. hyperboreusqueen lays her first batch of eggs, which emerge as queens and drones, and are fed and reared by the enslaved workers.[14]B. hyperboreusevolved traits of social parasitism because it inhabits harsh cold environments and must produce small colonies during short periods when conditions are favorable. These very short periods of time, favorable for founding and reproduction, pushB. hyperboreusto invade and enslave other colonies, thereby reducing the time it would take to start a colony on their own.[15]
Queen behavior
editDepending on its habitat,B. hyperboreusqueens will exhibit different behavior and will produce different types of offspring. Alpine and Arctic habitats have short growing seasons (2 to 3 months), which pushes the species to produce more sexual individuals (queens and males) instead of workers. Additionally, queens found in Scandinavia have been found to actively collect nectar and pollen while those found in Arctic Canada have not been found to do so. The queens also invade and usurp other colonies once they emerge, and rely on the workers to help rear new queens and drones.[3]
Mating behavior
editTo mate, males, otherwise known as drones, patrol circuits of scent marks to find queens.[5]B. hyperboreushave been found to have certain compounds that mark theirpheromones.These includeoctadecenol,2,3-dihydro-6-transfarnesol,citronellol,and geranylcitronellol.[16]
Risk of predation
editThere is not much information on the predators that threatenB. hyperboreus.The few predators they have include:
Competition
editB. hyperboreuscompete with many other species of the same subgenus for resources and habitats. The alpine species, species that mostly occupy high altitudes, that it competes with includeB. alpinus,andB. polaris.The non-alpine species it competes with includeBombus pratorum,B. jonellus,B. pascuorum,B. lucorum,B. lapponicusandB. balteatus.Yet, it mostly encounters alpine species because they usually share the same altitude at different times of the season and thus compete for the same resources at the same time.[8]
Importance to humans
editBumblebees play a vital role in propagation of certain flower species as well as production of crops for human consumption. However, due to pesticide use, urban development, and climate change, bumblebee species are being threatened. With rising temperatures and longer periods of drought,Bombus hyperboreusare experiencing loss of habitat and are declining in numbers, placing them as "Vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.[19]
References
edit- ^ab[1].The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [i]Bombus natvigi[/i]
- ^Discover Life."Discover Life map of Bombus hyperboreus".Retrieved19 February2009.
- ^abcdGjershaug, Jan Ove (5 June 2009)."The social parasite bumblebee Bombus hyperboreus Schönherr, 1809 usurp nest of Bombus balteatus Dahlbom, 1832 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Norway"(PDF).Norwegian Journal of Entomology.56(1): 28–31.Retrieved26 September2015.
- ^Williams, Paul & Cannings, Syd & Sheffield, Cory. (2016). Cryptic subarctic diversity: a new bumblebee species from the Yukon and Alaska (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Journal of Natural History. 50. 10.1080/00222933.2016.1214294
- ^abcde"Alpinobombus".Natural History Museum.Retrieved26 September2015.
- ^Home Page The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Bombus natvigi.2016
- ^Bumblebee.org."Bumblebees found in North America".Retrieved19 February2009.
- ^abcdeLundberg, Hans; Ranta, Esa (November 1980). "Habitat and Food Utilization in a Subarctic Bumblebee Community".Oikos.35(3): 303–310.doi:10.2307/3544644.JSTOR3544644.
- ^Eriksen, Bente; Molau, Ulf; Harlin, Mikael (June 2006). "Reproductive strategies in two arctic Pedicularis species (Scrophulariacea)".Ecography.16(2): 154–166.doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1993.tb00067.x.JSTOR3683011.
- ^Taylor, K.; Rumsey, F. J. (October 2003)."Bartsia alpina L."Journal of Ecology.91(5): 335–344.doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.2003.00809.x.S2CID83587553.
- ^abc"The Usurper, Bombus hyperboreus".Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Pape, Thomas (1983)."Observations on nests of Bombus polaris curtis usurped by B. hyperboreus Schoenherr in Greenland (Hymenoptera: Apidae)".Entomologiske Meddelelser.Retrieved26 September2015.
- ^Michener, Charles Duncan (1 January 1974).The Social Behavior of the Bees: A Comparative Study.Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 321.
- ^abPielou, E. C. (31 July 2012).A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic.University of Chicago Press.
- ^Hines, H. M.; Cameron, S. A. (11 December 2009)."The phylogenetic position of the bumble bee inquiline Bombus inexspectatus and implications for the evolution of social parasitism"(PDF).Insectes Sociaux.57(4): 379–383.doi:10.1007/s00040-010-0094-1.S2CID5572321.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^SVENSSON, Bo. G; BERGSTROM, Gunnar (1979). "MARKING PHEROMONES OF Alpinobornbus MALES".Journal of Chemical Ecology.5(4): 603–615.doi:10.1007/bf00987845.S2CID20759942.
- ^Reid, Donald G.; Krebs, Charles J.; Kenney, Alice J. (February 1997). "Patterns of Predation on Noncyclic Lemmings".Ecological Monographs.67(1): 89–108.doi:10.1890/0012-9615(1997)067[0089:POPONL]2.0.CO;2.
- ^Chernov, Yu I. (29 April 1988).The Living Tundra.Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. p. 162.ISBN978-0521357548.
- ^ab"Bad news for Europe's bumblebees".IUCN.2014-04-02.Retrieved27 September2015.
External links
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