Climate change is having adverse effects on many bee populations in the southwestern United States, but some bee species could increase in abundance, according to a groundbreaking scientific study led by Earlham professor Melanie Kazenel.
The study, titled Heat and desiccation tolerances predict bee abundance under climate change, was recently published in Nature, one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary science and technology journals.
“In recent years, scientists have been sounding the alarm that bees are threatened globally,” said Kazenel, a visiting assistant professor of quantitative plant ecology. “There has been a lot of work to explore the causes of bee declines, which include habitat loss, disease and pesticides used in agriculture. Climate change has been less studied than these other factors. That was where we felt like we had an opportunity to fill a knowledge gap.”
Kazenel and her collaborators found evidence that climate change is reshaping bee communities in the southwestern United States. Their work predicts that about half of the 340 species studied will decline while others with a higher tolerance for heat will be more resilient and, possibly, increase in abundance.
“Climate was a strong predictor of bee population dynamics in our study,” Kazenel said. “There’s long-term evidence that the climate is becoming hotter and drier over time in the southwestern U.S. Additionally, there’s evidence that the climate is becoming more variable from year-to-year.
“For example, a hot and dry year might follow a year that happens to be cooler and wetter,” she notes. “Our study shows how this change could have profound effects on bees and the plants they pollinate.”
“Even though this research was focused on the southwestern United States, climate change is affecting bees globally. Studying bees in New Mexico is relevant to thinking about how climate change can influence them everywhere.”
Melanie Kazenel
The research was conducted at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico as part of the National Science Foundation-funded Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Kazenel joined the research program in 2018 while completing her Ph.D. in biology at the University of New Mexico.
“Even though this research was focused on the southwestern United States, climate change is affecting bees globally,” Kazenel said. “Studying bees in New Mexico is relevant to thinking about how climate change can influence them everywhere.”
Kazenel is continuing her research on bees this summer with three Earlham students at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Colorado. For eight weeks they will study how bees and plant-pollinator interactions are responding to climate change. The experience is free for students through Earlham’s Summer Collaborative Research Program, Earlham endowed funds established to support biological research and other funding available through the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Colorado.
“One thing I love about teaching at Earlham is helping students explore their interests and encouraging them to pursue different career and academic possibilities,” Kazenel said. “In Colorado, my students will be part of a vibrant research community that attracts scientists from all across North America. I’m excited for them to both gain ecological research experience through our work and see science occurring in many disciplines.”
***
About Earlham College
Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.
Media contact
Brian Zimmerman
Director of media relations
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 765.983.1256