| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4376401 | Ecological Modelling | 2012 | 5 Pages |
Native bees are important providers of pollination services, but there are cumulative evidences of their decline. Global changes such as habitat losses, invasions of exotic species and climate change have been suggested as the main causes of the decline of pollinators. In this study, the influence of climate change on the distribution of 10 species of Brazilian bees was estimated with species distribution modelling. We used Maxent algorithm (maximum entropy) and two different scenarios, an optimistic and a pessimistic, to the years 2050 and 2080. We also evaluated the percentage reduction of species habitat based on the future scenarios of climate change through Geographic Information System (GIS). Results showed that the total area of suitable habitats decreased for all species but one under the different future scenarios. The greatest reductions in habitat area were found for Melipona bicolor bicolor and Melipona scutellaris, which occur predominantly in areas related originally to Atlantic Moist Forest. The species analysed have been reported to be pollinators of some regional crops and the consequence of their decrease for these crops needs further clarification.
► We modelled the potential distribution of 10 Brazilian bee species. ► We projected the distribution onto two future scenarios of climate change. ► The areas of most species exhibit reduced climatic suitability in the future. ► The bee species are important pollinators of some local agriculture crops. ► The impact of the reduction in the habitat suitability must be evaluated.
