Bee diversity and pollination services in dynamic heterogeneous landscapes

了解改变或增强生物多样性和生态系统功能的关键驱动因素对我们如何管理城市的保护、粮食安全以及人类健康和福祉具有深远影响。城市是独一无二的：它们是不同的景观和基础设施的拼接，随着时间的推移，在不同的空间尺度和强度上变化(称为“动态”异质性)。不幸的是，我们关于如何管理城市生物多样性和生态系统功能的知识主要是基于对农业和自然领域的研究。随着城市化改变全球环境，如果我们要确保城市对人类和野生动物的长期可持续性，在生物多样性和生态系统功能之间找到联系是至关重要的。我的研究计划的主要目标是开发预测工具，通过将城市中野生蜜蜂多样性、蜜蜂-花朵-微生物相互作用、授粉服务和食物生产的模式联系起来，解释城市化和异质性对生物多样性和生态系统功能的影响。蜜蜂在几乎所有陆地环境中都是重要的传粉者，传粉是维持开花植物的关键生态系统功能，包括许多可食用作物。我们将确定：i)在加拿大最大的城市中，存在哪些蜜蜂物种以及不同季节和年份的哪里，ii)哪些蜜蜂在为目标城市粮食作物和本地植物授粉方面最有效，iii)蜜蜂群落如何在城市中聚集(包括任何潜在的功能或系统发育模式)，以及iv)为快速城市化和气候变化时代的目标野生蜜蜂物种、群落和授粉服务开发预测性的城市分布模型。*由于生物多样性通常随着城市化而减少，但随着动态的异质性而增加，我们有兴趣通过一系列实验和对全市80个永久性绿地的调查，梳理出这些对野生蜜蜂多样性和授粉服务模式的影响，这些绿地涵盖了一系列环境条件。我们假设蜜蜂多样性将1)随着城市化而减少，但ii)随着动态异质性而增加，这将导致iii)蜜蜂-花卉-微生物网络中更大的连通性，iv)授粉服务的提供，以及v)作物产量。*该计划将启动相当于30多年的研究计划，将明确、可验证的蜜蜂多样性、授粉和城市农业之间的联系。该计划将为加拿大和世界各地城市的从业者提供恢复、增强和维持野生蜜蜂种群和授粉服务的机会。更广泛地说，该项目将成为展示生态学家和生态知识在解决城市今天和明天面临的问题方面的关键作用的催化剂。

Understanding key drivers that alter or enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions have profound impacts on how we manage cities for conservation, food security, and human health and well-being. Cities are unique: they are heterogeneous patchworks of landscape and infrastructure that change over time, at different spatial scales and intensities (termed ‘dynamic' heterogeneity). Unfortunately, our knowledge of how to manage biodiversity and ecosystem functions in cities is predominantly based on studies in agricultural and natural areas. As urbanization alters the global environment, finding links between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is critical if we are to ensure the long-term sustainability of cities for people and wildlife.******The primary objective of my research program is to develop predictive tools for interpreting impacts of urbanization and heterogeneity on biodiversity and ecosystem functions, by linking patterns in wild bee diversity, bee-flower-microbe interactions, pollination services, and food production in cities. Bees are essential pollinators in almost all terrestrial environments, and pollination is a critical ecosystem function that sustains flowering plants, including many edible crops. We will determine: i) which bee species are present and where, across seasons and years, in Canada's largest city, ii) which bees are most effective at pollinating target urban food crops and native plants, iii) how bee communities assemble (including any underlying functional or phylogenetic patterns) across a city, and, iv) develop predictive in-city distribution models for target wild bee species, communities, and pollination services in an era of rapid urbanization and climate change.******Since biodiversity generally declines with urbanization, but increases with dynamic heterogeneity, we are interested in teasing apart these effects on patterns in wild bee diversity and pollination services using a suite of experiments and surveying at 80 permanent green spaces across the city that encompass a range of environmental conditions. We hypothesize that bee diversity will i) decrease with urbanization, but ii) increase with dynamic heterogeneity, which will result in greater iii) connectance in bee-flower-microbe networks, iv) pollination service delivery, and v) crop yield.******The program will kick-off what will amount to a 30+ year research plan that will make clear, verifiable connections between bee diversity, pollination, and urban agriculture. The program will provide opportunities for practitioners in cities in Canada and around the world to restore, enhance and sustain wild bee populations and pollination services. More broadly, the program will be a catalyst in demonstrating the critical role of ecologists and ecological knowledge in solving the problems that cities face today and tomorrow.