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以实现保护、粮食安全以及人类健康和福祉具有深远的影响。城市是独特的：它们是景观和基础设施的异质拼凑物，随着时间的推移，在不同的空间尺度和强度下发生变化（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，就必须找到生物多样性和生态系统功能之间的联系。******我的研究项目的主要目标是开发预测工具，通过将野生蜜蜂多样性、蜜蜂-花朵-微生物相互作用、授粉服务和城市食物生产的模式联系起来，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。在几乎所有的陆地环境中，蜜蜂都是必不可少的传粉者，授粉是维持开花植物（包括许多可食用作物）生存的关键生态系统功能。我们将确定：i)在加拿大最大的城市中，在不同季节和年份，哪种蜜蜂在城市粮食作物和本地植物授粉方面最有效；ii)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）；iv)在快速城市化和气候变化的时代，为目标野生蜜蜂物种、群落和授粉服务开发预测性城市分布模型。******由于生物多样性通常随着城市化而下降，但随着动态异质性而增加，我们对这些对野生蜜蜂多样性和授粉服务模式的影响感兴趣，我们使用一系列实验和调查了城市中80个包含一系列环境条件的永久性绿地。我们假设蜜蜂多样性将i)随着城市化而减少，但ii)随着动态异质性而增加，这将导致更大的iii)蜜蜂-花朵-微生物网络的连通性，iv)授粉服务交付，v)作物产量。******该项目将启动一项长达30多年的研究计划，该计划将明确、可验证蜜蜂多样性、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机会，以恢复，增强和维持野生蜜蜂种群和授粉服务。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当前和未来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.