How climate change will affect the development of bees

According to a study published Wednesday in the journal

, the change in temperature observed in the Rocky Mountain region of North America directly affected the behavior of bees.

To reach these conclusions, the researchers studied the evolution of more than 20,000 bees for eight years, reports

.

A total of 154 bee species were observed.

During the study, global warming led to a decrease in bumblebees and large bees such as honey bees and mason bees or even "leaf cutters", which left to seek fresh air at higher altitudes.

Conversely, smaller, ground-nesting bees are increasingly numerous.

#ClimateChange could see more small-bodied bees but fewer bumblebees, says new research in @RSocPublishing #ProcB, warning of 'cascading effects' across ecosystems as pollinators struggle with our warming climate: https://t.co/Yrizmr9NVF

— The Royal Society (@royalsociety) April 21, 2022

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Bad news for the environment

According to the results of the study, this situation could prove harmful for the environment since pollination and the functioning of ecosystems are directly impacted.

Researchers now fear a "cascading effect" due to the decrease in the number of large bees and therefore pollination over long distances, the latter tending to fly further to feed.

In addition, 75% of the world's 115 major food crops depend on animal pollination carried out mostly by insects.

However, according to our colleagues, the total mass of insects decreases by 2.5% each year and a third of the species could have disappeared by the end of this century.

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