Functional trait mismatch between native and introduced bee pollinators servicing a global fruit crop.
Olivia M BernauerMichael G BranstetterJames M CookSimon M TierneyPublished in: BMC ecology and evolution (2024)
Bee hairiness was the only functional trait to exhibit demonstrable phylogenetic signal. Despite differences in species richness, and functional and phylogenetic diversity between orchard landscape types, both maintained equal bee FE numbers. While no native bee taxon was analogous to the honey bee FE, four native bee FEs shared the same hairiness level as honey bees. Health threats to honey bee populations in Australia will likely disrupt pollination services to apple, and other pollination-dependent food crops, given the low level of functional redundancy within the investigated pollinator assemblages.