Bumble Bees “Crushed by Climate”
Many species of plants and animals seem to be moving north to escape climate change. But not bumble bees. Paul Galpern, assistant professor of Landscape Ecology and Informatics in the Faculty of Environmental Design, co-authored a study in the journal Science that shows that bumble bee species aren’t relocating — they’re vanishing in their southern ranges.
Galpern analyzed a database of about half a million georeferenced observations for 67 bumble bee species collected over 110 years. “It’s sad and worrisome,” he says. “Bumble bees are not moving north to compensate for the warm climate and they are also losing ground to the south. They are being crushed by climate. And we are losing this important pollination service that they’re providing.” U