An eagerness for conspecifics: The distribution of nests of the sunflower leafcutting bee, Megachile pugnata (Megachilidae), when nesting cavities are in excess
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/jom.vi140.24208Abstract
Under unmanaged conditions, many ground-nesting bee species nest in large aggregations. Although cavity-nesters (xylophiles) will also nest in large aggregations when managed in agricultural settings, it is unclear if they do so instinctively or due to opportunity. Here we report that females of the xylophile Megachile pugnata Say preferentially aggregate their nests at three measured scales of cavity availability even when nesting cavities are in excess. We also find that they sometimes prefer to initiate nesting at the edges of nesting blocks but that they are generally unresponsive to the position of cavities in nest shelters: aggregations are evident irrespective of location. We propose that an important but previously unemphasized reason that aggregation behavior has been maintained by xylophiles and ground-nesting species, is the genetic benefits realized by having many unrelated mating partners available.
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