Ulgezen Zeynep N, van Dooremalen Coby, van Langevelde Frank
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences Wageningen University & Research Wageningen the Netherlands.
Wageningen Plant Research Wageningen University & Research Wageningen the Netherlands.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Aug 27;15(9):e72066. doi: 10.1002/ece3.72066. eCollection 2025 Sep.
The timing of seasonal life cycle events in many organisms is regulated by environmental cues, and understanding these relationships is essential for predicting species' responses to climate change. In honeybee colonies, brood rearing must align with floral resource availability to ensure colony growth and survival. However, the cues that initiate brood rearing remain unclear. While temperature is hypothesized to be influential, the role of photoperiod is not well understood. We used field experiment data in 2021 and 2022 from 95 colonies across eight European countries to examine how temperature and photoperiod interact to regulate the initiation of brood rearing in early spring. We found that both cues are important: longer day lengths and higher temperatures were associated with a higher probability of brood rearing, with temperature having a stronger effect under shorter day lengths and diminishing as day length increased. Notably, the strong positive effect of photoperiod suggests it may play a more prominent role than previously recognized. This interaction underscores the complexity of phenological regulation in honeybees. As global temperatures rise and seasonal patterns shift, colonies may struggle to synchronize brood rearing with floral resources. Our findings suggest that incorporating multiple environmental cues and species-specific sensitivities may improve predictions of climate-driven shifts in plant-pollinator interactions.
许多生物体季节性生命周期事件的时间是由环境线索调节的，理解这些关系对于预测物种对气候变化的反应至关重要。在蜜蜂群体中，育雏必须与花卉资源的可获得性相匹配，以确保群体的生长和生存。然而，启动育雏的线索仍不明确。虽然温度被认为有影响，但光周期的作用尚未得到很好的理解。我们利用2021年和2022年来自八个欧洲国家95个蜂群的田间实验数据，研究温度和光周期如何相互作用来调节早春育雏的启动。我们发现这两个线索都很重要：较长的日照长度和较高的温度与育雏的较高概率相关，在较短日照长度下温度的影响更强，并且随着日照长度的增加而减弱。值得注意的是，光周期的强烈正效应表明它可能比以前认识到的发挥更突出的作用。这种相互作用强调了蜜蜂物候调节的复杂性。随着全球气温上升和季节模式的转变，蜂群可能难以使育雏与花卉资源同步。我们的研究结果表明，纳入多种环境线索和物种特异性敏感性可能会改善对气候驱动的植物-传粉者相互作用变化的预测。
