PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ignasi Bartomeus
AU  - Daniel P. Cariveau
AU  - Tina Harrison
AU  - Rachael Winfree
TI  - Pollinator species traits do not predict either response to agricultural intensification or functional contribution
AID  - 10.1101/072132
DP  - 2016 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 072132
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/08/29/072132.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/08/29/072132.full
AB  - 1. The response and effect trait framework, if supported empirically, would provide for powerful and general predictions about how biodiversity loss will lead to loss in ecosystem function.2. This framework proposes that species traits will explain how different species respond to disturbance (i.e. response traits) as well as their contribution to ecosystem function (i.e. effect traits). However, predictive response and effect traits remain elusive for most systems.3. Here, we present detailed data on crop pollination services provided by native, wild bees to explore the role of six commonly used species traits in determining how crop pollination is affected by increasing agricultural intensification. Analyses were conducted in parallel for three crop systems (watermelon, cranberry, and blueberry) located within the same geographical region (mid-Atlantic USA).4. Bee species traits did not strongly predict species’ response to any agricultural intensification process, and the few traits that were weakly predictive were not consistent across crops. Similarly, no trait predicted species’ overall functional contribution in any of the three crop systems, although body size was a good predictor of per capita efficiency in two systems.5. Pollinator traits may be useful for understanding ecological processes in some systems, but thus far we are unable to make generalizable predictions regarding species responses to land-use change and its effect on the delivery of ecosystem services.