Bumblebee Behaviour during Ecological Twilight

The widespread use of artificial lighting at night in the environment, associated with human settlements and areas of agricultural and other activities, has increased since the last century, massively altering natural daily and seasonal patterns of light. Growing evidence shows that it affects many ecosystems, and more research is urgently needed to understand the impact of light pollution on animal behaviour and plant-animal interactions. The focus of this project is on bees, the most important and abundant group of pollinators. Bee flight, navigation and foraging behaviour is mainly guided by vision, but bees also rely on other sensory cues when deciding which flowers to visit. The behaviour, physiology and ecology of bees are very well understood, and advanced methods are available. We will determine how patterns of activity and bee-plant interactions vary under different lighting conditions, considering spatial and temporal dimensions of light from artificial sources and seasonal variations of daily light cycles. This research will help to predict how light pollution affects bees at colony and population level, and identify potential risks for pollination services at ecosystems level in hedge-dominated agricultural landscapes. The questions will be addressed using a combination of ecological, behavioural and modelling approaches. The project is supported by a team of expert supervisors from different research disciplines and the CASE partner, the South Devon AONB with expertise in landscape ecology and management. Observational and experimental data will be collected in the field, taking advantage of existing mappings of light pollution and dark skies in the AONB and support from local communities. The findings will inform current practices and policies in landscape and lighting management and support ongoing work in the South Devon B-Lines project led by the South-Devon AONB.