Refugia, biodiversity, and pollination roles of bumble bees in the Madrean Archipelago

Abstract

Eight species of bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) are present within five major Sky Island mountains of southern Arizona. Another four species exist in the nearby large mountainous region stretching from the Arizona White Mountains to Flagstaff. The distribution and number of bumble bee species within the individual Sky Island mountains varies from six in the Catalina and Chiricahua Mountains to only one in the Santa Rita Mountains. The overall distribution of species within the Sky Island region is consistent with the theory of island biogeography advanced by MacArthur and Wilson (1967) and indicates that bumble bee survival in these small fragile areas is tenuous. Based on their importance as pollinators and their susceptibility to extinction, bumble bees could be important keystone species for the ecology of the Sky Island region and a reflection of its health.

Parent Publication

• Connecting mountain islands and desert seas: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago II

Citation

Schmidt, Justin O.; Jacobson, Robert S. 2005. Refugia, biodiversity, and pollination roles of bumble bees in the Madrean Archipelago. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Edminster, Carleton B., comps. Connecting mountain islands and desert seas: biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago II. Proc. RMRS-P-36. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 127-130