Comparison of flowering plant-bee linkages between two types of satoyama habitats in Kanazawa, Japan

The flowering plant-bee linkages were studied in satoyama, which is a socio-ecological production landscape managed by agriculture and forestry in rural Japan. The linkages were compared between three small valleys surrounded with forests and those in the grassland outside of forests that intermingled as a mosaic satoyama. Bees (Hymenoptera; Apiformes) that visited flowering plants were collected monthly from March to November 2012 using sweeping net in these habitats. The results showed no significant difference in parameters of diversity and linkages between the two habitats studied. On the other hand, the composition of flowering plant species, bee species and the linkages were distinctly different between the two habitats. Depending on the habitat conditions, dominant linkages were Potentilla centigrana - Andrena kaguya and Erigeron annuss  - Halictus aerarius in the small valleys and the grassland habitats, respectively. The difference in occurrence of introduced and native plants between habitats appeared to strongly affect the associated bee community and their linkages composition. This study demonstrates that the habitat mosaic with the heterogeneous flowering plant-bee linkages significantly contribute to the high biodiversity and productivity in satoyama.

 Keyword: satoyama, bees, flowering plants, introduce, native, linkages