Oregon State University
A blue orchard bee is on a flower. The more severe the fire, the greater percentage of females – more than 10% greater in the most badly burned areas, according to a university report.
Steve Lundeberg | Jan 15, 2021
Researchers at Oregon State University have found that the blue orchard bee, an important native pollinator, produces female offspring at higher rates in the aftermath of wildfire in forests.
The more severe the fire had been, the greater percentage of females – more than 10% greater in the most badly burned areas relative to areas that burned the least severely.
“This is one of the first studies that has looked at how forest fire severity influences bee demography,” said Jim Rivers, an animal ecologist with the OSU College of Forestry. “Sex ratio varied under different fire conditions but the number of young produced did not, which indicates bees altered the sex of their offspring depending on the degree o
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