For bees to reach isolated islands, they need to be able to cross large water barriers. However, functional traits such as nesting behavior, flight range, and body size can limit their dispersal. In this study, the bee faunas of seven different islands or island groups (Anholt, Canary Islands, Fiji Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Madeira, Malta, and Sri Lanka) were analyzed by comparing them to the mainland bee fauna. Nesting strategy and body size for each species were recorded. The relative distribution of traits among the island species were then compared to traits of the mainland species. We found that among islands located furthest from mainland, the proportion of wood nesting bees are higher than for those located closer to mainland, suggesting that wood nesting bees are more capable of island dispersal, most likely due to the associated rafting ability or the ease of being passively transported over water. The body size among the immigrated island species were shown to be commonly of moderate size, while a majority of mainland species were of small size, indicating that moderate sized bees—with longer flight range—were the more likely island migrators. The methods used could be useful for future studies of ecological influences on body size, as well as how other biological traits are adapted for migrant conditions, potentially serving as predictors in regards to climate change, dispersal ability, and control of invasive species.

中文翻译：

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岛蜂：木巢蜂是否有更好的岛屿扩散能力？

为了让蜜蜂到达孤立的岛屿，它们需要能够穿过大型水障碍。然而，筑巢行为、飞行范围和体型等功能特征会限制它们的传播。在这项研究中，通过将七个不同岛屿或岛屿群（安霍尔特、加那利群岛、斐济群岛、夏威夷群岛、马德拉、马耳他和斯里兰卡）的蜜蜂动物群与大陆蜜蜂动物群进行比较，对其进行了分析。记录每个物种的筑巢策略和体型。然后将岛屿物种之间性状的相对分布与大陆物种的性状进行比较。我们发现，在离大陆最远的岛屿中，木筑巢蜜蜂的比例高于离大陆较近的岛屿，这表明木筑巢蜜蜂更能分散岛屿，最有可能是由于相关的漂流能力或易于在水上被动运输。移民的岛屿物种的体型通常中等大小，而大多数大陆物种的体型较小，这表明中等大小的蜜蜂——飞行距离更长——更可能是岛屿迁徙者。所使用的方法可用于未来研究生态对体型的影响，以及其他生物特征如何适应迁徙条件，可能作为气候变化、传播能力和入侵物种控制的预测指标。表明中等大小的蜜蜂——飞行距离更长——是更有可能的岛屿迁徙者。所使用的方法可用于未来研究生态对体型的影响，以及其他生物特征如何适应迁徙条件，可能作为气候变化、传播能力和入侵物种控制的预测指标。表明中等大小的蜜蜂——飞行距离更长——是更有可能的岛屿迁徙者。所使用的方法可用于未来研究生态对体型的影响，以及其他生物特征如何适应迁徙条件，可能作为气候变化、传播能力和入侵物种控制的预测指标。