[Pollinator] blog in Scientific American on Hawaiian yellow-faced bees

[Sarina Jepsen]

Here is a Scientific American blog-article on Hawaiian yellow-faced bees:
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=seven-hawaiian-bees-risk-extinction-2009-03-31

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation 
last week petitioned the U.S. Department of the 
Interior to protect 
<http://www.xerces.org/hawaiian-yellow-faced-bees/>seven 
Hawaiian bee species under the Endangered Species 
Act. All seven species of these "yellow-faced 
bees" -- Hylaeus anthracinus, H. longiceps, H. 
assimulans, H. facilis, H. hilaris, H. kuakea and 
H. mana -- have seen tremendous declines since 
they were first observed just over a century ago. 
None exist outside the Hawaiian Islands.

The group is calling for "active management of 
natural areas" to protect these species in their 
native habitats to prevent them from disappearing

“Pollinators are keystone species in many 
ecosystems, but these Hawaiian yellow-faced bees 
are likely even more important since many 
<http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=hawaii--to-pay-farmers-to-grow-enda-2009-03-18>Hawaiian 
native plant species are not well adapted to 
pollination by non-native pollinators,” Sarina 
Jepsen, endangered species coordinator at the 
Xerces Society in Portland, Ore., said in a statement.

The petitions were based on 
<http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2984/1534-6188%282007%2961%5B173%3ACSOTEB%5D2.0.CO%3B2?cookieSet=1&journalCode=pasc>scientific 
surveys conducted by 
<http://nature.berkeley.edu/%7Emagnacca/>Karl 
Magnacca, a postdoctorate entomology researcher 
at the University of California, Berkeley. The 
research attempted to assess the population of 
the 60 known Hawaiian bee species. Magnacca's 
findings, published in the April 2007 issue of the journal Pacific Science:

•    Five of the 60 species still exist, but were 
not collected from one or more of the islands on 
which they were historically found
•    Seven were found to be restricted to endangered habitat
•    10 were considered to be very rare and potentially endangered
•    10 others could not be located and, 
according to Magnacca's paper "could be extinct"

According to the Xerces Society, threats facing 
these bees include habitat loss (especially 
coastal regions) caused by human development, 
wildfires, predation by invasive species (such as 
ants) and loss of native vegetation to invasive 
species. The bees "depend on an 
<http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bee-and-flower-diversity>intact 
community of native plants and are mostly absent 
from habitats dominated by non-native plant 
species," Xerces says in its petitions.

___________________________________________
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit organization that
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
habitat. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our
work, please visit <http://www.xerces.org/>www.xerces.org

Sarina Jepsen
Endangered Species Coordinator
4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd.  Portland, OR  97215
tel: 503-232-6639     fax: 503-233-6794
email: sarina at xerces.org
___________________________________________  
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