Foraging Biology of Neglected Bee Pollinators
1Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, CA 92093-0116, USA
2Earth and Biosphere Institute and Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
3Museo de Historia Natural, Departamento de Entomología, Avenue Arenales 1256, Apartado 14-0434, Lima, Peru
Foraging Biology of Neglected Bee Pollinators
Description
Recognition of the importance of native pollinating insects has grown with our understanding of their role in diverse ecosystems, many of which are imperiled. In addition, advances in our understanding of honey bee foraging biology have spurred general interest in other social insect pollinators in the bees and social wasps. This research has enhanced our understanding of the evolution of social insect foraging. It has also revealed how much there is to learn about the foraging biology of non-Apis social and communal pollinators such as vespid wasps, bumble bees, stingless bees, and, particularly, the halictine bees, andrenid bees, and social thrips.
We invite authors to submit original research articles as well as review articles that will contribute to our understanding of these relatively neglected social pollinators and stimulate discussion about how and why their different forms of social foraging have evolved. We are particularly interested in papers that will stretch the boundaries of the field by contributing to our understanding of foraging in nonmodel species.
Since its creation in 1874, Psyche has a distinguished history as the journal of the Cambridge Entomological Society and has a tradition of publishing on social pollinators. We believe that there is a body of high-quality international work that could benefit by appearing in a special Psyche issue devoted to neglected social pollinators.
Potential topics include, but not limited to:
- Foraging communication
- Agricultural role
- Importance in conservation
- Physiology of foraging
- Sensory biology of foraging
- Social regulation of foraging
- Organization and division of labor in foraging
- Learning and memory of foraging
- Phylogeny and evolution of foraging species
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/, according to the following timetable: