Trait Dataset for 3,000 European Wild Bee and Hoverfly Species.
Miličić M, Sentil A, Ačanski J, Bartholomée O, Benrezkallah J
Pollinators
Every flower in your garden that sets fruit or seed depends on pollinators whose populations are quietly collapsing—and now researchers finally have the data to figure out which types are disappearing fastest and why.
Wild bees and hoverflies are the unsung workers behind most flowering plants, but their numbers are dropping across Europe and scientists haven't had a single organized place to look up key facts about them—until now. A large team of researchers pulled together information on more than 3,000 species: where they nest, what they eat as babies, how big they are, how they behave, and where they live. With this shared database, conservationists can start grouping species by what they do ecologically rather than tracking each one individually, making it much easier to spot warning signs before more species disappear.
Key Findings
The dataset covers 3,052 species—2,139 wild bees and 913 hoverflies—making it the most comprehensive European pollinator trait database assembled to date.
Each species is characterized by up to 18 shared traits plus 13 bee-specific and 8 hoverfly-specific traits spanning nesting ecology, larval biology, adult morphology, behavior, and distribution.
The database enables a shift from costly species-by-species monitoring to functional-group tracking, providing a more practical framework for guiding targeted conservation strategies.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists compiled the first comprehensive trait database for over 3,000 wild bee and hoverfly species across Europe, covering nesting, diet, body size, behavior, and more. This resource enables researchers to track pollinator decline by monitoring functional groups rather than individual species—a far more practical conservation approach.
Abstract Preview
Wild bees and hoverflies are key pollinators, but their populations are declining in Europe. As the monitoring of each species would be arduous to implement, a cost-effective solution could be a sh...
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