91ŃÇÉ« research shows species is critically endangered

TORONTO, April 18, 2019 – The – a species once more commonly seen buzzing around Southern Ontario – is critically endangered, according to a new study led by 91ŃÇÉ«.

The finding, published in , found the native North American species, Bombus pensylvanicus, is facing imminent extinction from Canada, considered the highest and most at-risk classification before extinction. Many bumblebee species are rapidly declining across North America, but are important pollinators needed to grow Canada’s crops including apples, tomatoes, blueberries and legumes, as well as countless types of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.

The researchers assessed the extinction risk of the American Bumblebee, ranking the risk much higher than a federal advisory committee’s most recent assessment which classifies the species’ extinction risk at special concern.

“This species is at risk of extinction and it's currently not protected in any way despite the drastic decline,” said Assistant Professor , an expert in bees and endangered species in the Faculty of Environmental Studies.

“Now that we have assessed the extent of the decline and located where the remaining populations are, we can look more closely at threats and habitat requirements to design an effective conservation management plan so that this species does not disappear from Canada forever,” said Colla, who co-authored and helped design the study.

Colla has been studying bumblebees in Southern Ontario since the mid-2000s. This study relies on the annual data that she and her fellow researchers have collected.

The study’s research team – led by Victoria MacPhail, Colla’s doctoral student, and including a scientist from the University of Vermont – used data from three sources. They analyzed Southern Ontario data from the citizen science program, , a collaboration of volunteers who submit bumblebee photos through a website or phone app for experts to identify. The researchers used the Bumble Bees of North America database to obtain records of bumblebee species in Ontario and Quebec dating back to the late-1800s. They also used their own field survey work which allowed them to evaluate the status of the species within its Canadian range, using the globally-recognized International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment criteria.

The researchers found that the American Bumblebee’s area of occurrence has decreased by about 70 percent and its relative abundance fell by 89 percent from 2007-2016 compared to 1907-2006.

“This bumblebee species now has a reduced overall range,” explained MacPhail. “It used to stretch from Windsor to Toronto, and all the way to Ottawa and into the Quebec area, but it is now only found in some core areas and has experienced a 37 percent decrease in overall range.”

“It’s now a rare sighting in Toronto,” said MacPhail. “In terms of relative abundance, compared to other bees, you’d have to catch 1,000 bumblebees to find four of this species, and that compares to finding 37 bees in the past. You could walk out the door and win the lottery and find it, or you could be searching for years and not find any.”

This study echoes Colla’s previous findings with the critically endangered Rusty-patched Bumblebee, once found in Southern Ontario. The species has not been seen in Canada for about ten years and drastically declined towards extinction without receiving protection or conservation management.

“The American bumblebee is still found in areas throughout its Canadian range and immediate action may save it from the same fate as the Rusty-patched Bumblebee,” said Colla.

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452, vthomps@yorku.ca

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TORONTO, January 31, 2017 – Dogs can be trained to find almost anything (people, drugs, weapons, poached ivory) but one 91ŃÇÉ« researcher had them detect something a little unusual – the scat of endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizards. The scat detection dogs helped biology PhD student Alex Filazzola discover not only scat, but the importance of shrubs in preserving lizard populations in the face of climate change.

“The loss of these lizards would likely have a cascade effect on other species,” said Filazzola, the study lead.

The research team geotagged 700 Ephedra californica shrubs in a 32.3-hectare area of the Panoche Hills Management Area in San Joaquin Valley, California. They then took two scat detection dogs from on the hunt for lizard scat in 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, there was a drought during which time lizard scat was found more frequently under shrubs, especially those with dense canopy cover, than out in the open. The shrubs proved instrumental in providing critical micro-environments for the blunt-nosed leopard lizards, in particular, shady places to regulate their body temperature in extreme heat, as well as refuge from predators. The lizards use rodent burrows, most often found under shrubs, to escape predators.

“As the climate warms and lizards find it more difficult to regulate their body temperatures in the heat, these findings could help preserve them not only in California, but globally,” said Filazzola of 91ŃÇÉ« U’s Faculty of Science. “It demonstrates how much animals rely on plants for survival that goes beyond that of simply eating them. Positive plant-animal interactions could further support animal populations that are already threatened.”

The research, "," was publish in the journal Basic and Applied Ecology.

Alex Filazzola of 91ŃÇÉ«'s Faculty of Science explains his research on lizards and climate change

Once abundant in the San Joaquin Valley, agriculture and industrialization has reduced the lizards’ range by close to 85 per cent. Predictions of increased drought in the area put the lizards at a high risk of being wiped out. The study also pointed out that management techniques used over the past 50 years have done little to change the endangered status of the lizards.

“Planting shrubs, such as the Ephedra californica, could prove critical in managing and preserving endangered species in high-stress or arid ecosystems, such as a desert,” said Filazzola. “Continuing to remove these shrubs to install solar panels, however, further endangers this species.”

In addition, the study found that invasive grasses in the desert were not beneficial. They interfered with the lizards’ ability to move around and limited available habitat by reducing the variety of rodent species which create burrows. The invasive grasses also competed for space with shrubs and caused diminished shrub growth. Managing invasive plant species is therefore crucial in these ecosystems.

The research was funded by the Central Coast Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and 91ŃÇÉ«.

is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. 91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca

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