Foraging Behavior of Three Dominant Bumble Bee Species in an Eastern Himalayan Meadow

Field survey data from 2018 and 2019 in an isolated eastern Himalayan meadow with 10 bumble bee species and over 55 flowering plants. Zhong-Ming Ye from Wuhan Botanical Garden measured the abundance of three dominant bumble bee species and recorded the identity and visitation frequency of flowering plants. The data was used to analyze niche overlap and shifts in foraging strategy in response to competition.

Use Cases

• Modeling niche overlap and competition intensity based on observed flower visitation frequencies.
• Analyzing shifts in foraging strategy (pollen vs. nectar) in response to competitive pressure.
• Studying the relationship between bumble bee proboscis length and visited flower depth.
• Investigating mechanisms of species coexistence in pollinator communities.

Strengths

• Data spans two consecutive years (2018 and 2019), allowing for temporal analysis.
• Surveys cover a community of 10 bumble bee species and more than 55 flowering plant species.
• Analysis includes a composite index of flower depth and niche overlap calculations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single, isolated meadow, which may limit geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Zhong-Ming Ye, Wuhan Botanical Garden

Collection Method

Field survey measuring bumble bee abundance and recording flower visitation.

Time Range

2018-2019

Geography

Isolated meadow in the eastern Himalayas