G. S. Potapov

Bumblebees (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in the forest-tundra and tundra of Northeast Europe

Ways of formation of the topical bumblebee complexes are considered on the basis of long-term research carried out in 2002–2009, in different regions of the Nenets Autonomous Area. The specific features of species distribution are analyzed, and the role of anthropogenic changes in the plant communities for the bumblebees is revealed. The complex of the dominant species in the forest-tundra and tundra zones of Northeast Europe is determined.

Mechanism of Density Compensation in Island Bumblebee Assemblages (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus) and the Notion of Reserve Compensatory Species

The notion of a dynamic compensatory system is discussed, characterized by the alternation of species occupying the leading position in bumblebee assemblages, while the total density of these pollinators in island ecosystems remains at similar levels. The functioning of the compensatory system is regulated by both abiotic factors (the weather and climate) and biotic factors (competition for trophic resources). The stability of the system is determined by the presence of reserve compensatory species capable of rapid population growth against the background of depressed abundance of other species under changing environmental conditions.

Zonal Distribution of Bumblebee Species (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in the North of European Russia

The bumblebee fauna of the North of European Russia includes 34 species. The trends in bumblebee diversity within the region are characterized. The species richness is the greatest in the middle taiga subzone and decreases from south to north, reaching its minimum in the Arctic tundra. Based on analysis of the zonal differentiation of bumblebee species, only four of them were found to be true arctic forms: Bombus (Alpinobombus) polaris, B. (Al.) balteatus, B. (Al.) hyperboreus, and B. (Pr.) lapponicus glacialis, whereas the rest belong to the temperate, boreal, and subboreal groups.

Fauna of bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus Latreille) in the mainland part of Arkhangelsk Region, NW Russia

Abstract The focus of this study is to present bumblebee fauna of Arkhangelsk Region (north-western Russia). This research is based on the museum collections and materials collected by the authors. Collecting localities and data of faunistic records are given in the species list. We include 34 species in the fauna of bumblebees of Arkhangelsk Region. The regional fauna is dominated by Transpalaearctic species. Bumblebee fauna in the study region has low specificity. The recent distribution of bumblebee species in the study region is a result of post-glacial immigration.

An integrative taxonomic approach confirms the valid status of Bombus glacialis , an endemic bumblebee species of the High Arctic

The evolutionary biogeography of the Arctic Ocean islands is a relatively little-known topic. The Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, a severe mountain land of glaciers, rocks, Arctic deserts and tundra, is among the most enigmatic places in the world because it was a closed area for more than half a century. Here, we report the results of an integrative study of Bombus glacialis Friese, 1902, which has been described from the archipelago. We found that this island lineage has a high level of mtDNA COI gene divergence and a unique nucleotide substitution in the nDNA EF-1α gene but is a sister taxon of B. lapponicus and B. sylvicola. A redescription of the species using Friese’s syntype and newly collected topotypes from Novaya Zemlya is presented. Our results confirm the species status of B. glacialis from Novaya Zemlya, although its relationships with morphologically similar lineages inhabiting other High Arctic areas (Kolguev Island, Kanin Peninsula and Wrangel Island) should be determined in the future. Overall, new findings highlight that the Arctic Ocean archipelagos could preserve cold-tolerant Quaternary relict lineages of invertebrates, which currently may be on the brink of extinction due to climate warming.

The Structure of Bumblebee Communities (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus spp.) in Some Ecosystems of Kunashir Island and Southern Sakhalin (Russian Far East)

The structure of bumblebee communities has been studied in some ecosystems of Kunashir Island and Southern Sakhalin. The island taxocenes include five to eight bumblebee species. Bombus hypnorum is dominant in the majority of habitats. In geothermal areas near hot springs on Kunashir, the families of this species develop more rapidly than in areas without geothermal heating.

Widespread continental mtDNA lineages prevail in the bumblebee fauna of Iceland

Abstract Origins of the fauna in Iceland is controversial, although the majority of modern research supports the postglacial colonization of this island by terrestrial invertebrates rather than their long-term survival in glacial refugia. In this study, we use three bumblebee species as a model to test the hypothesis regarding possible cryptic refugia in Iceland and to evaluate a putative origin of recently introduced taxa. Bombus jonellus is thought to be a possible native Icelandic lineage, whereas B. lucorum and B. hortorum were evidently introduced in the second half of the 20th century. These phylogeographic analyses reveal that the Icelandic Bombus jonellus shares two COI lineages, one of which also occurs in populations on the British Isles and in mainland Europe, but a second lineage (BJ-02) has not been recorded anywhere. These results indicate that this species may have colonized Iceland two times and that the lineage BJ-02 may reflect a more ancient Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene founder event (e.g., from the British Isles). The Icelandic populations of both Bombus lucorum and B. hortorum share the COI lineages that were recorded as widespread throughout Eurasia, from the European countries across Russia to China and Japan. The findings presented here highlight that the bumblebee fauna of Iceland comprises mainly widespread ubiquitous lineages that arrived via natural or human-mediated dispersal events from the British Isles or the mainland.