Spatial scale matters for biotic interactions in SDMs
Non-parasitic wild bees are central-place foragers that repeatedly
return to their nest (Cresswell et al. 2000). Consequently, foraging
habits are limited in range. Oligolectic bees nest close to their pollen
plants (Gathmann & Tscharntke 2002) and the majority of resource
consumption by smaller bees is within a few hundred meters of their
nests (Zurbuchen et al. 2010; Hofmann et al. 2020) with larger average
foraging ranges for larger-bodied bees, over 1 km (Greenleaf et al.
2007). Obligate cleptoparasitic bees lay their eggs on the pollen
deposits of other bees (Litman 2019). They may search freely over large
distances and are less limited in range, as they don’t have to return to
their nest to collect nectar and pollen for their offspring (Litman
2019). Nevertheless, they can often be found close to the nests of their
hosts, waiting for the host bee to leave and forage (Litman 2019). Our
results support the recorded foraging distances and that parasites are
found in proximity to their hosts, showing an optimal resolution of the
interacting species as explanatory variable at 500 m for the
cleptoparasitic bees and 500 m -1 km for the oligolectic and polylectic
bees). In general, the relation between the spatial resolution of the
analysis and the movement of the species is most likely dependent on the
type of biotic interaction.