Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Why have endemic pollinators declined on the Ogasawara Islands?

  • Chapter
Restoring the Oceanic Island Ecosystem

Abstract

Flower visitors recently decreased in the Ogasawara Islands which are subtropical Pacific oceanic islands located 1,000 km south from Japan mainland. The aim of this study was to determine the main cause of this pollinator decline. We assumed four hypothesis, (i) honeybee competition hypothesis, (ii) forest decline hypothesis, (iii) agricultural insecticides hypothesis, and (iv) anole predation hypothesis. They were tested by distribution survey in the field, historical survey using literature, and predation experiment using mesh cages. As a result, the factors affecting the distribution among the islands and the timing of observed declines of native pollinators supported the anole predation hypothesis rather than other hypotheses. In addition, result of experimental predation test well explained the composition of flower visitors in the main islands (Chichi-jima and Haha-jima). So, we concluded that one invasive predator (the anole) has changed the pollination network in the Ogasawara Islands. To conserve the native pollination network, eradication of this invasive predator should take priority over the eradication of honeybees.

Reprinted from Abe T, Makino S, Okochi I (2008) Biodiversity and Conservation 17:1465–1473, with permission of Springer.

Received: 28 May 2007 / Accepted: 25 January 2008 / Published online: 27 February 2008 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abe T (2006a) Colonization of Nishino-shima Islands by plants and arthropods, 31 years after eruption. Pacific Sci 60:355–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abe T (2006b) Threatened pollination systems in native flora of the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands. Ann Bot 98:317–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchmann SL (1996) Competition between honey bees and native bees in the Sonoran Desert and global bee conservation issues. In: Matheson A, Buchmann SL, O'Toole C, Westrich P, Williams IH (eds) The conservation of bees. Academic Press, London, pp 125–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Butz Huryn VM (1997) Ecological impacts of introduced honey bees. Q Rev Biol 72:275–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole FR, Medeiros AC, Loope LL, Zuehlke WW (1992) Effects of the Argentine ant on arthropod fauna of Hawaiian high-elevation shrubland. Ecology 73:1313–1322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coote T, Loève E (2003) From 61 species to five: endemic tree snails of the Society Islands fall prey to an ill-judged biological control program. Oryx 37:91–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Courchamp F, Chapuis J-L, Pascal M (2003) Mammal invaders on islands: impact, control and control impact. Biol Rev 78:347–383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Croll DA, Maron JL, Estes JA, Danner EM, Byrd GV (2005) Introduced predators transform subarctic islands from grassland to tundra. Science 307:1959–1961

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daly HV, Magnacca KN (2003) Insects of Hawaii; a manual of the insects of the Hawaiian Islands Vol. 17 Hawaiian Hylaeus (Nesoprosopis) bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu

    Google Scholar 

  • Donovan BJ (1980) Interactions between native and introduced bees in New Zealand. NZ J Ecol 3:104–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Dukas R (2005) Bumble bee predators reduce pollinator density and plant fitness. Ecology 86:1401–1406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dukas R, Morse DH (2003) Crab spiders affect flower visitation by bees. Oikos 101:157–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritts TH, Rodda GH (1998) The role of introduced species in the degradation of island ecosystems: a case history of Guam. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 29:113–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funakoshi M (1990) Formation of Leucaena glauca forests in the Ogasawara Islands 4 introduction and spread. Ogasawara Kenkyu Nenpo 14:21–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Goubara M (2002) Native bee fauna of Ogasawara Islands and its conservation. In: Sugiura N, Ito F, Maeda Y (eds) Natural history of bees and ants. Hokkaido University Press, Sapporo, pp 229–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Goulson D (2003) Effects of introduced bees on native ecosystems. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 34:1–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hara M (1996) European honeybee and Japanese honeybee. Bunka Publisher Co Ltd, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasegawa M, Kusano T, Miyashita K (1988) Range expansion of Anolis c carolinensis on Chichi-jima, the Bonin Islands, Japan. Jpn J Herpetol 12:115–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasuo Y (1970) Land fauna. In: Tuyama T, Asami S (eds) The nature in the Bonin Islands. Hirokawa Publishing Co., Tokyo, pp 143–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Karube H, Suda S (2004) A preliminary report on influence of an introduced lizard, Anolis carolinensis on the native insect fauna of the Ogasawara Islands. Res Rep Kanagawa Pref Mus Nat Hist 12:21–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato M (1992) Endangered bee fauna and its floral hosts in the Ogasawara Islands. Jpn J Entomol 60:487–494

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato M, Shibata A, Yasui T, Nagamatsu H (1999) Impact of introduced honeybees, Apis mellifera, upon native bee communities in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. Res Popul Ecol 41:217–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawakami K, Fujita M (2004) Feral cat predation on seabirds on Hahajima, the Bonin Islands, southern Japan. Ornithol Sci 3:155–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearns CA, Inouye DW, Waser NM (1998) Endangered mutualisms: the conservation of plant-pollinator interactions. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 29:83–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurata Y (1983) Album of Ogasawara–from discovery to Preware Era. Aboc-sha Co., Ltd, Kamakura

    Google Scholar 

  • Mack MC, D'Antonio CM (2003) Exotic grasses alter controls over soil nitrogen dynamics in a Hawaiian woodland. Ecol Appl 13:154–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makihara H, Kitajima H, Goto H, Kato T, Makino S (2004) An evaluation of predation impact of the introduced lizard Anolis carolinensis on the endemic insect fauna of the Ogasawara Islands based on insect collection records and feeding experiments, with special reference to longicorn beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Bull For For Prod Res Inst 3:165–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Memmott J, Waser NM, Price MV (2004) Tolerance of pollination networks to species extinctions. Proc R Soc Lond B 271:2605–2611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miyano S (1998) Insects of Chichijima and Hahajima in Bonin Islands. Ogasawara Res 24:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyashita K (1980) Alien animals in Ogasawara Islands. Ogasawara Kenkyu Nenpo 4:47–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz AA, Arroyo MTK (2004) Negative impacts of a vertebrate predator on insect pollinator visitation and seed output in Chuquiraga oppositifolia, a high Andean shrub. Oecologia 138:66–73

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nabhan GP, Buchmann SL (1996) Pesticide disruption of interactions between rare plants and their pollinators: chemically induced habitat fragmentation in the United States – Mexico borderlands?. Comm Modern Biol B, Comm Toxicol 5:475–486

    Google Scholar 

  • Nogales M, Martín A, Tershy BR, Donlan CJ, Veitch D, Puerta N, Wood B, Alonso J (2004) A review of feral cat eradication on islands. Conserv Biol 18:310–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O'dowd DJ, Green PT, Lake PS (2003) Invasional ‘meltdown’ on an oceanic island. Ecol Let 6:812–817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohbayashi T, Inaba S, Suzuki H, Kato M (2003) List of insects in Ogasawara Islands, Japan (2002). Ogasawara Res 29:17–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Okochi I, Sato H, Ohbayashi T (2004) The cause of mollusk decline on the Ogasawara Islands. Biodivers Conserv 13:1465–1475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paini DR (2004) Impact of the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on native bees:A review. Aust Ecol 29:399–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paini DR, Robert JD (2005) Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) reduce the fecundity of an Australian native bee (Hylaeus alcyoneus). Biol Conserv 123:103–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rathcke BJ, Jules ES (1993) Habitat fragmentation and plant-pollinator interactions. Curr Sci 65:273–277

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards AJ (2001) Does low biodiversity resulting from modern agricultural practice affect crop pollination and yield?. Ann Bot 88:165–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roubik DW (1978) Competitive interactions between Neotropical pollinators and Africanized honey bees. Science 201:1030–1032

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roubik DW (1980) Foraging behavior of competing Africanized honeybees and stingless bees. Ecology 61:836–845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roubik DW, Wolda H (2001) Do competing honey bees matter? Dynamics and abundance of native bees before and after honey bee invasion. Popul Ecol 43:53–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sail J, Creighton L, Lehman A (2004) JMP start statistics, 3rd edn. SAS Institute, Cary

    Google Scholar 

  • Savidge JA (1987) Extinction of an island forest avifauna by an introduced snake. Ecology 68:660–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaffer WM, Zeh SW, Buchmann SL, Kleinhans S, Schafffer MV Antrim J (1983) Competition for nectar between introduced honey bees and native North American bees and ants. Ecology 64:564–577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seeley TD (1985) Honeybee ecology: a study of adaptation in social life. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu Y (1993) Vegetation of Mukojima Island Group in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands with reference to the ecology of Ardisia dominant forest and the influence of feral goats. Komazawa Geogr 29:9–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu Y (2003) The nature of Ogasawara and its conservation. Glob Environ Res 7:3–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T (1999) Effects of habitat isolation on pollinator communities and seed set. Oecologia 121:432–440

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T (2000) Resource overlap and possible competition between honey bees and wild bees in central Europe. Oecologia 122:288–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suttle KB (2003) Pollinators as mediators of top-down effects on plants. Ecol Let 6:688–694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takeuchi K (1989) Land use. In: Miyawaki A (ed) Vegetation of Japan X. Okinawa and Ogasawara Shibun-do, Tokyo, pp 95–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson JD, Plowright RC (1985) Matacil insecticide spraying, pollinator mortality, and plant fecundity in New Brunswick forests. Can J Bot 63:2056–2061

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toyoda T 2003 Flora of Bonin Islands, 2nd edn. Aboc-sha Co, Ltd, Kamakura

    Google Scholar 

  • Toyoshima H (1938) On the vegetation and the useful tropical plants in the Ogasawara Islands. Bull Imp For Exp Station 36:1–251

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenner AM, Thorp RW (1994) Removal of feral honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies from Santa Cruz Island. In: Halvorson WL, Maender GJ (eds) The fourth California Islands symposium. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, pp 513–522

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamashita N, Tanaka N, Hoshi Y, Kushima H, Kamo K (2003) Seed and seedling demography of invasive and native trees of subtropical Pacific islands. J Veg Sci 14:15–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yasumatsu K (1955) On the bee fauna of the Bonin Islands. Bull Biogeogr Soc Jpn 16–19:219–223

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by funding from Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research no. 15770018) and Ministry of the Environment (Global Environment Research Fund F-051). We also thank Takaya Yasui, Yuka Kato, Kat-suyuki Wada, Fumiko Shibazaki, and the Ogasawara National Forest Office for their support of our fieldwork.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan

    Tetsuto Abe, Shun'ichi Makino & Isamu Okochi

Authors
  1. Tetsuto Abe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shun'ichi Makino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Isamu Okochi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tetsuto Abe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan

    Kazuto Kawakami (Senior Researcher) & Isamu Okochi (Vice President) (Senior Researcher) &  (Vice President)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Abe, T., Makino, S., Okochi, I. (2010). Why have endemic pollinators declined on the Ogasawara Islands?. In: Kawakami, K., Okochi, I. (eds) Restoring the Oceanic Island Ecosystem. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53859-2_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation