2023-09-13 18:03:14
The authors used a “machine learning” method, close to artificial intelligence, to calculate the probability of observing 46 different species of bumblebees, depending on local environmental conditions. They ran more than 400,000 bumblebee occurrence data, dated and geographically referenced, into their model.
The results show that below the 55th parallel north, in recent decades, the richness of bumblebee species has decreased. In Central Europe, the continent has lost ecological suitability for this animal population. Belgium, Germany, Northern France and the Netherlands are among the countries immediately impacted by this decline. The authors also show that this is not going to get better in the future, far from it.
“Our analyzes highlight several results“, explains Simon Dellicour, one of the authors, FNRS qualified researcher at ULB and visiting professor at KU Leuven. “The first is that we confirm that there has indeed been a decline in bumblebee populations over the past century in Europe. The second is that we show that in the decades to come, the habitats and distribution of these species will continue to shrink. And finally, we also show that the criteria for evaluating the risk of extinction of species do not at all reflect the demographic trends that we have been able to project for bumblebee species..”
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#Rising #temperatures #bumblebee #feels #home #Europe
