Changes in wing length in the pollinator Bombus dahlbomii occurring with the fragmentation of the Maulino forest, Chile Cambios en el largo alar del polinizador Bombus dahlbomii, con la fragmentación del bosque Maulino, Chile

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation can affect the morphological design of flying insects in different ways through changes in the costs and benefits of dispersal patterns. Larger wings should be favored if necessary resources are scattered across a fragmented landscape. The purpose of this research is to test this prediction in Bombus dahlbomii (Guérin), a native Chilean pollinator associated with the fragmented Maulino forest. We used hanging traps to collect individuals in the continuous native forest, in four small forest remnants and in two Pinus radiata plantations (matrix). We measured the body size (mm) and the length of the first and the second pairs of wings (mm) of each individual collected. In all, 280 individuals were captured. The body size and the length of both the first and the second pairs of wings were higher in the forest fragments and the matrix than in the continuous forest. A significant positive relationship between wing length and body size was observed for all habitats, but