关键词: 独栖蜜蜂, 筑巢蜜蜂, 人工巢管, 植物多样性, 叶面积, 叶片干物质含量, 叶片钾含量, 亚热带森林, BEF-China, 传粉者保护

Abstract: Interactions between plants and pollinators are crucial for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Bees, especially wild and solitary bees, play a vital role in this process. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between multiple components of plant diversity and cavity-nesting bee diversity remain unclear, particularly in understudied subtropical forests. This study investigated how plant phylogenetic diversity (PD), functional diversity (FD), and specific leaf morphological-chemical traits influenced solitary bee diversity in a large-scale biodiversity experiment in subtropical China. We sampled solitary bees using trap nests across a tree diversity gradient. Results showed that plant leaf area (LA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) positively influenced bee species richness, while plant PD and FD had no significant effects. Our findings highlight the importance of specific plant traits over broad diversity metrics in supporting bee diversity and abundance, suggesting that conservation efforts should prioritize functionally diverse plant assemblages rather than maximizing species counts.

Key words: solitary bees, cavity-nesting bees, trap nests, plant diversity, leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf K content, subtropical forests, BEF-China, pollinator conservation