Data from: Thermal tolerance in the cellophane bee Colletes inaequalis reflects early spring adaptation and is independent of body size and sex
Data files
Sep 02, 2025 version files 11.60 MB
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ColletesChill.csv
5.04 KB
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ColletesClimate.csv
170.31 KB
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ColletesCondition.csv
14.98 KB
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ColletesOperative.csv
11.39 MB
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ColletesSurvival.csv
5.16 KB
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ColletesThermal.csv
14.16 KB
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README_for_ColletesChill.txt
862 B
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README_for_ColletesClimate.txt
727 B
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README_for_ColletesCondition.txt
1.07 KB
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README_for_ColletesOperative.txt
829 B
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README_for_ColletesSurvival.txt
925 B
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README_for_ColletesThermal.txt
835 B
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README.md
2.77 KB
Abstract
Colletes inaequalis Say is a univoltine, ground-nesting solitary bee and one of the first pollinators to emerge in the North American springtime. Males emerge earlier and are smaller than females. Despite its role as a pollinator of early spring wild plants and crops, the thermal ecology of C. inaequalis remains unexplored. We assessed its lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) critical thermal limits and chill coma recovery time, testing the effects of sex and body size (fresh body mass and intertegular distance, ITD). We also compared these thermal traits to those of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), a similarly sized species active during the same season. Given that C. inaequalis males sometimes emerge before floral resources are available and that snowfall can occur after their emergence, we examined whether food deprivation and repeated or prolonged cold exposure impair their ability to recover from chill coma. We found that males and females of C. inaequalis exhibit similar thermal limits, and neither CTMin nor CTMax increased with ITD. Body mass did not affect chill coma recovery time. Colletes inaequalis was significantly more cold-tolerant but less heat-tolerant than honey bees, recovering much faster from chill coma. Repeated cold exposure significantly impacted recovery time, while food availability was the primary factor influencing male survival. These findings suggest that C. inaequalis is physiologically adapted to early spring conditions, in contrast to honey bees, which likely rely on social and behavioral mechanisms to cope with low temperatures. Our results suggest that bee communities may exhibit thermal tolerances that align with their seasonal activity periods.
Filename: ColletesChill.csv
Descriptions for each column in the dataset:
- Year - collection year
- Vial -vial number identifier
- Date - Day/Month/Year
- Location - University of Kansas Campus
- Species– Bee species
- Sex - Male (M) or Female (F)
- ExpTime - Time (hours) in which bees were exposed to 0 Celsius
- RTm - Recovery time (minutes)
- BMmg - Fresh body mass at the begining of the test (miligrams)
Filename: ColletesClimate.csv
Descriptions for each column in the dataset:
- Datetime - Day/Month/Year followed by HH:MM:SS
- Day - day number after setting up the sensors
- Temperature - Celcius degrees
- RH - Relative humidity (%)
- Location - University of Kansas Campus
Filename: ColletesCondition.csv
Descriptions for each column in the dataset:
- Vial -vial number identifier
- Date - Day/Month/Year
- Location - University of Kansas Campus
- Species– Bee species
- Sex - Male (M) or Female (F)
- ExpTime - Exposure time to 0 Celcius, either 1 hour or 2 hours
- Condition - Fed or Unfed after first measured of recovery time
- Time - Time post-exposure when recovery time was measured (0 =upon collection, 24, 48, and 72 hours after)
- CCRT - Chill coma recovery time (in minutes)
- BeeMass - Fresh body mass of bees upon collection and prior measurement of first chill coma recovery time
Filename: ColletesOperative.csv
Descriptions for each column in the dataset:
- Date - Day/Month/Year Time: hh:mm:ss
- Operative - Operative temperature (Celcius). We used a dead, dried male of C. inaequalis as operative temperature model.
- Ambient - Ambient temperature (Celcius). We recorded it under the shade by placing a thermocouple inside a solar radiation shield.
Filename: ColletesSurvival.csv
Descriptions for each column in the dataset:
- Vial -vial number identifier
- Date - Day/Month/Year
- Location - University of Kansas Campus
- Species– Bee species
- Sex - Male (M) or Female (F)
- ExpTime - Exposure time to 0 Celcius, either 1 hour or 2 hours
- Condition - Fed or Unfed after first measured of recovery time
- Time - Time post-exposure when recovery time was measured (24, 48, and 72 hours after)
- Event - 0 = alive, 1 = dead
Filename: ColletesThermal.csv
Descriptions for each column in the dataset:
- Year - collection year
- Vial -vial number identifier
- Date - Day/Month/Year
- Location - University of Kansas Campus
- Species– Bee species
- Sex - Male (M) or Female (F)
- CTMin - Critical thermal minimum (Celcius)
- CTMax - Critical thermal maximum (Celcius)
- ITD - Intertegular Distance (millimeters)