During Pleistocene era climate changes, neotropical orchid
bees that relied on year-round warmth and wet weather found their habitats
reduced by 30 to 50 percent, according to a Cornell University study that used
computer models and genetic data to understand bee distributions during past
climate changes.
In previous studies, researchers have tracked male and
female orchid bees and found that while females stay near their nests, male
orchid bees travel, with one study concluding they roam as far as 7 kilometers
per day. These past findings, corroborated by genetic data in the current
study, reveal that males are more mobile than females.
