Female ‘Dasypoda pyrotrichia’ on a 'Cistus crispus' flower. / Francisco P. Molina

A scientific team from the Doñana Biological Station (EBD), a centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has documented the presence of 387 species of wild bees in the Doñana Natural Area, representing approximately one third of the species known from the Iberian Peninsula. This is the most comprehensive inventory of these pollinators ever carried out in the protected area and shows that Doñana ranks among the areas with the highest documented bee diversity in Spain.

“This high diversity can be explained by the great variety of habitats found in Doñana, together with its rich flora and Mediterranean climate, which provides floral resources for much of the year. This allows the coexistence of species with very different ecological requirements,” explains Francisco P. Molina, researcher at the Doñana Biological Station and first author of the study.

More than 27,000 records used to compile the catalogue

The study brings together more than 27,000 observations of interactions between bees and flowers, along with thousands of specimens that were identified and taxonomically reviewed. Thanks to this effort, 387 species of wild bees have been documented in Doñana, an exceptional diversity that has only a similar benchmark in the Sierra de Cazorla, where decades of research led by Carlos M. Herrera, emeritus ecologist of the CSIC, made it possible to record 392 species.

Among the catalogue’s findings is the first record of the species Andrena purpurascens in the Iberian Peninsula and continental Europe. Until now, this species was only known from North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria), so its presence in Doñana could reflect a link between southern Spain and the African continent. However, “we cannot rule out the possibility that this is a recent colonisation,” the researcher explains.

The factors threatening bees

The study confirms that the natural area is a true refuge for bee diversity, but this richness cannot be taken for granted. Doñana’s bees face the same major challenges affecting pollinators in many other regions, although some are particularly relevant in this natural area.

The main threats include climate change, with increasingly high temperatures and more intense periods of drought; the overexploitation of water resources, which affects ecosystem functioning and the availability of flowers; and landscape transformations, which reduce or degrade suitable habitats for many species. These factors can affect both bee abundance and the synchrony between their activity and the flowering of the plants on which they depend.

A reference for conservation

Bees are a key component of Doñana’s biodiversity. As the main pollinators of wild flora, they sustain essential processes for ecosystem functioning.

The usefulness of this catalogue goes beyond knowing how many species live in Doñana. It also provides a fundamental basis for assessing the conservation status of Doñana’s bees in the coming decades and detecting potential changes in their communities, such as the disappearance of species, the arrival of new ones, or the effects of climate change and landscape transformations.

This work does not represent an endpoint, but rather the beginning of long-term monitoring to understand how pollinators respond to environmental changes and to make conservation decisions based on scientific evidence. For example, prioritising the planting of Mediterranean shrubs, such as rockrose (Cistus crispus) or rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) in restoration plans would favour the conservation of bee diversity, as each of these plant species provides floral resources for more than 100 bee species.

“Knowing is the first step towards conservation: an inventory allows us to know which species exist and where they are found. In such an iconic area as Doñana, protecting pollinators also means helping to preserve one of Europe’s most valuable ecosystems,” concludes Francisco P. Molina.