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Timing Of Invasion By Africanized Bees Coincides With Local Extinction Of A Specialized Pollinator Of A Rare Poppy In Utah, Usa, Amber D. Tripodi, Vincent J. Tepedino, Zachary M. Portman

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The introduction of exotic species can have profound impacts on mutualisms between native species in invaded areas. However, determining whether a new invader has impacted native species depends on accurately reconstructing the invasion timing. The arrival of Africanized honey bees (AHB) in southern Utah at some point between 1994 and 2011 has recently been implicated in the local extinction of Perdita meconis, a native specialist pollinator of an endangered poppy, Arctomecon humilis. Although AHBs were purportedly first detected in southern Utah in 2008, their presence in nearby Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico by 1998–2001 suggests that they may …