‘Every single species is a unique product of evolution, like a work of art’: how Dr Kit Prendergast champions bees and biodiversity

What inspired you to become a researcher?  

I’ve always had a passion for nature and biodiversity, ever since I was a child (David Attenborough was, and still is, an inspiration). After completing my Honors project on horse behavior and publishing a review on the role of digging mammals in Australian ecosystems, when it came to conducting my PhD, I knew I wanted to do something that would make a real difference to conserving biodiversity. 

I love research – unlike many people, I loved to study at university. I always knew I wanted to become a scientist, to advance our knowledge about biodiversity and further our understanding of how nature, ecology, and evolution works, and how we can better protect and restore it. 

Can you tell us about the research you’re currently working on? 

Always working on many research projects! I’m working on developing a science-based framework for a pollinator strategy for Australia, exploring the ways by which citizens are introduced to and come to care about native bee biodiversity, describing new species of native bees, reviewing the design of seed production areas to support pollinators, and publishing the bee hotels to boost native bees after bushfires project. My current postdoctoral research is on estimating the role of canola variety, biogeographic region, farm management, surrounding landscape, and insect assemblages — including introduced Apis mellifera — in contributing to canola yield. 

What role do native bees play in Australian ecosystems? Why is it so important to conserve them? 

Native bees are so diverse, and they play different roles depending on the species. Some native species can perform pollination services that the introduced Apis mellifera cannot (eg buzz-pollination), while others have special relationships with native flora, having co-evolved with them in biogeographic isolation for thousands of years. Others host parasitoids and parasites, and some native bees are even kleptoparasites. Other native bees have important roles for Aboriginal Australians. A few species contribute to crop pollination. Finally, some have no ‘role’ per se (ie they are not great pollinators), but this doesn’t make them any less important for conservation – every single species is a unique product of evolution, and like a unique work of art, once lost, can never be replaced.  

How can people help protect and support bee populations? 

Raise awareness about native bees. Don’t keep honey bees in your backyard. Plant high proportions of native flowers, especially in the families Fabaceae and Myrtaceae. Protect and restore native habitat, be it from urbanisation, mining, or agriculture. Tackle climate change, for example by reducing or eliminating meat in your diets. Reduce pesticide use.  

In your opinion, why is your research important? 

Native bees are an incredible, diverse component of biodiversity, and through their ecological interactions, they influence the health and functioning of diverse ecosystems. Yet they are under-appreciated, underfunded, and under-researched. My research reveals what flowers they need, how to create nesting habitat for them, and the impact that high densities of an introduced bee species can have on their fitness.  

Are there any common misconceptions about this area of research? How would you address them? 

So many! The disconnect between the science of bees and public opinion always amazes me. Many people think that honey bees are threatened with extinction, whereas they are the most abundant, widespread bee on the planet. In many places, including Australia, they are either livestock or feral animals and can compete with indigenous fauna. There is an assumption that saving honey bees will help bees as a whole, but honey bees have very different ecologies and can outcompete native bees.  

What are some of the areas of research you’d like to see tackled in the years ahead? 

One of the biggest issues facing native bee research is a taxonomic impediment. There are at least 500 undescribed species of native bees, and then many genera don’t have keys, the descriptions written 100 years ago or more are very poor, and species have been described twice. Taxonomy and natural history (the ecology of species – what they forage on, their associations with other organisms, when they are active, where they nest) are terribly neglected and underfunded, but they are the backbone of good science.