Global patterns and drivers of bee richness and endemism on islands

Journal article

Islands harbour a disproportionate share of global biodiversity1 , yet insects, even invaluable pollinators such as bees2 , remain underrepresented in island biogeography research3 . Here, we present the first global checklist of island bees, recording 4,143 species across 305 islands. Although islands comprise only ~6% of Earth’s land area, they support ~20% of known global bee diversity, and 42% of insular species are endemic, making up ~8% of all known bee species. Island bee species richness peaks at mid-latitudes (at least in the Northern hemisphere), mirroring continental trends4 . Native richness increases with island area and declines with isolation, consistent with patterns in other taxa5 . The strength of island species– area relationships varies among biomes and is steepest in Mediterranean-type systems, which also support disproportionately high bee richness relative to flowering plant diversity. The number of endemic species is highest on large tropical islands, reflecting extensive in situ diversification. Major centers of bee endemism include Madagascar, Malesia (e.g. the Greater Sundas and New Guinea), and Hawai‘i, where a single large radiation of Hylaeus (Nesoprosopis) dominates6 . Among islands capable of supporting endemic species, endemism scales strongly with total richness. These findings highlight the need to integrate island bee diversity into global conservation planning and position bees as a model for understanding insect evolution and conservation on islands

Authors: Marshall, L; Ascher, JS; Whittaker, R; Orr, MC; Hughes, AC

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Journal: Nature More from this journal
• Acceptance date: 2026-10-16
• EISSN: 1476-4687
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• Language: English