Data representing climate-induced changes in the spatial distribution of key bee forage species for southwest Western Australia

Vidushi Patel; Bryan Boruff; Eloise Biggs; Natasha Pauli

doi:10.1016/j.dib.2022.108783

Data representing climate-induced changes in the spatial distribution of key bee forage species for southwest Western Australia

Data Brief. 2022 Nov 25:46:108783. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108783. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

Vidushi Patel^{1

2}, Bryan Boruff^{1

2

3}, Eloise Biggs³, Natasha Pauli^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia.
² Cooperative Research Center for Honey Bee Products, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Agriculture North M085, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia.
³ Department of Archaeology, Geography and Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia.

Abstract

The dataset includes (i) species occurrence points, and (ii) Species Distribution Model (SDM) outputs under current conditions and a moderate emission (RCP 6.0) climate scenario, for 30 key bee forage species in southwest Western Australia (WA). Occurrence data were obtained from open data sources and through stakeholder engagement processes. SDM outputs were predicted using the Maxent algorithm with the change in species range analysed using QGIS software. The model outputs provide insight into the potential implications of climate change on important bee forage species in southwest WA, including dominant melliferous tree and shrub species. Changes in these species are likely to have repercussions to the ecological and social systems where a facilitatory relationship exists. This dataset is important for informing conservation efforts within the southwest Australian biodiversity hotspot.

Keywords: Bee forage availability; Climate change; Migratory beekeeping; Range shift; Species distribution models.