Which environmental factor is likely to exacerbate the effects of climate change on bee populations?

Increased pesticide usage is a significant environmental factor that can exacerbate the effects of climate change on bee populations. Pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids and other harmful chemicals, have been shown to have detrimental effects on bee health. When bees are exposed to pesticides, it can impair their ability to for forage, navigate, reproduce, and ultimately survive.

Additionally, climate change itself is causing shifts in blooming times of plants and the availability of food sources for bees. When these changes coincide with high pesticide exposure, the stress on bee populations can become more pronounced, leading to increased mortality rates and decreased reproductive success. As climate conditions become more extreme, the compounding effects of pesticide exposure can lead to greater declines in bee populations.

In contrast, urbanization, decreased agricultural land, and natural habitat preservation can influence bee populations in various ways, often leading to habitat loss or changes in available forage. However, these factors do not directly interact with climate change as significantly or specifically as pesticide usage does, which has both immediate toxic effects and long-term ecological consequences that can be exacerbated by a changing climate.