Abstract
Pollinators are essential to terrestrial ecosystems, and bumble bees are among the most effective pollinators in the United States (Hatfield et al., 2012). They pollinate forbs (non-grass herbaceous flowering plants), including crops, garden plants, and native prairie species (Dumroese et al., 2016). Their ability to travel long distances, forage in cool temperatures, and buzz-pollinate makes them critical to both wild and agricultural productivity (Mola & Williams et al., 2019). Research shows that bumble bee populations have declined in recent decades due to habitat loss, reduced floral resources, pesticide exposure, and climate change (IPBES, 2016).
Northwest Iowa is dominated by agriculture, with little space for diverse forb communities. Because bumble bees depend on floral diversity for nectar and pollen, habitat structure generally has a strong influence on bumble bee populations (Dumroese et al., 2016).Understanding the relationship between bumble bee diversity and floral diversity is vital for conservation, land management, and the sustainability of plant-pollinator interactions.Since so few bumble bee surveys have ever been done in northwest Iowa, little is known about bumble bee communities in the region other than what can be extrapolated from surveys in other areas (e.g., what common species we can generally expect to find). Our ultimate goal in this study is to learn more about our local bumble bee communities, including the roles of forb diversity and urban gardens in sustaining bumble bee diversity in our area.
We hypothesized that bumble bee abundance and diversity in northwest Iowa correlate directly with forb diversity, with sites having richer forb communities supporting more diverse bee communities. This prediction aligns with findings in Georgia, where bee diversity mirrored forb diversity in landscapes recently converted to agriculture (Dumroese et al., 2016). We also hypothesized that urban gardens would have less bumble bee diversity than restored prairies in rural areas and that sites with more similar forb communities would support more similar bumble bee communities.
Included in
Late-season forb availability and bumble bee foraging patterns in Iowa’s restored prairies and suburban gardens
Pollinators are essential to terrestrial ecosystems, and bumble bees are among the most effective pollinators in the United States (Hatfield et al., 2012). They pollinate forbs (non-grass herbaceous flowering plants), including crops, garden plants, and native prairie species (Dumroese et al., 2016). Their ability to travel long distances, forage in cool temperatures, and buzz-pollinate makes them critical to both wild and agricultural productivity (Mola & Williams et al., 2019). Research shows that bumble bee populations have declined in recent decades due to habitat loss, reduced floral resources, pesticide exposure, and climate change (IPBES, 2016).
Northwest Iowa is dominated by agriculture, with little space for diverse forb communities. Because bumble bees depend on floral diversity for nectar and pollen, habitat structure generally has a strong influence on bumble bee populations (Dumroese et al., 2016).Understanding the relationship between bumble bee diversity and floral diversity is vital for conservation, land management, and the sustainability of plant-pollinator interactions.Since so few bumble bee surveys have ever been done in northwest Iowa, little is known about bumble bee communities in the region other than what can be extrapolated from surveys in other areas (e.g., what common species we can generally expect to find). Our ultimate goal in this study is to learn more about our local bumble bee communities, including the roles of forb diversity and urban gardens in sustaining bumble bee diversity in our area.
We hypothesized that bumble bee abundance and diversity in northwest Iowa correlate directly with forb diversity, with sites having richer forb communities supporting more diverse bee communities. This prediction aligns with findings in Georgia, where bee diversity mirrored forb diversity in landscapes recently converted to agriculture (Dumroese et al., 2016). We also hypothesized that urban gardens would have less bumble bee diversity than restored prairies in rural areas and that sites with more similar forb communities would support more similar bumble bee communities.