scholarly journals The native bee fauna of the Palouse Prairie (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R Rhoades ◽  
Terry Griswold ◽  
Harold Ikerd ◽  
Lisette Waits ◽  
Nilsa Bosque-Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Land Use Pattern ◽  
The North ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Palouse Prairie ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Northern Idaho ◽  
Bee Communities

While synoptic collections provide data on the range and general composition of the North American bee fauna, bee communities associated with specific habitats are largely uncharacterized.  This report describes the community of native bees currently found in remnant fragments of the Palouse Prairie of northern Idaho and southeastern Washington State.  Native bees were collected using standardized collection techniques including blue vane traps, colored pan traps and aerial netting.  More than 13,000 individuals were collected, representing at least 174 species and 36 morphospecies in 29 genera.  These data provide the most thorough characterization of the bee fauna of this vulnerable ecosystem, as well as community level information on bee species of unknown conservation status.  These results are relevant to regional conservation efforts and, more broadly, are representative of conditions in fragmented grasslands surrounded by intense agriculture, a common global land use pattern of conservation concern.

scholarly journals The Native Bees of Texas: Evaluating the Benefits of a Public Engagement Course

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 702
Author(s):  
Laurel Treviño Murphy ◽  
Shelly Engelman ◽  
John L. Neff ◽  
Shalene Jha
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
The Public ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bee Communities ◽  
The University

Declines in native bee communities due to forces of global change have become an increasing public concern. Despite this heightened interest, there are few publicly available courses on native bees, and little understanding of how participants might benefit from such courses. In October of 2018 and 2019, we taught the ‘Native Bees of Texas’ course to the public at The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center botanical gardens in an active learning environment with slide-based presentations, printed photo-illustrated resources, and direct insect observations. In this study, we evaluated course efficacy and learning outcomes with a pre/post-course test, a survey, and open-ended feedback, focused on quality improvement findings. Overall, participants’ test scores increased significantly, from 60% to 87% correct answers in 2018 and from 64% to 87% in 2019, with greater post-course differences in ecological knowledge than in identification skills. Post-course, the mean of participants’ bee knowledge self-ratings was 4.56 on a five-point scale. The mean of participants’ ratings of the degree to which they attained the course learning objectives was 4.43 on a five-point scale. Assessment results provided evidence that the course enriched participants’ knowledge of native bee ecology and conservation and gave participants a basic foundation in bee identification. This highlights the utility of systematic course evaluations in public engagement efforts related to biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals Does urbanization favour exotic bee species? Implications for the conservation of native bees in cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 20190574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Fitch ◽  
Caleb J. Wilson ◽  
Paul Glaum ◽  
Chatura Vaidya ◽  
Maria-Carolina Simao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Urban Warming ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
Pollinator Conservation ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Key Sites ◽  
Bee Communities ◽  
Bee Abundance

A growing body of research indicates that cities can support diverse bee communities. However, urbanization may disproportionately benefit exotic bees, potentially to the detriment of native species. We examined the influence of urbanization on exotic and native bees using two datasets from Michigan, USA. We found that urbanization positively influenced exotic—but not native—bee abundance and richness, and that this association could not be explained by proximity to international ports of entry, prevalence of exotic flora or urban warming. We found a negative relationship between native and exotic bee abundance at sites with high total bee abundance, suggesting that exotic bees may negatively affect native bee populations. These effects were not driven by the numerically dominant exotic honeybee, but rather by other exotic bees. Our findings complicate the emerging paradigm of cities as key sites for pollinator conservation.

scholarly journals Decades of native bee biodiversity surveys at Pinnacles National Park highlight the importance of monitoring natural areas over time

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan M. Meiners ◽  
Terry L. Griswold ◽  
Olivia Messinger Carril
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Agricultural Conversion ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
Bee Communities ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThousands of species of bees are in global decline, yet research addressing the ecology and status of these wild pollinators lags far behind work being done to address similar impacts on the managed honey bee. This knowledge gap is especially glaring in natural areas, despite knowledge that protected habitats harbor and export diverse bee communities into nearby croplands where their pollination services have been valued at over $3 billion per year. Surrounded by ranches and farmlands, Pinnacles National Park in the Inner South Coast Range of California contains intact Mediterranean chaparral shrubland. This habitat type is among the most valuable for bee biodiversity worldwide, as well as one of the most vulnerable to agricultural conversion, urbanization and climate change. Pinnacles National Park is also one of a very few locations where extensive native bee inventory efforts have been repeated over time. This park thus presents a valuable and rare opportunity to monitor long-term trends and baseline variability of native bees in natural habitats. Fifteen years after a species inventory marked Pinnacles as a biodiversity hotspot for native bees, we resurveyed these native bee communities over two flowering seasons using a systematic, plot-based design. Combining results, we report a total of 450 bee species within this 109km2natural area of California, including 48 new species records as of 2012 and 95 species not seen since 1999. As far as we are aware, this species richness marks Pinnacles National Park as one of the most densely diverse places known for native bees. We explore patterns of bee diversity across this protected landscape, compare results to other surveyed natural areas, and highlight the need for additional repeated inventories in protected areas over time amid widespread concerns of bee declines.

scholarly journals Native Pollinators (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) in Cotton Grown in the Gulf South, United States

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Parys ◽  
Isaac L. Esquivel ◽  
Karen W. Wright ◽  
Terry Griswold ◽  
Michael J. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Southern United States ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Species List ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
Cotton Fields ◽  
Bee Communities

Native bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) were sampled using bee bowls in two states to determine biodiversity in commercial cotton fields of the southern United States. In both states, native bee communities found in cotton fields were dominated by generalist pollinators in the genera Agapostemon, Augochloropsis, Halictus, and Lasioglossum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), and Melissodes (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Melissodes tepaneca (Cresson) was the most abundant species found in cotton fields in both states. Some species collected are known specialists on other plant taxa, suggesting they may be tourist species. Here we provide a baseline species list of native bees found in cotton. Ordination indicated separation between the communities found in the two states when pooled by genus, but these differences were not significant. While cotton is grown in highly managed and disturbed landscapes, our data suggest that a community of common generalist native pollinators persists. Many of these species are also found in other cropping systems across North America.

scholarly journals Crop and Semi-Natural Habitat Configuration affects Diversity and Abundance of Native Bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) in a Large-Scale Cotton Agroecosystem

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac. L. Esquivel ◽  
Katherine A. Parys ◽  
Karen W. Wright ◽  
Micky D. Eubanks ◽  
John D. Oswald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
The United States ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Cotton Crop ◽  
Habitat Configuration ◽  
Native Bee ◽  
Bee Communities

AbstractThe cotton agroecosystem is one of the most intensely managed, economically, and culturally important fiber crops worldwide including in the United States of America (U.S.), China, India, Pakistan, and Brazil. The composition and configuration of crop species and semi-natural habitat can have significant effects on ecosystem services such as pollination. Here we investigate the effect of crop and semi-natural habitat configuration in a large-scale cotton agroecosystem on the diversity and abundance of native bees. Interfaces sampled include cotton grown next to cotton, sorghum or semi-natural habitat. Collections of native bees across interface types revealed 32 species in 13 genera across 3 families. Average species richness ranged between 20.5 and 30.5 with the highest (30.5) at the interface of cotton and semi-natural habitat. The most abundant species was Melissodes tepaneca Cresson (> 4,000 individuals, ~75% of bees collected) with a higher number of individuals found in all cotton-crop interfaces compared to the cotton interface with semi-natural habitat or natural habitat alone. It was also found that interface type had a significant effect on the native bee communities. Communities of native bees in the cotton-crop interfaces tended to be more consistent in the abundance of species and number of species at each sampling site. While cotton grown next to semi-natural habitat had higher species richness, the number of bees collected varied. These data suggest that native bee communities persist in large-scale cotton agroecosystems and some species may thrive even when cotton-crop interfaces are dominant compared with semi-natural habitat. These data have native bee conservation implications that may improve potential pollination benefits to cotton production.

scholarly journals Deep-Water Cartilaginous Fishes in the Central Mediterranean Sea: Comparison between Geographic Areas with Two Low Impact Tools for Sampling

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Angela Carluccio ◽  
Francesca Capezzuto ◽  
Porzia Maiorano ◽  
Letizia Sion ◽  
Gianfranco D’Onghia
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Cartilaginous Fish ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

Baited lander represents a low impact technique, an alternative to the traditional trawl sampling for collecting data on fish diversity and abundance, especially for threatened species such as Chondrichthyes living in sensitive habitats. In this study, distribution and abundance of cartilaginous fish were compared between two geographic areas, the southern Adriatic Sea and the north-western Ionian Sea, with two low impact sampling gears, an experimental bottom longline and a baited lander. Species diversity was evaluated by applying ecological indices and difference in mean abundances were tested using multivariate analysis. A total of 13 species of cartilaginous fish were collected. Significant differences in the assemblage recorded in the same area using different sampling tools were detected and no significant differences were detected among different areas explored with the same method. Using longline, the most abundant species collected in both areas was Galeus melastomus, while using lander, the most observed species were Dalatias licha in the southern Adriatic Sea and Hexanchus griseus in the north-western Ionian Sea. According to IUCN classification, of the 13 species collected, 2 are near threatened and 5 are threatened. A better governance of sensitive habitats coinciding with the essential fish habitat for these species would ensure them a better conservation status.

scholarly journals Recreational Harvest of Sharks and Rays in Western Australia Is Only a Minor Component of the Total Harvest

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6215
Author(s):  
Matias Braccini ◽  
Eva Lai ◽  
Karina Ryan ◽  
Stephen Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Minor Component ◽  
The North ◽  
Commercial Harvest ◽  
Unknown Status ◽  
Reef Sharks ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Port Jackson

Sharks and rays are a global conservation concern with an increasing number of species considered at risk of extinction, mostly due to overfishing. Although the recreational harvest of sharks and rays is poorly documented and generally minimal, it can be comparable to the commercial harvest. In this study, we quantified the recreational harvest of sharks and rays in Western Australia, a region with a marine coastline greater than 20,000 km. A total of 33 species/taxonomic groups were identified, with the harvest dominated by dusky and bronze whalers, blacktip reef sharks, gummy sharks, Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs, and rays and skates. Eighty-five percent of individuals were released with an unknown status (alive or dead). We found a latitudinal gradient of species composition, with tropical and subtropical species of the genus Carcharhinus dominating in the north and temperate species from a range of families dominating in the south. Overall, our findings showed that the recreational harvest was negligible when compared with commercial landings.

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