Date of Award:
5-2016
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Biology
Committee Chair(s)
Edward W. Evans
Committee
Edward W. Evans
Committee
Terry L. Griswold
Committee
Eugene W. Schupp
Abstract
Global concern about honeybee declines has spurred feverish research about the status and protection of this single species, yet our understanding of the ecology and issues impacting thousands of species of native bees lags behind. Pinnacles National Park, America's newest, near Salinas, California, is currently the most densely biodiverse area for native bees known on the planet. Recent work by researchers at Utah State University and the USDA-ARS has documented 479 species of native bees in only 42 square miles of this park. During two years of field studies and 308 collector days, we assembled data on 52,853 bee specimens to determine natural patterns in thriving bee communities and how they relate to climate and habitat variables. We found that the ‘alluvial’ habitat type, low in elevation and dominated by woody shrubs and sparse grass, had a unique composition of bee species that may depend on their local resources more than bees in ‘woodland’ and ‘grassland’ habitat types. We also evaluated novel, early-season foraging behaviors of 56 native bee species locating scale insect honeydew sugars without visual aid of flowers or color. Overall, these findings suggest that native bees at Pinnacles National Park may be resilient to temporal bloom shifts, but may be negatively affected by loss of ‘alluvial’ habitat. If similar patterns are found in other locations, these results may have widespread value in guiding native bee conservation priorities.
Checksum
6ef6a6cc04507a595dd86863b8675747
Recommended Citation
Meiners, Joan M., "Biodiversity, Community Dynamics, and Novel Foraging Behaviors of a Rich Native Bee Fauna Across Habitats at Pinnacles National Park, California" (2016). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 4877.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4877
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