Research Program
My Research History
Graduate Student Projects
Undergraduate Research Projects
Ecology of Native Bees
I am interested in native bees and the links between pollinator and plant communities. I believe that bee and plant communities influence each other’s structure. The abundance, flower preferences, flight seasons, and size variation exhibited by members of the bee community influence the reproductive success of those plant species which are dependent on those bees for pollination. If the loss of a pollinator species reduces the reproductive success of some plant species, this will result in a shift in the structure of the plant community as those plants become less abundant. For this reason, it is important to identify the bee fauna and the roles that bees play in pollination of native plants.
Although there is ample evidence that yield is proportional to pollinator density in many agricultural crops, there is little information regarding the yield of wildlife forage. Production of many berry and seed ‘crops’ eaten by wildlife is probably dependent on pollination by wild bees. If a pollinator species is lost, this may reduce the reproductive success of some plant species, reducing food for wildlife and leading to a shift in the structure of the plant community as those plants become less abundant.
I
have been investigating the diversity of native bees and developing
plant visitation records. I am also examining how native bees
can be used as alternative pollinators in orchards and gardens, and how
such use can be linked to maintaining a diverse native bee community.
My program includes collecting and identifying bee and plant species, monitoring
their phenology, distribution, and abundance.
I
make presentations that educate
the public and conservation biologists that we need to understand the roles
that native pollinators play in maintaining biodiversity and providing
food for wildlife.