Local and Landscape Factors Influence Plant-Pollinator Networks and Bee Foraging Behavior across an Urban Corridor

Author:

Pardee Gabriella L.1ORCID,Ballare Kimberly M.12ORCID,Neff John L.3,Do Lauren Q.1,Ojeda DianaJoyce1,Bienenstock Elisa J.4,Brosi Berry J.5,Grubesic Tony H.6,Miller Jennifer A.7,Tong Daoqin8,Jha Shalene19ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

2. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA

3. Central Texas Melittological Institute, Austin, TX 78731, USA

4. Watts School of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA

5. Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

6. Center for Geospatial Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA

7. Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

8. School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA

9. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX 78739, USA

Abstract

Given widespread concerns over human-mediated bee declines in abundance and species richness, conservation efforts are increasingly focused on maintaining natural habitats to support bee diversity in otherwise resource-poor environments. However, natural habitat patches can vary in composition, impacting landscape-level heterogeneity and affecting plant-pollinator interactions. Plant-pollinator networks, especially those based on pollen loads, can provide valuable insight into mutualistic relationships, such as revealing the degree of pollination specialization in a community; yet, local and landscape drivers of these network indices remain understudied within urbanizing landscapes. Beyond networks, analyzing pollen collection can reveal key information about species-level pollen preferences, providing plant restoration information for urban ecosystems. Through bee collection, vegetation surveys, and pollen load identification across ~350 km of urban habitat, we studied the impact of local and landscape-level management on plant-pollinator networks. We also quantified pollinator preferences for plants within urban grasslands. Bees exhibited higher foraging specialization with increasing habitat heterogeneity and visited fewer flowering species (decreased generality) with increasing semi-natural habitat cover. We also found strong pollinator species-specific flower foraging preferences, particularly for Asteraceae plants. We posit that maintaining native forbs and supporting landscape-level natural habitat cover and heterogeneity can provide pollinators with critical food resources across urbanizing ecosystems.

Funder

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Texas Ecolabs

Native Plant Society of Texas

Native Plant Society of Texas Ann Miller Gonzales Graduate Research

Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Texas at Austin

National Science Foundation

Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Nature and Landscape Conservation,Ecology,Global and Planetary Change

Reference99 articles.

1. Behavioral Causes, Ecological Consequences, and Management Challenges Associated with Wildlife Foraging in Human-Modified Landscapes;Fehlmann;Bioscience,2021

2. Changes in Home Range Sizes and Population Densities of Carnivore Species along the Natural to Urban Habitat Gradient;Tkadlec;Mamm. Rev.,2015

3. The Effects of Urbanisation on Ecological Interactions;Theodorou;Curr. Opin. Insect. Sci.,2022

4. Comparing Species Interaction Networks along Environmental Gradients;Pellissier;Biol. Rev.,2018

5. A Systems Approach Reveals Urban Pollinator Hotspots and Conservation Opportunities;Baldock;Nat. Ecol. Evol.,2019

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3