Temporal and Landscape Influences on the Bee Community Assemblage of the McMaster Research and Conservation Corridor

Abstract

In recent years the issues surrounding pollinator conservation and pollinator decline has been brought to the forefront of both the public and government. Declines are multifaceted and pollinator conservation and restoration tends to focus on open ecosystems, such as prairie and meadow habitats, where there exists a large body of research on the benefits of restoring such habitats for pollinators. However, this does not address the other ecosystems that pollinators can be found in and what critical role those habitats may play in the lifecycles of those species. I surveyed the bee and wasp community present in the Dundas Valley Region of Hamilton in southern Ontario, Canada across 5 distinct habitat types; open fields, forest edges, forests, forested groundwater fed springs, and wetlands. The abundance and richness of floral resources within these habitats and what role this might play at different times of the year was also surveyed. 10 focal species, belonging to 6 genera were chosen as a subset of the population to test for habitat use and movement on the landscape. I found that all habitat types were utilized by bees and wasps to varying degrees, depending on species, time of year, and resource availability. Males and females of the same species did not necessarily utilize the same habitats at the same time of year and there was clear evidence of population movement between these areas and habitat preference. Showing the clear need for a “big picture” approach to pollinator conservation and a need to move away from the standard restoration practice of simply creating open meadows and prairies. This does not address the diverse and heterogeneous habitat requirements needed over the course of their life cycles. Conservation efforts should focus on diversifying the types of habitats being restored on the landscape and recognizing the importance of existing remnant natural features that may add to the heterogeneity of the landscape and to the benefit of pollinator communities.