DOI: 10.5061/dryad.w6m905qsq
title: Planted pollinator habitat in agroecosystems: How does the pollinator community respond?

description: Pollinators are important both ecologically and economically. Nonetheless,
 documented pollinator population decline threatens ecosystem functioning
 and human well-being. In response, conservation methods such as augmented
 pollinator habitat are becoming popular tools to combat pollinator losses.
 While previous research has shown added habitat can benefit bee
 communities, there are still aspects of the habitat implementation that
 require further research, particularly how this will impact bee
 communities in real-world settings beyond researcher-led efforts. In our
 study, we use a 2016 initiative mandating the planting of pollinator
 habitat on research stations across North Carolina, United States to act
 as an outdoor laboratory to investigate this exact question. From 2016 to
 2018, we found significant increases in bee abundance and diversity.
 However, these increases depended on the quality of habitat, with areas of
 higher flower cover and diversity supporting larger, more diverse bee
 communities. Although the habitats positively supported bee communities,
 we found that resources within the habitats were lower later in the
 sampling season, highlighting the need of developing seed mixes that
 include late-season resources. Weedy plants were documented to establish
 within the habitats, demonstrating the need for regular upkeep and
 maintenance of pollinator habitat in order to appropriately support bee
 communities. It is likely that planting pollinator habitat will not be a
 one-size-fits-all conservation solution, as bee species can respond
 differently to some habitat characteristics. Future long-term studies on
 pollinators will be important as natural fluctuations in bee populations
 may limit findings and many knowledge gaps on native bees still persist.
description: Samples were across 3 years (2016–2018). Two sampling methods
 (bee bowls and hand netting) were used once a month for 4 months (referred
 to as ‘season’) each year during peak bloom at the habitat (roughly May –
 September). Bee bowl samples were collected from all 16 research stations
 and were placed around the perimeter of the sampling location from 9 am –
 3 pm when temperatures were above 15 ºC. Specimens collected by bee bowls
 were stored in 75% isopropyl alcohol and stored at 4° C until further
 processing. Hand netting samples were collected at 12 of the 16 research
 stations by 2–3 people along haphazard, timed transects within the planted
 habitat for 1 hour, as close to the bee bowl sampling date as possible.
 Each specimen collected while netting was stored in a microcentrifuge
 tube, transported back to the lab on ice, and stored at -20 ºC until
 further processing. At each sampling, a measure of the flower cover and
 flower diversity was taken, both rated as low, medium, or high. Samples
 were identified using DiscoverLife and The Bees of North Carolina: An
 Identification Guide. All specimens are stored in the Tarpy Laboratory at
 North Carolina State University. Specimens were given trait
 characteristics at the genus level for their size, nesting material, and
 pollinator type for use in trait analysis.