D3164: Pollinator community response to urban development in central Arkansas

Monday, November 11, 2024

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

MM

Mary Margaret McSpadden

Graduate Student
University of Central Arkansas
Sarasota, Florida

Co-Author(s)

OA

Opeyemi Adedoja, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas

Urbanization is one of the leading drivers of pollinator decline, affecting population abundance and modifying species traits such as body size, tongue length, and phenology across urban gradients. Many studies have attempted to enhance floral resources in pollinator habitats, yet understanding how traits filtered by urban drivers influence the effectiveness of pollinator habitats is largely unknown. This study investigates the effect of landscape and local factors on pollinator functional diversity across a gradient of urban development. The study will be conducted in 13 study sites, varying in the proportion of urban development at 250 m around each study site. The abundance and beta diversity of pollinators and flowering plants will be determined over the summer sampling season. Additionally, functional traits facilitating pollinator interaction with plants and pollinator persistence in the habitat will be identified and measured. By analyzing the relationships between certain functional traits and the diversity of pollinators and flowering plants at each site, this study will determine how urban development filters pollinator traits and the consequent effect of trait modification on species persistence in areas varying in level of disturbance. This research will aid our ability to improve existing pollinator conservation strategies by integrating trait diversity into the selection of flowering plants to enhance pollinator habitats.