D3523: Biodiversity of utility rights of way: Powerline clearings can be tools to combat habitat loss and fragmentation

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

Hannah L. Cave Stout (she/her/hers)

Conservation Entomologist, Macroinvertebrate Taxonomist
Hannah L. (Cave) Stout, Ph.D.
State College, Pennsylvania

Co-Author(s)

BR

Bradley D. Ross

Instructor and Research Assistant, Biology
The Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania
CM

Carolyn G. Mahan

Professor, Biology and Environmental Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania

The State Game Lands 33 (SGL33) Rights-of-Way Research and Demonstration Area (Centre County, Pennsylvania, USA) is the site of the longest continuous study of the effects of herbicides and mechanical vegetation management practices on plant diversity and wildlife habitat and use within a right-of-way (ROW). Vegetation surveys at SGL33 began in 1953 and wildlife surveys were added in 1987. Over the last 71 years, vegetation management at powerline clearings has evolved from generic, one-size-fits-all treatments to site-specific Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) approaches. Our research at SGL33 has demonstrated that IVM and the “wire zone-border zone” methods used at powerline ROWs produce different habitats within the clearings that suit a wide range of invertebrate taxa. The “wire zones” are dominated by forbs, grasses, and low-growing shrubs and provide the early successional habitat that is essential for butterflies and wild bees. At SGL33, we have collected 4116 bees representing 162 unique taxa—including two new Pennsylvania state records and one as-yet-undescribed species of nomad bee ("Nomada MR1"). “Border zones” are thick with tall shrubs and low-growing trees and at SGL33 we have found that compared to the meadow-like wire zones, these forest edge habitats are also thick with ground beetles. This poster represents a visual summary of the entomological research conducted at SGL33 since 1995. The potential ecological value of the more than 30,000 square kilometers of utility and transportation ROWs in the US are increasingly seen as tools to combat habitat loss and fragmentation for pollinators and other wildlife.