Catalog of Bee Abundance and Diversity at the Kalamazoo College Lillian Anderson Arboretum

Abstract

Bees play a critical role in maintaining balance within many natural and managed ecosystems. However, recent studies report a decrease in bee species diversity. To help prevent the decrease in bee populations, bees must be provided with safe nesting sites and abundant food sources. Both nesting and food availability can be increased by planting a mix of flowering native plant species. A project to bring more native plant species to the Lillian Anderson Arboretum is planned. To assess the effects of this pollinator habitat enhancement project, this study used two different collecting methods to gather a baseline data set on bee abundance and biodiversity at the future enhancement site and a control site. The data collected in this study will be used to compare bee populations after a pollinator habitat enhancement takes place. Furthermore, this project gives insight into the effectiveness of different sampling methods.