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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Pollinator Communities And Their Ecosystem Services At Conservation Grasslands And Adjacent Croplands, Araceli Gomez Villegas
Pollinator Communities And Their Ecosystem Services At Conservation Grasslands And Adjacent Croplands, Araceli Gomez Villegas
Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Pollinators are intrinsically linked to the success of unmanaged and managed ecosystems by providing pollination services that aid in the reproduction of wildflowers and many crops. Land use change, habitat loss, fragmentation, and related landscape-level phenomena (for example, increased pesticide exposure) threaten pollinators and have been associated with population declines. In the Midwestern region of the United States, land conversion of native prairies and grasslands to row-crop agriculture has been one of the largest contributors to pollinator habitat loss. Conservation programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, have worked towards removing environmentally sensitive lands from agriculture production and enrolling them …
Promoting Bee Communities Through Habitat Enhancements On Public And Private Lands In Nebraska, Kayla A. Mollet
Promoting Bee Communities Through Habitat Enhancements On Public And Private Lands In Nebraska, Kayla A. Mollet
Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Wild and managed bees are the most effective pollinators, accounting for about 80% of the pollination of flowering plants and 75% of fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the United States (USDA, 2019; USFWS, 2019). An estimated 4,000 species of bees reside in North America, the majority of which are wild and unmanaged. Wild bee communities are critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems, as they sustain native flora that provides soil stability and habitat for other wildlife. In a changing landscape, floral enhancements on privately and publicly-owned lands may have great impact for improving habitat for pollinators across the United States. Planting …
A Descriptive Study Of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apiformes) And Angiosperms In A Tallgrass Prairie Corridor Of Southeastern Nebraska, Katie Lamke
Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The presence of diverse bee communities in an ecosystem is vital for maintaining healthy plant communities, promoting habitat resilience, and supporting sustainable agricultural production and urbanization. Approximately 20,000 known species of bees exist worldwide and assist with the successful reproduction of nearly 80% of Earth’s flowering plants by providing pollination services. In the US, wild bee declines have led to increased monitoring efforts for bees but there remain critical data gaps in prairies of the Great Plains ecoregion. Specific to the Tallgrass prairie where only 1-3% remains in native vegetation, the Nebraska Wildlife Action Plan has identified the loss of …