PATTERNS OF AMERICAN BUMBLE BEE (BOMBUS PENSYLVANICUS) ABUNDANCE ACROSS RESTORED HABITATS IN EAST TEXAS ECOSYSTEMS

<p>Many bumble bee species (<em>Bombus</em> spp.), are declining, yet drivers of their abundance remain partially understood. In the southeastern United States, historically open habitats have shifted towards closed-canopy conditions via fire suppression, deforestation and afforestation, altering ecosystems that once supported diverse pollinator communities. Because of these changes, the American bumble bee (<em>Bombus pensylvanicus</em>) is now of conservation concern. Habitat loss has also affected culturally and economically significant upland game birds. To asses whether restoration for upland game birds also benefit <em>B. pensylvanicus</em>, I modeled catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) predictors across 31 transects on seven East Texas properties spanning forests to grasslands. I modeled CPUE variables from local vegetation structure, landscape composition and configuration, and management history. Habitat openness consistently emerged as the strongest predictor: canopy cover reduced CPUE, while pasture/grassland cover and restoration increased it, indicating that management emphasizing open structure can jointly support upland game birds and imperiled bumble bees.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science - Forestry

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Forestry

Year dc:date.available

2025

Authors dc:creator

• Birrer, Kimberly F
• Antoniazzi, Reuber
• Bennett, Daniel
• Andrade-Ponce, Gabriel
• Glasscock, Jessica
• Schalk, Christopher

Contributors dc:contributor

• Reuber Antoniazzi
• Daniel Bennett

• Bombus
• habitat management
• restoration
• native bees
• bumble bees
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/623

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1718