EAGER: Assessing the effects of matrix quality on species-area relationships for bees in fragmented landscapes

物种丧失的一个主要原因是大型自然栖息地减少为小而孤立的块。这个项目为这个问题带来了一个新的视角，它表明孤立碎片之间的环境条件可能会改变碎片内部的条件，并影响物种的损失率。这项研究的重点是蜜蜂传粉者——为人类社会提供基本服务的生物，对美国农业至关重要，也是保护的重要目标。如果孤立的传粉者斑块之间的条件改善了斑块内传粉者的表现，那么保护这些重要的生物可能不像看起来那么困难。这个项目的领导者是一位刚出道不久的非裔美国女性，她在研究和科学方面都有着巨大的潜力。这项研究和它在奥扎克的位置将为本科生提供许多机会来发起独立的项目，参与科学过程的每一步。研究结果将用于通过女生探索生物学夏令营吸引中学女生，该夏令营致力于招募服务不足的群体。最后但并非最不重要的是，结果将与密苏里州自然保护部分享，以推进全国蜜蜂保护工作。栖息地破碎化是全球物种损失的驱动因素之一；它通过减少栖息地的大小和连通性来改变物种的丰度和多样性。物种丰富度随片段大小的变化是基于物种-区域关系的，但问题仍然是为什么这些关系如此多变。一个地点周围的生境（基质）在确定片段物种多样性方面可能是重要的，但对基质质量如何影响多样性知之甚少。研究将集中在三个问题上：矩阵质量是否影响资源的可用性和使用？基质质量是否会改变传粉者在碎片之间的运动？基质质量是否影响片段内传粉者的物种性状？初步结果表明，研究区植物和传粉媒介的丰度和多样性高度依赖于基质质量。为了解决这一研究问题，我们将估算离碎片不同距离的地面筑巢蜜蜂的筑巢率和矩阵中筑巢资源的可用性。蜜蜂将被用油基颜料标记，并沿着矩阵的横断面和最近的空地碎片重新捕获。结果将估计蜜蜂在不同条件下的运动。最后，将分析蜜蜂的形态特征，以确定哪种类型的蜜蜂（基于特征）更容易受到低质量基质的威胁。这一点很重要，因为更大、更灵活的蜜蜂物种可能有助于花粉传播、稳定植物群落和片段质量。

A major cause of species loss is the reduction of large natural habitats into small, isolated pieces. This project brings a new perspective to this problem by suggesting that environmental conditions in between the isolated pieces might change conditions within a piece and influence the rate of species loss. The research focuses on bee pollinators - organisms that provide essential services to human society, are critical to US agriculture, and are important targets for conservation. If conditions between isolated pollinator patches improve pollinator performance within a patch, then conservation of these important organisms may not be as difficult as it seems. The leader of this project is an early-career African American woman who has tremendous promise both as a research and a role model in science. Both the research and its location in the Ozarks will provide many opportunities for undergraduates to initiate independent projects, engaging in each step of the scientific process. Research results will be used to engage middle-school girls through a Girls Explore Biology summer camp that is dedicated to recruiting under-served groups. Last but not least, results will be shared with the Missouri Department of Conservation to advance national bee conservation efforts. Habitat fragmentation is one of the global drivers of species losses; it alters species abundance and diversity by reducing habitat size and connectivity. Changes in species richness with fragment size are expected based on species-area relationships but questions remain about why these relationships are so variable. The habitat surrounding a site (the matrix) can be important in determining fragment species diversity, but little is known about how matrix quality affects diversity. The research will focus on three questions: Does matrix quality affect resource availability and use? Does matrix quality alter pollinator movement between fragments? Does matrix quality affect pollinator species traits within fragments? Preliminary results suggest that both plant and pollinator abundance and diversity are highly dependent on matrix quality in the study area, the Missouri Ozark Glades. To address the research questions, nesting rates for ground-nesting bees and nesting resource availability in the matrix at different distances from a fragment will be estimated. Bees will be marked with oil-based paint and recaptured along transects in the matrix and in the nearest glade fragments. Results will estimate movement of bees under different conditions. Lastly, bee morphological traits will be analyzed to determine which types of bees (based on traits) are more likely to be threatened by low quality matrix. This is important because larger and more mobile bee species may facilitate pollen dispersal, stabilizing plant communities and fragment quality.