Landscape connectivity for insect pollinators under conditions of environmental change

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Evidence suggests that insect pollinators are in decline and climate change, among other factors, is thought to play a role. Bumble bees are important pollinators in a broad range of natural and agricultural ecosystems. However, a recent finding, that bumble bee species have not colonized newly-available environments as the climate has warmed, suggests that these pollinators may be poised for further declines. A failure to colonize new environments could mean that patches of suitable nesting habitat are too few, or are beyond the reach of dispersing bumble bee queens. My research program investigates how conditions such as the absence of reachable habitat have influenced bumble bee dispersal in the recent past, and tests a mechanism—called landscape connectivity—that could affect bumble bee responses to climate change in the future.