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.***My students and I will assess landscape connectivity by collecting genetic data for three species of bumble bee (Bombus bifarius nearcticus, B. sylvicola, and B. rufocinctus) sampled in mountain landscapes where a number of factors that may influence connectivity can be examined in proximity (e.g. elevation, moisture availability and forest cover). We will use these genetic data to identify ecological conditions that impact the dispersal and successful nest establishment of bumble bee queens and have the potential to slow bumble bee expansion into new environments. We will also build computer models to support this investigation in which simulated bumble bees are programmed with rules governing their mating behaviour and their response to landscape features. These agent-based models will be used to predict the implications of climate change for dispersal and gene flow, and to improve our understanding of these processes in highly-mobile organisms, like bumble bees. Activities in this research program will provide training opportunities for three Master's and two PhD students in the fields of landscape ecology, molecular ecology, ecological modelling, and pollinator conservation.**