| Pollinators are facing population declines around the world. Many anthropogenic changes to pollinators' habitat cause much of these declines. Wyoming supports many important pollinators that may also experience declines. In addition, Wyoming hosts energy resources that are continuing to be developed. Land use change in Wyoming may be a particularly strong driver of the regional pollinator declines. The ecology of flowering plants and pollinators is tightly linked. With land use change already occurring and potentially causing pollinator declines, the possibility of further declines caused by phenological mismatch between plants and pollinators warrants better understanding. While flowers are accepted as the strongest driver of bee communities, the specific factors such as flower area, abundance, and diversity that may drive bee communities, is yet well understood. Further, landscape characteristics such as relative elevation and slope aspect may also drive bee communities. |
