Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Intercropping within Managed Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Does Not Affect Wild Bee Communities.
Intensively-managed pine (Pinusspp.) have been shown to support diverse vertebrate communities, but their ability to support invertebrate communities, such as wild bees, has not been well-studied. Recently, researchers have examined intercropping switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a native perennial, within intensively managed loblolly pine (P. taeda) plantations as a potential source for cellulosic biofuels. To better understand potential effects of intercropping on bee communities, we investigated visitation of bees within three replicates of four treatments of loblolly pine in Mississippi, U.S.A.: 3-4 year old pine plantations and 9-10 year old pine plantations with and without intercropped switchgrass. We used colored pan traps to capture bees during the growing seasons of 2013 and 2014. We captured 2507 bees comprised of 18 different genera during the two-year study, withLasioglossumandCeratinabeing the most common genera captured. Overall, bee abundances were dependent on plantation age and not presence of intercropping. Our data suggests that switchgrass does not negatively impact or promote bee communities within intensively-managed loblolly pine plantations.
Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, 1881 Natural Area Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. joshuacampbell@ufl.edu.
Joshua W
JW
Campbell
Weyerhaeuser Company, P.O. Box 2288, Columbus, MS 39704, USA. darren.miller@weyerhaeuser.com.
Darren A
DA
Miller
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602-2152, USA. martinj@warnell.uga.edu.
James A
JA
Martin
Ceratina; Lasioglossum; Mississippi; Panicum virgatum; Pinus taeda; forest management; intensive forestry; loblolly pine; pollinators; switchgrass