Principal Investigator(s):
- Kristen Ellis (USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center)
Co-Investigator(s):
- Ralph Grundel (USGS Great Lakes Science Center)
- Clint Otto (USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center)
- Audrey Lothspeich (USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center)
Cooperator/Partner(s):
- Tamara Smith (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
- Hollis Woodward (University of California)
- Rich Hatfield (Xerxes Society)
- Jay Watson (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)
Project Overview
The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, and other native bees and pollinators, are declining due to climate change, habitat loss, and other stressors like pathogens and pesticide-use. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will study how certain stressors interact to affect the geographic distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees, using mapping techniques and future climate data to identify vulnerable populations and future strongholds. A resulting model and web application will enable resource managers and conservation practitioners to improve pollinator recovery efforts by identifying and prioritizing future locations for conservation action, including potential species reintroductions.
Project Summary
Climate change is a primary threat to native bees and pollinator conservation in the 21st century. Rusty Patched Bumble Bees were once common across the Eastern half the US and Southern Canada but are now confined to isolated pockets in the Midwest and Appalachia, having lost nearly 90% of its geographic distribution prior to being listed as endangered in 2017. Evidence suggests that declines of the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee are caused by interactions between pathogens, pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change, and their decline coincides with declines of several other notable insects including the Western Bumble Bee, Monarch Butterfly, Poweshiek Skipperling, and Dakota Skipper.