Keywords

Native plants, pollinators, landscape design, suburban, water conservation, alternative landscaping

Abstract

Pollinators provide key ecological services. With one-third of our global food production dependent on pollinators, maintaining healthy pollinator communities is vital. Bees are the most pervasive and effective pollinator species, yet are currently declining worldwide, with the main cause linked to habitat loss. To combat this decline, researchers are turning to suburban landscapes to aid in pollinator conservation. Incorporating native plants into suburban landscapes has been shown to benefit pollinators. However, there is a lack of information on how different landscape designs and growing conditions influence pollinator communities. To better understand whether native plants can effectively improve suburban pollinator habitats, this research asked: 1) how does irrigation and soil composition influence the availability of floral resources, 2) which plants attract the greatest number and diversity of pollinators, and 3) how do native vs non-native landscape designs impact a residential neighborhood’s ability to support pollinator communities? Using 27 different native plant species that were subjected to a combination of irrigation and compost treatments, we examined plant-pollinator interactions in 16 fully replicated and randomized experimental plots. Additionally, we compared the pollinator communities of two newly developed neighborhoods - one using traditional, non-native plants and the other incorporating native plants into their landscape design. Pollinators were sampled during the spring, summer, and fall of 2022-2023 through visual counts of pollinators visiting open flowers. Blooming flowers for each plant species were counted concurrently to determine floral abundance. Compost addition at planting greatly increased both floral and pollinator abundance over two years, but regular irrigation did not have a clear impact. Native-based landscapes had significantly higher pollinator abundance and diversity when compared to traditional landscape designs. The results of this study show the benefits of incorporating native plants into suburban landscapes and their potential for supporting both water conservation and pollinator communities.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Bohlen, Patrick

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Biology

Format

application/pdf

Release Date

8-15-2024

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

Download

Share

COinS