Waiting for the snow to melt…
Solitary bees make up the majority of bee species locally and globally, and are important pollinators. Lasioglossum is a common genus of generalist solitary bees found throughout Colorado that occupy a variety of temperature niches and elevations. Halicadea, the family Lasioglossum is in, is the second largest bee family and among the most abundant. Changes in Lasioglossum abundance and distribution could shape plant-pollinator interactions and impact pollination services. The effects of climate change may be affecting bee pollinator populations throughout the mountains of Colorado. Warmer and drier summers shift species composition of bee communities. This study examines if and how Lasioglossum abundance is changing in relationship to interannual climate variation. This research utilizes historical weather data and a long-term bee data set collected at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Bees are collected and trapped across 16 different sites along an elevational gradient during the summer foraging period, with collected individuals representing species presence and abundance. Lasioglossum increased in abundance as summer temperatures increased, and decreased in abundance as annual precipitation increased. Different Lasioglossum species vary in how significantly they respond to climate variables. The species composition of Lasioglossum changed as summer temperatures increased and precipitation increased.
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