The Native Bee Fauna and its Floral Relations in The City of Calgary, Alberta
Date
2021-12-22
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Abstract
This report summarizes work conducted as part of an Urban Alliance contract with The City of Calgary. We sought to further our knowledge of native bee species’ occurrence, and the floral relations of the diverse fauna found within Calgary. Building on the foundation of our pilot project (2017-2019) examining native bee diversity in habitats adjacent to wetlands in The City of Calgary, we conducted a survey of the native bees in The City of Calgary, and documented the associations between common flowering plants and native bees. We then estimated the richness (i.e., “how many species?”) and abundance (i.e., “how many visitors?”) of native bee visitors to native plant species occurring in wetlands and adjacent habitats. Our survey enabled us to rank the contribution of each of these plant species to native bee communities. This information is a key consideration for decision-makers working to increase ecosystem complexity, resilience, and productivity in similar sites throughout The City, as it allows them to make restoration decisions that will support richer and larger communities of wild bees. To allow engagement beyond the scope of our work, we also launched a citizen science project, the Calgary Pollinator Count (https://ucalgary.ca/sustainability/our-sustainable-campus/bee-campus/bee-citizen-scientist), to engage the wider Calgary community in understanding and documenting native bee and insect biodiversity in The City of Calgary.
Description
Urban Alliance
Keywords
Bee, Pollinator, Native plant, Biodiversity, Conservation, City of Calgary