A Survey of the Bees of Portland and Their Floral Preferences
Abstract
Urban gardens are increasingly being used for food production, often in our underserved urban communities, making the pollination service of bees in cities particularly relevant for local food production. However, native bees are in decline in large part due to habitat loss and pesticide use. In order to more effectively combat native bee decline in the Portland Metro Area, we must first gain an understanding of which native bees exist in this urban landscape. Additionally, we must understand which plants are being used most frequently by our native bees in order to more effectively direct conservation efforts. We surveyed the native bee species present in three regions of Portland over the course of three years. We found a wide diversity of native bees present, belonging to five different families and 20 genera. The floral resource use data we collected indicates that the Portland bee fauna utilize a wide diversity of plant families and flower morphologies, regardless of the plant’s native or non-native status. We hope to use this data to make recommendations to property owners and managers on how to provide habitat and resources for native bees to conserve these often-overlooked pollinators in the Portland area.
Subjects
Conservation biology, Wildlife biology, Habitat assessment
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33833
A Survey of the Bees of Portland and Their Floral Preferences
Urban gardens are increasingly being used for food production, often in our underserved urban communities, making the pollination service of bees in cities particularly relevant for local food production. However, native bees are in decline in large part due to habitat loss and pesticide use. In order to more effectively combat native bee decline in the Portland Metro Area, we must first gain an understanding of which native bees exist in this urban landscape. Additionally, we must understand which plants are being used most frequently by our native bees in order to more effectively direct conservation efforts. We surveyed the native bee species present in three regions of Portland over the course of three years. We found a wide diversity of native bees present, belonging to five different families and 20 genera. The floral resource use data we collected indicates that the Portland bee fauna utilize a wide diversity of plant families and flower morphologies, regardless of the plant’s native or non-native status. We hope to use this data to make recommendations to property owners and managers on how to provide habitat and resources for native bees to conserve these often-overlooked pollinators in the Portland area.
