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.
The main goal of this project is to enhance pollinator recovery efforts by improving knowledge about how climate change interacts with other ecological stressors such as habitat loss in affecting the distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees. Researchers supported by this project will elucidate how climate and land-use change shape the current and future distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees in the Midwest. The project team will investigate how drought and rising temperatures will affect the ability of the species to persist in its current range and recolonize unoccupied areas. With mapping techniques, this project will identify the most vulnerable populations and future strongholds under several climate and land-use scenarios and identify stakeholders who manage lands where Rusty Patched Bumble Bees may persist.
Project outcomes include the development of a model and web application that resource managers can update annually as new data become available for tracking and mapping species recovery goals. By predicting how climate change will affect species persistence, conservation practitioners can better plan for where habitat needs to exist in the future and optimal locations for species reintroductions
