Date of Award
5-2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Biology
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Daniel J. Bennett
Second Advisor
D. Brent Burt
Third Advisor
Donald Pratt
Fourth Advisor
Robert J. Wiggers
Abstract
Native bees are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems due to their coevolution with flowering plants. This study catalogued the bee fauna of two sandyland sites in the Big Thicket National Preserve and assessed whether a community was impacted by a historic hurricane-induced flooding event. It was hypothesized that a change in diversity metrics would be evident following the flood. Datasets were analyzed for differences in species richness, abundance, evenness, and Shannon’s diversity. Similarities between datasets were also assessed using the multivariate tests analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and similarity of percentages (SIMPER). At two sites over two years of sampling 100 species were documented. Though some species declined dramatically following the storm, it was concluded that the overall bee community did not suffer a substantial decline. Differences detected between datasets constructed from samples taken before and after the flood were mostly attributed to ground nesting bees.
Repository Citation
Sauls, Archie Ray Jr., "The Bees of Two Sites in the Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, with a Consideration of the Effects of a Rare Flooding Event" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 364.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/364
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Entomology Commons
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