Date of Award
Fall 12-11-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Forestry
Department
Forestry
First Advisor
Reuber Antoniazzi
Second Advisor
Daniel Bennett
Abstract
Many bumble bee species (Bombus spp.), are declining, yet drivers of their abundance remain partially understood. In the southeastern United States, historically open habitats have shifted towards closed-canopy conditions via fire suppression, deforestation and afforestation, altering ecosystems that once supported diverse pollinator communities. Because of these changes, the American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) is now of conservation concern. Habitat loss has also affected culturally and economically significant upland game birds. To asses whether restoration for upland game birds also benefit B. pensylvanicus, I modeled catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) predictors across 31 transects on seven East Texas properties spanning forests to grasslands. I modeled CPUE variables from local vegetation structure, landscape composition and configuration, and management history. Habitat openness consistently emerged as the strongest predictor: canopy cover reduced CPUE, while pasture/grassland cover and restoration increased it, indicating that management emphasizing open structure can jointly support upland game birds and imperiled bumble bees.
Repository Citation
Birrer, Kimberly F.; Antoniazzi, Reuber; Bennett, Daniel; Andrade-Ponce, Gabriel; Glasscock, Jessica; and Schalk, Christopher, "PATTERNS OF AMERICAN BUMBLE BEE (BOMBUS PENSYLVANICUS) ABUNDANCE ACROSS RESTORED HABITATS IN EAST TEXAS ECOSYSTEMS" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 623.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/623
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
