Bee Communities on Managed Emergent Wetlands in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas

Native bee communities that use emergent wetlands are among the least studied systems in bee research. Most native bee species are thought to be in decline based on the loss of usable habitat across the United States. I surveyed emergent wetlands in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas during the summers of 2015 and 2016 using pan traps, blue-vane traps, and sweep nets to determine the current status of bee communities in this system. I surveyed 11 sites in 2015 and 17 sites in 2016 and found that bee communities were similar in actively versus passively managed emergent wetlands. I estimated that the probability of detecting a bee species in my study area to be high (67-86%). I also estimated that species richness in emergent wetlands ranged from 69.5-83.5 species throughout the growing season. Actively managed emergent wetlands had a lower percent cover of flowering plants throughout the growing season in comparison to passively managed wetlands. Through better understanding of bee communities in emergent wetlands, I provide a foundation to inform conservation and management decisions on emergent wetlands while also justifying continued support of Farm Bill programs like the Wetlands Reserve Program