Presenter: Kelsey Shepherd, Natural Resource Ecology and Management, GIS Certificate Candidate 
Advisor: Dr. Anna Tucker

Abstract

The rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) is a federally endangered species that was once widespread across the Upper Midwest. Though the B. affinis is the only species in this region currently protected under the Endangered Species Act, many other bumble bee species have been documented to be in decline, including the American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus). This project uses surveys of sites throughout Iowa, as well as ArcGIS Pro, to understand how landscape habitat characteristics influence occupancy of rusty patched and American bumble bees. We searched 100-m radius areas, chosen by foraging habitat, at 57 unique sites between 2022-2023. We detected B. pensylvanicus at 64% of sites and B. affinis at 20% of sites.. Preliminary results show that proximity to forested areas has a significant positive relationship with B. affinis occupancy, and proximity to open spaces, such as grassland and agriculture areas, has a positive relationship with B. pensylvanicus occupancy.

The GIS Seminar Series is hosted by the Department of Community and Regional Planning.