How does pollinator health change with stand age and management intensity in manged conifer forests?
Co-P.I. (2018-2021)
Funded by USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
We are using Osmia lignaria nests to measure bee reproductive output in managed forests
Project summary
Managed conifer forests of the western US cover over 145 million acres of land, but we lack basic knowledge about pollinator populations in this abundant land use. In this study at Oregon State University, we are comparing bee communities, bee habitat, and pollination services in managed conifer forests in the Oregon coast range. Using trapping, netting, pollinator exclusion, and managed Osmia nests, we hope to better understand the extent to which managed forests provide habitat for insect visitors, as well as the impact that management decisions have on pollinators and pollination.
How does wildfire burn severity and salvage logging influence wild bee communities in mixed-conifer forest?
(2016-2017)
Funded by the FWHMF program, Oregon State University; Bureau of Land Management; Mealey/Boise Cascade/Boone and Crockett/Noble Endowment Fund from the College of Forestry, Oregon State University
We used blue vane traps to sample the bee communities in managed forest after a mixed-severity wildfire
Project summary
In this study, we investigated how natural and anthropogenic disturbances influence bee populations in managed forest landscapes. We used standard sampling methods to compare native bee abundance and diversity along a burn severity gradient in a recently burned mixed-conifer forest. Additionally, we investigated the influence of salvage logging on the post-wildfire bee communities. We also quantified reproductive output and pollination services among treatment types.
See related workshop for land managers: http://cpe.forestry.oregonstate.edu/PollinatorWorkshop
Publications:
Galbraith, S.M., Cane, J.H., Moldenke, A.R., & Rivers, J.W. 2019. Bee diversity increases with fire severity in a fire-prone forest. Ecosphere 10(4): 1-19.
How do Payments for Environmental Services affect wild and managed bee communities in Costa Rica?
(2011-2015)
Funded by NSF-IGERT, USAID Borlaug Foundation, ICRAF, and the University of Idaho
A beekeeper demonstrates his apiculture techniques in the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Summary:
In this study, I worked on an interdisciplinary team to address the impact of conservation strategies on ecosystem services in Costa Rica. Specifically, we asked: 1) How do native bee populations differ among common human-dominated land uses in the Nicoya Peninsula? 2) How has policy-driven land use change impacted beekeepers in the Nicoya Peninsula? and 3) What ecosystem service trade-offs exist for stakeholders?
I used standard sampling methods to compare native bee abundance and diversity among silvopasture, coffee agroforestry, and teak plantations in the Peninsula. I also applied a mixed-methods approach to assess local ecological knowledge related to the impact of recent land use changes on beekeeping.
Publications:
Galbraith, S.M., Griswold, T., Price, W.J. and Bosque-Pérez, N.A., 2020. Biodiversity and community composition of native bee populations vary among human-dominated land uses within the seasonally dry tropics. Journal of Insect Conservation, 24(6): 1045-1059.
Tavárez, H.S., S.M. Galbraith, and N.A. Bosque-Pérez. 2018. La selección de lugares por apicultores de Costa Rica es influenciada por el uso de terreno, sus recursos florales y la calidad de la carretera. The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico, 102(1-2): 21.