Comparing Abundance of Flower Visiting Insects to Blennosperma Bakeri, Limnanthes Vinculans, and Lasthenia Burkei in Natural and Constructed Vernal Pools
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Comparing Abundance of Flower Visiting Insects to Blennosperma bakeri, Limnanthes vinculans, and Lasthenia burkei in Natural and Constructed Vernal Pools By Kandis Gilmore A thesis submitted to Sonoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Biology Committee Members: Dr. Nathan Rank, Chair Dr. Christina Sloop Dr. Caroline Christian January 19, 2018 i Copyright 2018 By Kandis Gilmore ii Authorization for Reproduction of Master’s Thesis I grant permission for the print or digital reproduction of parts of this thesis without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorb the cost and provide proper acknowledgment of authorship. Date: January 19, 2018 Kandis Gilmore iii Comparing Abundance of Flower Visiting Insects to Blennosperma bakeri, Limnanthes vinculans, and Lasthenia burkei in Natural and Constructed Vernal Pools Thesis by Kandis Gilmore ABSTRACT Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether artificially constructed vernal pool habitats provide adequate pollination services to the three federally endangered vernal pool endemic plants: Sonoma sunshine (Blennosperma bakeri), Sebastopol meadowfoam (Limnanthes vinculans), and Burke’s goldfields (Lasthenia burkei). I compared visitation rates by insects to flowers in natural vernal pools to visitation rates to flowers in constructed pools on the Santa Rosa Plain. Procedure: To assess flower visitation by insects, I conducted timed observations in the field at natural and constructed vernal pool sites. I collected specimens directly from flowers using nets and I sampled local flower visiting insects using pan traps. I identified bees and flies to the species level and compared abundance across sites and habitat types. I calculated the map distance from each plant population to its nearest neighboring populations and compared visitation rates according to degree of geographic isolation. Findings: Solitary ground nesting bee species were found to be associated with each plant species, and Conophorus cristatus, a bombyliid fly, was strongly associated with Burke’s goldfields. The rate of insect visitation to Sonoma sunshine was significantly higher in natural pools and gradually increased across the season in constructed pools. Sebastopol meadowfoam was visited predominately by its specialist bee, Andrena pulverea, in both habitat types. Visitation rates to Burke’s goldfields were driven mainly by the C. cristatus. Overall, plants in constructed pools located near natural populations received more insect visits than those farther away. Conclusions: Sonoma sunshine (B. bakeri) is visited by the most diverse group of insects, which could protect against loss of one pollinator species. However, it is also the most vulnerable due to seasonal variation in insect visitation and its early blooming time. Pollinators of Sebastopol meadowfoam (L. vinculans) are abundant and widespread. While there were relatively few specialist bees found associated with Burke’s goldfields, bombyliid flies may act as a suitable pollinator for this species. Overall, constructed vernal pools are not devoid of flower visiting insects, yet the difference between natural and constructed sites suggests that planning for insect pollinators and proximity to natural sites is critical when constructing new habitat for vernal pool plants. MS Program: Biology Sonoma State University Date: January 19, 2018 iv Acknowledgments First and foremost, I acknowledge Dr. Christina Sloop as the originator of the larger research project under which this work is included. Without her pioneering spirit and commitment to conservation science, this project would not have gotten started. I would like to thank Hattie Brown for logistical guidance and camaraderie in the field. Dr. Caroline Christian’s comments greatly improved my methods and writing. Many thanks to Dr. Nathan Rank for his invaluable assistance with project planning, statistics, feedback on writing, and moral support. I would like to thank the staff of the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation for their logistical support. I acknowledge the Entomology service learning students who spent time performing insect observations, and undergraduate interns who assisted with pinning insects. I thank the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for access to their vernal pool preserves as well as numerous private landowners who welcomed me and my team. Dr. Robbin Thorp and Dr. Martin Hauser generously assisted with making final species determinations on numerous insect specimens. I am grateful to Sarah Gordon and Michelle (Jensen) Halbur for providing information on plant population locations. Gratitude to Bob Holland, Carol Witham, Matt Guilliams, and Joe Silveira for welcoming me into the larger circle of vernal pool researchers across the state. Thank you to my lab mates Frederique Lavoipierre, Sarah Heidl, Christine Colijn, and Kevin Roberts, and to the many undergraduates who assisted in the field and in the lab. Most importantly, I acknowledge my family for their undying love and support. This work was funded by a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and I received additional support from the California Native Plant Society, Milo Baker Chapter, and Sonoma State University’s Graduate Equity Fellowship. v Table of Contents Page List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Introduction 1 Methods 5 Results 12 Discussion 14 Conclusion 19 Literature Cited 20 Tables 24 Figures 34 Appendix 1: List of species collected 46 vi List of Tables Table 1: List of study sites …………………………………………………………..p. 24 Table 2: The results from a permutational analysis of covariance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, and site on visitation rates to Blennosperma bakeri with day of year as a covariate………………………………………………………………..……p. 25 Table 3: Results from a permutational analysis of covariance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, and site on visitation rates to Limnanthes vinculans with day of year as a covariate. …………………………………………………………………..……..p. 26 Table 4: Results from a permutational analysis of covariance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, site, and year on visitation rates to Lasthenia burkei with day of year as a covariate. ………………………………………………………………..………..p. 27 Table 5: Results from an analysis of covariance testing the effects of pool type, plant species, and distance to nearest neighbor on visitation rates to the three plant species, with distance to nearest neighbor as a covariate………………………………..….….p. 28 Table 6. Mean number of specimens of the major pollinator taxa collected in constructed and natural pools……………………………………………………………….….….p. 29 Table 7. Results from a permutational analysis of variance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, site, and pool on the abundance of insect specimens collected by net sweeps over flowering patches of B. bakeri, and pan trapped insects collected near the same flowering patch………………………………………………..………….…..…p. 30 Table 8: Results from a permutational analysis of variance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, site, and pool on the abundance of insect specimens collected by net sweeps over flowering patches of L. vinculans, and of pan trapped insects collected near the same flowering patch.………………………………………………..……….…...p. 31 Table 9: Results from a permutational analysis of variance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, site, pool, and year on the abundance of insect specimens collected by net sweeps over flowering patches of La. burkei……….………………………….p. 32 Table 10: Results from a permutational analysis of variance testing the effects of insect category, pool type, site, and pool on the abundance of insect specimens collected from pan traps set out near flowering patches of La. burkei in 2010………………...……..p. 33 vii List of Figures Figure 1. Map of study site locations…………………………………………………p. 34 Figure 2. Date ranges of sampling efforts for this study. …………………………….p. 35 Figure 3. Visitation rates across constructed and natural sites for B. bakeri…………p. 36 Figure 4. Plot showing the effect of day of year on visitation rates to B. bakeri by different insect categories………………………………………………………...…...p. 37 Figure 5. Visitation rates across constructed and natural sites for L. vinculans.……..p. 38 Figure 6. Plot showing the effect of day of year on visitation rates to L. vinculans by different insect categories……………………………………….………………….…p. 39 Figure 7. Visitation rates across constructed and natural sites for La. burkei………....p. 40 Figure 8. Plot showing the effect of day of year on visitation rates to La. burkei by different insect categories..……………………………………………………………p. 41 Figure 9. Figure showing results of an ANCOVA testing the visitation rates of solitary bees to the three plant species with distance to nearest neighboring population as a covariate. 9A: Visitation rates across constructed and natural sites for B. bakeri, L. vinculans, and L. burkei. 9B: Plot showing relationship between visitation rate and distance to neighbor……………………………………………………...……………p. 43 Figure 10. Mean of number of individual specimens collected by net and pan trapping across constructed and natural sites for B. bakeri. ……………………………………p. 44 Figure 11. Mean of number of individual specimens collected by net and pan trapping across constructed and natural sites for L. vinculans..……………………………...…p. 45 Figure 12. Mean of number of individual specimens collected by net and pan trapping across