National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Project Update Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the Brink Research at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Importance: Pollinators at risk in a changing climate Bees provide a critical ecosystem service, pollination, yet we know little about their abundance, diversity, and distribu- tion across National Park Service (NPS) lands. We know even less about the possible effects of climate change on popu- lations. Coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to effects Collecting bees: Pouring the contents from , a common green one of the 30 blue, yellow, and white “bee from climate change, and sand dunes are often hot spots for metallic sweat bee, found in the park. bowls” through a strainer, and then into a rare and/or endemic bee and plant species. Sleeping Bear Photo: © 2006-2010 John Ascher plastic bag for storage and shipping. Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 48 NPS units that are Methods surveying the distribution of bee species in vulnerable Both sites were located near the north end of North Bar habitats (coastal dunes, inland dunes, and alpine areas). The Lake. The vulnerable site was in a vegetated dune area and bee species within the targeted habitats are compared to bee the paired common site was half a kilometer inland in an open species found in nearby, more common habitats. Comparing meadow edged by woodland. A transect of 30 small painted these different habitats within each park will reveal if there bowls spaced 5 m apart were laid out at each site. Bowls were are rare and/or endemic bee species associated with sensitive filled with soapy water and left open for 24 hours on sunny areas which might be vulnerable to processes such as species days, collecting bees which were attracted to the color. Three loss, population decline, and disruption of pollination samples were taken in July and August, 2010, and four more were taken between May and September, 2011, timed to networks in response to climate change. These areas can then coincide with peak bee activity. After each run, bees were be targeted for future monitoring, and where appropriate, for collected (see photo above) and sent to a central processing active management. facility at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (USGS Mary- Sampling Location land) for identification.

Meadow Site Gull Point Dune Site

Motorized Tours near the north end of Dune Site (seasonal) 1014ft Passenger Ferry 309m Florence North Bar Lake Lake (seasonal) Giant Cedars Lighthouse E G S OUTH A LAKE Francisco Morazan wreck S MANITOU S ISLAND A P (No services)

MICHIGAN U T O Pyramid Point 12 N I M A Port Oneida Rural Historic District

SLEEPING Thoreson Sleeping Bear Point Road 11 Coast Guard Station BEAR B AY Maritime Museum Glen Haven 11 Sleeping Bear Point Historic Village Crystal 9 D.H. Day River SLEEPING BEAR 109 DUNES Glen Arbor Meadow Site 8 7 10 Dune Climb Day Fore is an open meadow 6 st Rd edged by woodland near 1024ft 675 312m GLEN LAKE the north end of North Bar Lake Inspiration 5 4 Point

109 North Bar Lake Voice Road BOW South Bar Lake LAKES 22 675 Philip A. Hart Visitor Center 677 Empire Park Headquarters 72 Wilco Road

Empire Landing Field (airstrip)

0 5 10 Mi on k Road

No rcr E Es ch Rd O t te Y r C A r e Bees on the Brink B e 1 www.nps.gov/slbe/ k

E P L AT T Results A total of 488 bees were collected in 2010 and 2011. Sampling Dates Approximately three times as many bees were caught in the 302520151050-5-10-15 08/03/10 07/14/10

common meadow site as in the vulnerable dune site (381 and 08/25/10 06/28/11 107 individuals, respectively). In addition to trapping more 06/06/11 09/16/11

individuals, the meadow site also yielded more species (34) 05/13/11 than the dune site (23); 18 species were shared between the two sites (see bar graph below). There were several specialists found at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but their pattern of separation between sites was not clear. Of the sand specialists: Agaposte- mon splendens and pruinosum were collected (°C) Temperature

only at the dune site; Dianthidium simile was found at both 30 Year Average dune and meadow sites, with a few more at the dune site; Avg. Monthly Temp. 2010-2011 Min Lasioglossum lustrans and Lasioglossum pictum each had one Max individual at both sites; Lasioglossum leucocomum and Lasio- AJAODMJSN JMMJSNFAJAOD 2010 2011 glossum pilosum (until recently thought to be the same Month species) were more common at the meadow site; and Lasio- Average monthly min/max temperatures compared to the 30-year average temperatures for the seven 2010/2011 glossum vierecki was collected only at the meadow site. bee sampling dates

Overall, both sites had clear “sand” signals but did not Data source: PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, differ greatly in species composition. This is probably because http://prism.oregonstate.edu, created January 2011. the meadow site (just 0.5 km from the lakeshore) is also sandy, Augochlorella aurata, Halictus confusus, and Halictus ligatus, while supporting a denser cover of vegetation. As soils shift to which were absent or rare at the dune site. loams and clays elsewhere in the region, the sand-associated Some of the sand specialists were of particular interest. bee species will certainly drop out of the bee community. At Dianthidium simile is very rare and is known primarily from the same time, the meadow site did have a fairly strong “field” dune sites in the Great Lakes region. The new record for signal, with common field/meadow species such as Lasioglossum lustrans extends the range of this species much further northward from the previous range limit in southern Michigan. This species appears to be more associated with sand at the northern edge of its range than in southern areas. Lasioglossum pictum is also a very uncommon species associ- ated with sandy sites and shows up only rarely in collections.

Comparison of bee species richness within genera in dune and meadow sites in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Dune Site Andrena Meadow Site

Ceratina Agapostemon splendens, a sand specialist found at the dune site. Photo: © 2006-2010 John Ascher Agapostemon

Lassioglossum

Osmia

Apis

Bombus

Colletes

Dianthidium

Melissodes

Halictus

Megachile

Anthidium Lasioglossum pilosum, a sand-associated species but more common at the meadow site. Augochlorella Photo: © 2010 Tom Murray Hoplitis # sand specialists Lasioglossum pictum, a rarely collected Nomada # species within genus sand-associated species. A single individual Pseudopanurgus was found at both the dune and meadow # species unique to dune or meadow site sites. Photo: © 2010 Packer Collection at York University, York University. 15 10 5 0 0 5 10 15 Number of Species Bees on the Brink 21 www.nps.gov/slbe/