Browsing by Author "Boone, Michelle"
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Item Monitoring and Habitat Assessment of Declining Bumble Bees in Roadsides in the Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota(University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, 2019-06) Evans, Elaine; Boone, Michelle; Cariveau, DanSeveral bumble bee species have declined dramatically, including the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis. Roadsides offer a unique opportunity to increase habitat for these declining species. The objectives of this study are to: (1) characterize the bumble bee community and floral availability within roadsides in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, metro area, (2) estimate detection probabilities and occupancy for bumble bees using occupancy modeling, (3) determine the effort needed to detect rusty-patched bumble bees, and (4) examine the relationship of the bumble bee community to the surrounding landscape. We use rapid and broad-scale sampling at randomly selected locations. Despite overall low floral abundance, many bumble bee species, including rare and declining species, use roadsides. Occupancy models predict rusty-patched bumble bees occupy 4% of sites, with a 30% chance of detection if it is at the site. We recommend performing nine surveys in a single season to be 95% sure that B. affinis is detected if it is there. Bumble bee abundances and species numbers increase with more wooded area and floral cover. Crops are negatively associated with bee abundance, species numbers, and the presence of rare bumble bees. Our management recommendations for roadsides to support rare and declining bumble bees are: (1) incorporate additional bumble bee forage, (2) when weed control requires elimination of flowering plants, replace with bumble bee forage, (3) use our estimates for occupancy and abundance as a baseline to assess conservation efforts for bumble bees within roadsides in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.Item Non-lethal DNA extraction methods for genetic analyses of endangered bumble bee species(2021-08-27) Kuhlmey, Eiley E; Boone, Michelle; Lindsey, Amelia; Rao, SujayaSeveral North American bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Bombus) are faced with decline as factors such as climate change, pollution, and urbanization threaten their existence, thus raising concern regarding genetic diversity as populations diminish. Consequently, genetic analysis of these susceptible species is essential when considering appropriate conservation efforts. One species, Bombus affinis, has experienced such sharp population declines that it was listed as federally endangered within the United States and Canada. This necessitates methods for collecting genetic samples from bumble bees that do not require euthanizing specimens or removing legs. A previous pilot study used 50 mL conical tubes fitted with sugar water soaked swabs to passively collect genetic material from Bombus affinis. Approximately 50% of the 63 samples obtained contained usable amounts of DNA. To further improve this technique, samples were collected from Bombus impatiens using two non-lethal, minimally-invasive DNA extraction methods that can be applied to declining and endangered species. In one method, bumble bee thoraxes were swabbed directly to collect hairs from the immobilized bumble bees, whereas the second technique involved the passive DNA collection method utilized in the pilot study. The results of these two techniques were compared using PCR and gel electrophoresis to determine which of these methods, direct swabbing or passive DNA collection, works best for gathering genetic samples without causing unnecessary harm to susceptible and endangered species. It was concluded that the passive technique resulted in distinguishable DNA approximately 1.8 times more consistently than the active technique and is the better option among these methods.