Wild bee biodiversity in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna habitat in southern Ontario

Tallgrass prairie and oak savanna support appreciable biodiversity and are among the most threatened habitats in Canada, yet little is currently known about which bee species occur in these habitats and how management might affect their abundance and diversity. Here, we ask how restoration and management practices in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna affect bee communities in southern Ontario. Bee communities, vegetation plots and environmental characteristics were sampled in remnant, burnt, restored, and naturalized sites at three localities. Although bee communities were markedly different at the three sampled localities (separated by at least 114 km) with only 19% of total species shared, consistent trends in bee community metrics among management types across localities were found. Remnant sites had lower abundance, species richness, and Shannon diversity than other management types in most cases. Greater canopy cover and more woody debris were associated with remnant and burn sites and greater floral abundance with restored sites. These research outcomes will have implications for restoration ecology, habitat management, and bee conservation in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna.