Rangelands cover almost a third of the US with largely natural land. They thus have strong potential to support pollinator conservation. In addition, pollinators are critical for healthy rangelands. They enable production of food for both people and livestock, and help maintain healthy water and soil. However, little is known about pollinators in rangelands. We are studying how grazing management alters pollinator communities, and the food and shelter resources that support those communities. Currently we are working on ranches that continuously graze, rotate their cattle periodically, or use adaptive rotational grazing with frequent movement of livestock among pastures.

• See some of the organisms we encounter via our iNaturalist project.
• Shannon Collins focused her Master's research on identifying impacts of floral availability, and soil and vegetation characteristics, on ground-nesting bee communities.
• Avery Pearson is investigating impacts of grazing management on diverse pollinators including bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies. She is assessing changes to both diversity and plant visitation patterns, and using a traits-based approach to identify potential mechanisms underlying such changes.

Have a ranch in north Texas or southern Oklahoma and interested in working with us? See this informational flyer.

See photos of the lab at work, and some of our ranch sites.