Modeling Pollinator Community Response to Contrasting Bioenergy Scenarios

Bennett, Ashley B.; Meehan, Timothy D.; Gratton, Claudio; Isaacs, Rufus

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110676

Modeling Pollinator Community Response to Contrasting Bioenergy Scenarios

Journal Article · Sun Nov 02 23:00:00 EST 2014 · PLoS ONE

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0110676· OSTI ID:1904709

Bennett, Ashley B. ^[1]; Meehan, Timothy D. ^[2]; Gratton, Claudio ^[2]; Isaacs, Rufus ^[3]

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States); Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States)

In the United States, policy initiatives aimed at increasing sources of renewable energy are advancing bioenergy production, especially in the Midwest region, where agricultural landscapes dominate. While policy directives are focused on renewable fuel production, biodiversity and ecosystem services will be impacted by the land-use changes required to meet production targets. Using data from field observations, we developed empirical models for predicting abundance, diversity, and community composition of flower-visiting bees based on land cover. We used these models to explore how bees might respond under two contrasting bioenergy scenarios: annual bioenergy crop production and perennial grassland bioenergy production. In the two scenarios, 600,000 ha of marginal annual crop land or marginal grassland were converted to perennial grassland or annual row crop bioenergy production, respectively. Model projections indicate that expansion of annual bioenergy crop production at this scale will reduce bee abundance by 0 to 71%, and bee diversity by 0 to 28%, depending on location. In contrast, converting annual crops on marginal soil to perennial grasslands could increase bee abundance from 0 to 600% and increase bee diversity between 0 and 53%. Our analysis of bee community composition suggested a similar pattern, with bee communities becoming less diverse under annual bioenergy crop production, whereas bee composition transitioned towards a more diverse community dominated by wild bees under perennial bioenergy crop production. Models, like those employed here, suggest that bioenergy policies have important consequences for pollinator conservation.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Grant/Contract Number:: FC02-07ER64494; AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1904709

Journal Information:: PLoS ONE, Journal Name: PLoS ONE Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 9; ISSN 1932-6203

Publisher:: Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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