From flowers to habitat: Evaluating floral metrics as indicators of bee habitat quality

Sunday, November 9, 2025

9:35 AM - 9:50 AM Pacific

Location: Oregon Convention Center, B110-112, OCC

Presenting Author(s)

DC

Daniel P. Cariveau

University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Co-Author(s)

JH

James Hung

The university of oklahoma
Neal M. Williams

Professor of Entomology
University of California
Stony Brook, New York
DI

David Inouye

University of Maryland
CB

Casey Burns

Bureau of land management
IL

Ian G. Lane

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - National Wildlife Refuge Program
Bloomington, Minnesota
RI

Rebecca E. Irwin

North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
HL

Hannah Levenson

North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
BD

Brianne Du Clos

Collections Manager
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
Chauvin, Louisiana
HW

Hollis Woodard (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
University of California
Riverside, California

Habitat loss and degradation, and the resulting decline in the abundance and diversity of floral resources, are widely recognized as key drivers of native bee declines. In response, habitat restoration and management efforts often aim to increase floral resources, yet our ability to evaluate their effectiveness remains limited. Despite its central role in pollinator ecology and conservation, there is little consensus on how best to quantify floral resources, particularly in heterogeneous habitat patches. Here we review the approaches used to estimate floral resources across pollinator studies, highlighting key trade-offs in effort, scale, and ecological relevance. We also examine how methodological choices influence conclusions about habitat quality for native bees and offer guidance for selecting or adapting metrics in applied research and management contexts.