D3092: Assessing climate-driven shifts in floral resource availability for bees on barrier islands in the southeastern U.S.

As climate change alters the timing of biological events, mutualistic interactions between bees and their floral partners may become disrupted. This project investigates how warming has affected the phenology of floral resources available to bee species on barrier islands in the southeastern United States, ecosystems that are ecologically important, yet underrepresented in pollination and climate studies. Using historical and contemporary climate data from ClimateNA, combined with phenological models based on herbarium specimens and bee occurrence records, we will assess shifts in the timing and duration of both bee activity and bloom periods for flowering species they have been documented to interact with. Floristic surveys and museum specimen data will be used to estimate daily floral resource availability for each bee species throughout their flight period. Key metrics include peak daily floral richness, the timing of that peak, and the number of days that bee species may experience low floral resource availability. These metrics will be evaluated for changes in activity periods under historical and contemporary climate conditions. This study aims to identify potential dips in floral resource availability due to phenological shifts that could compromise bee fitness and pollination success. By focusing on barrier islands, the results contribute novel insights into pollinator vulnerability in coastal ecosystems and provide a framework for climate-informed conservation planning.