Faculty Mentor
Rebecca Brown
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
The Palouse Prairie Ecoregion is one of North America’s most endangered grassland ecosystems, with less than 1% retaining native vegetation. Restoration efforts have struggled to re-establish ecologically important native forbs and the plant–pollinator interactions necessary for long-term community stability. Spatial configuration of floral resources is known to influence pollinator foraging behavior and interaction network structure, yet few studies have evaluated how planting scale affects both plant establishment and pollinator community assembly in early-stage prairie restoration. My research aims to evaluate how variations in the size (0.1, 1, and 10 m²) of grouped wildflower plantings (pollinator islands) affect native forb establishment, floral abundance, and pollinator community structure within the prairie restoration site at Eastern Washington University. Vegetation and pollinator surveys will be conducted throughout the growing season. This study will clarify how spatial scale impacts native plant establishment and pollinator network assembly, and will guide restoration efforts at Eastern Washington University and beyond.
Recommended Citation
Reeve, Yaelle Esther, "Influence of Pollinator Island Patch Size on Forb Establishment and Pollinator Networks in Palouse Prairie Restoration" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 17.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/works_2026/works_2026/17
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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Influence of Pollinator Island Patch Size on Forb Establishment and Pollinator Networks in Palouse Prairie Restoration
The Palouse Prairie Ecoregion is one of North America’s most endangered grassland ecosystems, with less than 1% retaining native vegetation. Restoration efforts have struggled to re-establish ecologically important native forbs and the plant–pollinator interactions necessary for long-term community stability. Spatial configuration of floral resources is known to influence pollinator foraging behavior and interaction network structure, yet few studies have evaluated how planting scale affects both plant establishment and pollinator community assembly in early-stage prairie restoration. My research aims to evaluate how variations in the size (0.1, 1, and 10 m²) of grouped wildflower plantings (pollinator islands) affect native forb establishment, floral abundance, and pollinator community structure within the prairie restoration site at Eastern Washington University. Vegetation and pollinator surveys will be conducted throughout the growing season. This study will clarify how spatial scale impacts native plant establishment and pollinator network assembly, and will guide restoration efforts at Eastern Washington University and beyond.
