Digital record of specimens, including voucher material, from the study of a pollinator habitat restoration site under a commercial solar array in Jackson County, Oregon, 2019

Authors

  • Maggie Graham Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
  • Lincoln Best Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2379-6833
  • Andrew R Moldenke Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5399/osu/cat_osac.5.2.4855

Abstract

Photovoltaic solar energy installation is booming, frequently near agricultural lands. Traditionally, the land underneath ground-mounted photovoltaic panels is unused, though some are repurposing it as habitat for pollinating insects. However, the impact of the solar panel canopy on the pollinator-plant community understory is unknown. In this study (Graham et al., 2020), we investigated the effects of solar arrays on plant composition, bloom timing and foraging behavior of pollinators in open fields (control), and in full shade and partial shade areas under solar panels in a predominant agricultural region of southern Oregon. Pollinating insect specimens were collected using hand nets, and identified to the lowest taxonomic group possible by M. Graham, A.R. Moldenke, and L.R. Best. A total of 85 voucher specimens were deposited into the Oregon State Arthropod Collection; accession record: OSAC_AC_2021_03_11_001-01.

References

CANPOLIN Bee Course. 2012. Key to Bee Genera in Canada. CANPOLIN. http://www.uoguelph.ca/canpolin.

Graham, M., A. Ates, A.P. Melathopoulos, A.R. Moldenke, S.J. DeBano, L.R. Best and C.H. Higgins. 2021. Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral abundance during the late-season for pollinators in a dryland, agrivoltaic ecosystem. Scientific Reports. 11 (7452). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86756-4

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Roberts, R. B. 1973. Bees of Northwestern America: HALICTUS (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station.

Williams, P. H., S.A. Cameron, H.M. Hines, B. Cederberg and P.A. Rasmont. 2008. A simplified subgeneric classification of the bumblebees (genus Bombus). Apidologie 39, 46–74.

Williams, P. H., R.W. Thorp, L.L. Richardson and S.R. Colla. 2014. Bumble bees of North America: an identification guide. Princeton University Press.

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Published

2021-03-31

How to Cite

Graham, M., Best, L., & Moldenke, A. R. (2021). Digital record of specimens, including voucher material, from the study of a pollinator habitat restoration site under a commercial solar array in Jackson County, Oregon, 2019. Catalog: Oregon State Arthropod Collection, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.5399/osu/cat_osac.5.2.4855

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Articles