Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

McCurdy, James

Committee Member

Hill, JoVonn

Committee Member

Fortuin, Christine

Committee Member

Harris, Jeff

Date of Degree

8-7-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agricultural Life Sciences (Entomology)

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Agricultural Science and Plant Protection

Abstract

Urban turfgrass landscapes are widespread across the southeastern United States but offer limited ecological value under conventional management. This thesis evaluates the pollinator support potential of ten forb species commonly found in low-maintenance lawns and assesses the effectiveness of two insect sampling methods, sweep netting and pan trapping. Over two years of field surveys, native forbs such as Symphyotrichum divaricatum and Claytonia virginica supported significantly greater insect abundance and diversity than introduced species. Network and modularity analyses revealed that native plants facilitated more specialized pollinator interactions, including those involving oligolectic bee species. In a complementary study, pan traps effectively sampled small-bodied insects, while sweep netting captured a broader range of pollinators, including larger bees. Together, these results demonstrate that integrating select native forbs into turf systems can enhance pollinator habitat in urban landscapes, and that using both passive and active sampling methods provides a more complete representation of the pollinator community.

Sponsorship (Optional)

This work is supported by Agricultural and Food Research Initiative grant no. 2021-67013-34145 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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