The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: master’s student, Biology, Kansas State University

The Effects of Grazing Management on Plant-Pollinator Networks and Bee Habitat 

Greenlee’s study will identify grazing practices that promote a diverse, healthy pollinator community in prairies.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: master’s student, Entomology, University of Kentucky

Nutritional Effects on Development, Behavior and Gene Expression in Sweat Bees

Ploessl’s experiment will provide information on how nutrition affects the development and behavior of this important native pollinator. 

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: PhD candidate in Pollination Ecology, University of Washington

The Effect of Mixed Severity Wildfires on Pollinator Populations in Eastern Washington

Maust’s study will provide a holistic assessment of the effects of wildfire on plant-pollinator interactions in Western landscapes.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: PhD candidate in Integrative Biology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University

Habitat Fragmentation on Plant-Pollinator Networks

Measuring changes in network specialization, nestedness, and interaction diversity, Hulting’s research will inform pollinator conservation in fragmented habitats.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: Master’s student, Forest Biology, University of Georgia

An Integrated Approach to Using Silviculture Management for Conserving Wild Bees in Managed Forests

McDonald will evaluate how prescribed burning impacts floral and bee communities; assess correlation between stand basal area and bee abundance and species richness; and identify plant taxa and bee species present in stands to better understand how species in these communities are linked. McDonald will compare native-bee populations in pine-dominant forests burned in the dormant season with those burned in the growing season, while evaluating the differences in floral resources within the stands. Findings will help forest managers integrate native-pollinator conservation into broader wildlife and timber management goals.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: PhD candidate in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University

Beyond Blooms: Enhancing Nesting Resources for Ground-Nesting Bee Conservation

Fredenburg will investigate the effects of urbanization and surface soil features on ground-nesting bee nest activity in urban and rural habitats. Manipulating the surface soil to attract ground-nesting bees will experimentally test the nesting habitat feature preferences of ground-nesting bees. Comparing sites in urban and rural habitats will provide evidence of urbanization’s effects on the unique bee community. Fredenburg’s study will provide information on how the species can be better conserved in areas where nesting requirements may be limited.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship
School: PhD Candidate in Ecology, Colorado State University

Songbirds as Novel Pollinators: Uncovering the Role of Passerines in Pollination Systems Across Western North America

Coyle’s research will evaluate how often passerine birds carry pollen and which plants they visit, potentially connecting plant populations locally and over longer distances. After collecting pollen from songbirds and hummingbirds in collaboration with bird banders across western North America, Coyle will use DNA analysis to identify pollen samples. Coyle’s study will provide new insights into the role of birds in pollination systems, information that could be critical to sustaining and restoring plant-pollinator interactions in a changing world.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship

Did the Pollinator Cross the Road?: Plant-Pollinator Ecology and Wildflower-Population Connectivity in Roadside Verges of the Piedmont Region of North Carolina

McNear’s research will focus on the ecology of roadside wildflower populations by measuring genetic connectivity, observing insect pollinators, and testing pollen transfer in roadside habitats. The research goal is to explore the potential conservation value of verge habitats for native grassland wildflowers.

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship

What’s Bee-Low the Surface: Exploring Relationships between the Soil Microbiome and Ground-Nesting Bee Communities

The Garden Club of America Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship

Beyond the Yucca Moth: The Composition, Structure, and Climate-Change Sensitivity of Moth Pollen-Transport Networks in the Southwest

Cosma’s research will explore moth pollentransport networks along an elevational gradient in southern California. Extending the traditional focus on highly specialized moth-pollination interactions to the community level, Cosma will combine field sampling with advanced molecular techniques to uncover nocturnal mothpollen transport. Cosma’s research will use the natural experiment provided by an elevational gradient to inform predictions about how plant and insect communities will fare in the Southwest’s rapidly changing climate.