D3333: Insect movement eology informs management strategies

Habitat fragmentation provides a significant barrier to insect movement across the landscape. Individuals that can traverse an unsuitable matrix, like concrete parking lots, turfgrass, and other urban structures, often do so at an energetic cost, while those that cannot suffer from potential resource limitation and genetic inbreeding from habitat isolation. Connecting habitat patches, either directly with corridors or functionally with ‘steppingstones of habitat’ facilitates the efficient movement of individuals across fragmented landscapes to increase population sizes and gene-flow. Understandings of movement and how space is used by beneficial insects and pollinators within landscape constraints are fundamental to advancing natural resource management and conservation programs. Many are doing their part by establishing and maintaining small pollinator gardens in Connecticut. While commendable, the efficacy of these efforts and the impact of these small habitat establishments on insect communities remains unknown. Here, I will present on the work currently being conducted in the Fisher Lab to better understand habitat connectivity for monarch butterflies and bumble bees. This work will ensure that our efforts for pollinator conservation are effective.