The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Forest Health Research Lab Manager Amanda Dillon, recently collaborated with other researchers from universities, state agencies, and environmental organizations across the Northeast to study how barrens ecosystems can support important pollinators like bees and moths.
Barrens ecosystems are known for having rocky or sandy soils, patches of vegetation interspersed with bare ground, and natural cycles that rely on periodic small wildfires.
In New York, examples of barrens ecosystems include Albany’s Pine Bush Preserve and the Long Island Pine Barrens, both of which feature pitch pine and oak trees, rare wildflowers and insects, and diverse wildlife.
The study, which was published in fall 2024 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, aimed to understand and compare how the environmental features and plant life in barrens ecosystems affect bee and moth communities. This information can help us understand how management activities can support pollinator populations in these habitats.
During the four-year study, researchers examined 19 barrens preserves across nine Northeast states, including the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.
At each preserve, researchers collected information on features of the site such as climate, plant life, tree cover, soils, and management history. They also collected, identified, and counted bees and moths at each site.
The results show that soil type, climate, and amount of tree cover were the most important factors affecting bee and moth populations at these sites.
Bees, and moths specifically adapted to barrens habitats, preferred open areas with a rich diversity of plant life. In contrast, other moth species preferred areas with more tree cover.
These results suggest that using management techniques to create openings between trees in barrens ecosystems can promote diverse, abundant populations of bees and barrens specialist moths in these habitats.
Read more about pollinators in New York State.
Photo of upland pine barrens in New Jersey by Uli Lorimer courtesy Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
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