Wednesday, June 23, 2021 — 7:30 pm
Speaker: Leslie Saul-Gershenz, PhD
Dr. Leslie Saul-Gershenz studies the impact on wild bee populations and species diversity of energy development in and near protected wild landscapes. Dr. Saul-Gershenz will discuss several recent studies that have documented a large decline in insect abundance, biodiversity, and biomass in Europe, Puerto Rico, and the United States, including California, looking at changes in insect populations over a 30-year period. Each study used different methodologies and pointed to different causes of declines. If time permits, she will also speak about her current bee study investigating the impact of utility-scale solar energy development in California’s deserts, and look at how activities outside protected areas affect protected areas like national parks and reserves. Insects, plants, and underground resources are inseparable within their ecosystems, and conservation management policies should encompass these complex relationships.
Dr. Saul-Gershenz is a research scientist affiliated with the Bohart Museum of Entomology and an associate director of research at the Wild Energy Initiative of the John Muir Institute of the Environment, all at UC Davis. In addition to her work on the effects of energy development projects on bees, she also studies the chemical ecology, pollination ecology, and complex parasite-host interactions of bees and their parasites across the western U.S., including the Mojave Desert, the coastal sand dunes of Oregon, and eastern Washington.
Our CNPS East Bay speaker programs will be presented as online meetings until it is once again safe to gather in person. If you have questions, contact Sue at programs@ebcnps.org.
