Ecovoltaic wild bee pollinator habitat may be a key to habitat connectivity and pollination services in solar-agricultural landscapes

Audra L. Hinson , Gregory W. McCarty , George W. Ogilvie-Russell , Xuesong Zhang , Rich Iovanna , Gordon Kretser , Cathleen J. Hapeman

Energy, Ecology and Environment ›› : 1 -14.

PDF
Energy, Ecology and Environment ›› :1 -14. DOI: 10.1007/s40974-026-00407-w
Original Article
research-article
Ecovoltaic wild bee pollinator habitat may be a key to habitat connectivity and pollination services in solar-agricultural landscapes
Author information +
History +
PDF

Keywords

InVEST / Solar park / Turf / Bumble bees / Sweat bees / Soybeans / Photovoltaic

Cite this article

Download citation ▾
Audra L. Hinson, Gregory W. McCarty, George W. Ogilvie-Russell, Xuesong Zhang, Rich Iovanna, Gordon Kretser, Cathleen J. Hapeman. Ecovoltaic wild bee pollinator habitat may be a key to habitat connectivity and pollination services in solar-agricultural landscapes. Energy, Ecology and Environment 1-14 DOI:10.1007/s40974-026-00407-w

登录浏览全文

4963

注册一个新账户 忘记密码

References

[1]

Abdelilah Y, Bascones AA, Anatolitis V, Bahar H, Bojek P, Briens F, Criswell T, Moorhouse J, Veerakumar K, Martinez LM. Renewables 2024 Analysis and forecast to 2030. Int Energy Agency. 2024.

[2]

Antoine CM, Forrest JRK. Nesting habitat of ground-nesting bees: a review. Ecol Entomol. 2021, 46: 143-159.

[3]

Billeisen TL, Kilpatrick LD, Seth-Carley D, Brandenburg RL. Presence of pollinator‐friendly habitat on pollinator communities in managed turfgrass systems. Int Turfgrass Soc Res J. 2022, 14: 295-303.

[4]

Blaydes H, Gardner E, Whyatt JDet al. . Solar park management and design to boost bumble bee populations. Environ Res Lett. 2022.

[5]

Breuninger JM, Welterlen MS, Augustin BJet al. . The turfgrass industry. Turfgrass: Biology Use Manage. 2015, 56: 37-103.

[6]

Bruninga-Socolar B, McCall J, Walston LJet al. . Pollinator habitat in solar facilities has potential to support high diversity of bee species. Environ Res Commun. 2025.

[7]

Cane JH (1987) Estimation of Bee Size Using Intertegular Span (Apoidea). J Kansas Entomol Soc 60:145–147 https://www.jstor.org/stable/25084877

[8]

Capellán-Pérez I, de Castro C, Arto I. Assessing vulnerabilities and limits in the transition to renewable energies: Land requirements under 100% solar energy scenarios. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2017, 77: 760-782.

[9]

Crago CL, Feyzollahi M, Harper RW. Solar Power or Forests? A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Forest Land Conversion in the Northeastern United States. Land Use Policy. 2025, 158: 107679.

[10]

Cusser S, Jha S, Lonsdorf E, Ricketts T. Public and private economic benefits of adopting conservation tillage for cotton pollination. Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2023, 342108251.

[11]

Davis AY, Lonsdorf EV, Shierk CRet al. . Enhancing pollination supply in an urban ecosystem through landscape modifications. Landsc Urban Plann. 2017, 162157-166.

[12]

Desaegher J, Sheeren D, Ouin A. Optimising spatial distribution of mass-flowering patches at the landscape scale to increase crop pollination. J Appl Ecol. 2021, 58: 1876-1887.

[13]

Dolezal AG, Torres J, O’Neal ME. Can Solar Energy Fuel Pollinator Conservation?. Environ Entomol. 2021, 50: 757-761.

[14]

Everaars J, Settele J, Dormann CF. Fragmentation of nest and foraging habitat affects time budgets of solitary bees, their fitness and pollination services, depending on traits: Results from an individual-based model. PLoS ONE. 2018, 13: 1-28.

[15]

Fenstermacher DE, Rabenhorst MC, Lang MWet al. . Distribution, Morphometry, and Land Use of Delmarva Bays. Wetlands. 2014, 34: 1219-1228.

[16]

Garibaldi LA, Schulte LA, Nabaes Jodar DNet al. . Time to Integrate Pollinator Science into Soybean Production. Trends Ecol Evol. 2021, 36: 573-575.

[17]

Gathmann A, Tscharntke T. Foraging ranges of solitary bees. J Anim Ecol. 2002, 71: 757-764.

[18]

Gazzoni DL, Paz Barateiro JVGR. Soybean yield is increased through complementary pollination by honey bees. J Apic Res. 2024, 63: 801-812.

[19]

Goulson D, Nicholls E, Botías C, Rotheray EL (2015) Bee declines driven by combined Stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers. Science (80- ) 347: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1255957

[20]

Graham M, Ates S, Melathopoulos APet al. . Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral abundance during the late-season for pollinators in a dryland, agrivoltaic ecosystem. Sci Rep. 2021, 11: 1-13.

[21]

Groff SC, Loftin CS, Drummond Fet al. . Parameterization of the InVEST Crop Pollination Model to spatially predict abundance of wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) native bee pollinators in Maine, USA. Environ Model Softw. 2016, 79: 1-9.

[22]

Harmon-Threatt A. Influence of nesting characteristics on health of wild bee communities. Ann Rev Entomol. 2020, 65: 39-56.

[23]

Hinson AL, McCarty G, Du Let al. . Native bee pollination ecosystem services in agricultural wetlands and riparian protected lands. Wetlands. 2024, 44: 116.

[24]

Hofmann MM, Fleischmann A, Renner SS. Foraging distances in six species of solitary bees with body lengths of 6 to 15 mm, inferred from individual tagging, suggest 150 m-rule-of-thumb for flower strip distances. J Hymenoptera Res. 2020, 77105-117.

[25]

Kirby SR, Minaev NS, McCurdy JDet al. . Alternative approaches to turf systems: A review of pollinator-friendly lawns. Crop Sci. 2025.

[26]

Klein AM, Vaissière BE, Cane JH et al (2007) Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274:303–313. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3721

[27]

Koh I, Lonsdorf EV, Williams NMet al. . Modeling the status, trends, and impacts of wild bee abundance in the United States. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2016, 113: 140-145.

[28]

Kordbacheh F, Liebman M, Harris M (2020) Strips of prairie vegetation placed within row crops can sustain native bee communities. PLoS One 15:1–21 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240354

[29]

Lamas ZS, Rinkevich F, Garavito A, et al (2026) Viruses and vectors tied to honey bee colony losses. bioRxiv 2025.05.28.656706 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013939

[30]

Lec’hvien A, Bienvenu L, Isselin-Nondedeu Fet al. . Effects of solar panels and management on pollinators and their interactions with plants in Southern French solar parks. Biol Conserv. 2025, 307: 111209.

[31]

Levenson HK, Sharp AE, Tarpy DR. Evaluating the impact of increased pollinator habitat on bee visitation and yield metrics in soybean crops. Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2022, 331107901.

[32]

Lonsdorf E, Kremen C, Ricketts Tet al. . Modelling pollination services across agricultural landscapes. Ann Botany. 2009, 1031589-1600.

[33]

Maryland Department of Agriculture (2016) The Maryland Pollinator Protection Plan

[34]

Maryland Department of Environment (2020) Governor’s task force on renewable energy development and siting. Final Report

[35]

Meyer MH, Dullau S, Scholz P et al (2023) Solar Parks

[36]

Murray TE, Kuhlmann M, Potts SG. Conservation ecology of bees: Populations, species and communities. Apidologie. 2009, 40: 211-236.

[37]

Natural Capital Alliance (2026) InVEST 3.17.2. https://doi.org/10.60793/natcap-invest-3.17.2

[38]

Olsson O, Bolin A, Smith HG, Lonsdorf EV. Modeling pollinating bee visitation rates in heterogeneous landscapes from foraging theory. Ecol Model. 2015, 316: 133-143.

[39]

Schmied H, Getrost L, Diestelhorst Oet al. . Between perfect habitat and ecological trap: even wildflower strips mulched annually increase pollinating insect numbers in intensively used agricultural landscapes. J Insect Conserv. 2022, 26: 425-434.

[40]

Semeraro T, Scarano A, Santino Aet al. . An innovative approach to combine solar photovoltaic gardens with agricultural production and ecosystem services. Ecosyst Serv. 2022, 56: 101450.

[41]

Sharp R, Douglass J, Wolny S, Arkema K, Bernhardt J, Bierbower W (2020) InVEST 3.8. 9. post5 + ug. g0755539 User’s Guide. The Natural Capital Project. Stanford University, University of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and &#8230

[42]

Steffan-Dewenter I, Münzenberg U, Bürger Cet al. . Scale-dependent effects of landscape context on three pollinator guilds. Ecology. 2002, 831421-1432. 1421:SDEOLC]2.0.CO;2

[43]

Stemet L, Biddinger DJ, Naithani K, Szalanski AL, Joshi N (2024) Intertegular distance of wild bees and its use in estimating proboscis lengths and foraging ranges to better understand bee conservation ecology. Available at SSRN 4877884

[44]

USDA NASS (2025) United States Summary and State Data. 2022 Census of Agriculture, 711. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/usv1.pdf

[45]

Venturini EM, Drummond FA, Hoshide AK, et al (2017) Pollination reservoirs for wild bee habitat enhancement in cropping systems: a review. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 41:101–142 https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2016.1258377

[46]

Waddington KD. Flight patterns of foraging bees relative to density of artificial flowers and distribution of nectar. Oecologia. 1980, 44: 199-204.

[47]

Walston LJ, Mishra SK, Hartmann HMet al. . Examining the Potential for Agricultural Benefits from Pollinator Habitat at Solar Facilities in the United States. Environ Sci Technol. 2018, 52: 7566-7576.

[48]

Wentling C, Campos FS, David J, Cabral P. Pollination potential in Portugal: Leveraging an ecosystem service for sustainable agricultural productivity. Land. 2021.

[49]

Williams NM, Kremen C. Resource distributions among habitats determine solitary bee offspring production in a mosaic landscape. Ecol Appl. 2007, 17: 910-921.

[50]

Winfree R, Williams NM, Dushoff J, Kremen C. Native bees provide insurance against ongoing honey bee losses. Ecol Lett. 2007, 10: 1105-1113.

[51]

Winfree R, Williams NM, Gaines Het al. . Wild bee pollinators provide the majority of crop visitation across land-use gradients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, USA. J Appl Ecol. 2008, 45: 793-802.

[52]

Wolfin J, Watkins E, Lane Iet al. . Floral enhancement of turfgrass lawns benefits wild bees and honey bees (Apis mellifera). Urban Ecosyst. 2023, 26: 361-375.

[53]

Zulian G, Maes J, Paracchini ML. Linking land cover data and crop yields for mapping and assessment of pollination services in Europe. Land. 2013, 2: 472-492.

[54]

Zurbuchen A, Landert L, Klaiber Jet al. . Maximum foraging ranges in solitary bees: only few individuals have the capability to cover long foraging distances. Biol Conserv. 2010, 143: 669-676.

Funding

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)(DE-SC0014664)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) – Wetlands(NRC19IRA0010162)

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems intramural research

USDA Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network

USDA Farm Service Agency funds

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply

PDF

0

Accesses

0

Citation

Detail

Sections
Recommended

/