Sean Fitzgerald presents 'Between Flowers and Frost: Pollinator Diversity and Network Structure in Southcentral Alaska', Dec. 5

Sean Fitzgerald, M.S. candidate in biology, will present 'Between Flowers and Frost: Pollinator Diversity and Network Structure in Southcentral Alaska' on Dec. 5.

Abstract

Pollinators are essential for the reproduction of flowering plants and for maintaining ecosystem function, yet their diversity and ecological roles in high-latitude regions remain poorly characterized. Alaska's short growing season, extreme climatic conditions, and rapid environmental change create a unique context for studying pollinator communities and the plant-pollinator networks that support northern biodiversity. This work evaluates how pollinator abundance, diversity, and interaction network structure vary across major habitat types in Southcentral Alaska. From May to August in 2024, field surveys across eight habitats at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson documented hundreds of pollinating insects, including bees, flies, wasps and beetles. Abundance and diversity differed strongly among habitats: open and flower-rich environments such as wetlands, ruderal areas and subalpine meadows supported the highest pollinator activity, while shaded boreal forests and alpine tundra hosted comparatively sparse communities. Seasonal trends were pronounced, with peak activity in mid-summer corresponding to Alaska's narrow flowering window. Network analyses revealed substantial habitat-level differences in structure and robustness. Boreal forests exhibited sparse, low-redundancy networks with high vulnerability to species loss. Roadside habitats supported the most diverse and robust networks, dominated by generalist pollinators and non-native flowering plants that created diffuse interaction structures. Alpine networks contained the highest floral richness but low connectance and limited pollinator redundancy. Pollinator abundance, rather than floral richness or diversity, was the strongest predictor of network complexity across all habitats. Together, these results establish a quantitative baseline for pollinator communities and plant-pollinator networks in Alaska and highlight how habitat context shapes the resilience and fragility of northern pollination systems under ongoing environmental change.

Event details

Event location - RH 303 and Zoom
Event date - Dec. 5, 2025
Event start time - 1 p.m.
Event end time - 2 p.m.

Zoom link