The impact of prescribed burning on native bee diversity in longleaf pine savannas in the sandhills of North Carolina

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas located in the Sandhills of North and South Carolina are fire-maintained ecosystems that are of great interest to biologists and ecologists due to the many endemic plant and animal species that it plays host to. Considerable work has been done to understand the relationship between fire and these endemics, with the primary focus being on plants and vertebrate species, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker. The research investigating the impact of prescribed fire on invertebrates has been focused primarily on pest species such as bark beetles and red imported fire ants (Solenopis invicta). This study aims to illuminate how native bees respond to prescribed burning on a 3 year rotation to better inform conservation and land management decisions.