Melittofauna and Other Potential Pollinators in Wetland and Uplands in South Central Nebraska (Insecta: Apoidea).

Our objective was to document potential wild pollinating insects in south central Nebraska. This intensively cultivated region is known as the Rainwater Basin and contains some of the most endangered wetland systems in North America. We used blue vane traps to passively collect insects and insect nets to actively collect on flowering plants from April through October in 2014 and 2015.

Assessing Nebraska playa wetland inundation status during 1985-2015 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine.

Playa wetlands in Nebraska provide globally important habitats for migratory waterfowl. Inundation condition is an important indicator of playa wetland functionality. However, there is a lack of long-term continuous monitoring records for playa wetlands.

Use RUSLE2 model to assess the impact of soil erosion on playa inundation and hydrophyte conditions in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska.

Playas in the Rainwater Basin region in Nebraska are globally important wetlands that are continuously threatened by culturally accelerated sedimentation. Using annual habitat survey data and wetland vegetation inventories, inundation and hydrophyte community distributions were evaluated for properties under different types of conservation status. Annual soil erosion rates from surrounding watersheds were calculated to estimate sediment accumulated rates using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 (RUSLE2).