Janean Sharkey

Role: Conference Bursary Recipient

Department: Environmental Sciences

College: Ontario Agricultural College

Conference Attended: Southwestern Research Station, Portal, Arizona, USA

Location: In-person

Value: $1,900

Research Presentation:

I am an M.Sc. student in Professor Nigel Raine’s lab at the University of Guelph, and I am studying native bee ecology in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna. Formerly widespread, tallgrass prairie and oak savanna are among Canada’s most endangered communities. I am interested in how restoration and land management influence the structure of wild bee communities and am assessing overall native bee abundance, diversity, and community composition metrics and characterizing vegetation in naturalized meadows, restored, burned, and remnant habitats. As part of this research, I recorded several new bee species records, including a range expansion and the first Canadian record of Hibiscus Bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis), which is also the first record for this genus in Canada.

Objectives for Attending: 

My objectives for this workshop are to increase my understanding of bee ecology and taxonomy. This workshop may also provide the opportunity for me to bring bee specimens from my research and/or from other FFT research projects from Prof. Nigel Raine’s lab for expert identification, which would be costly and time-consuming to do otherwise. The workshop is also an excellent opportunity to meet other researchers and discuss my research and network on a more global level.