A map of pollinator floral resource habitats in the agricultural landscape of Central New York

Abstract

We created a spatially and temporally-explicit model of floral area in Central New York State, USA, using public data from federal and state governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations. This model incorporates remote sensing-derived natural habitat, crop and land-use data products with roads GIS data to predict land cover indicative of floral resources for pollinators. The resulting dataset provides the necessary land-cover data to quantify floral resources available within a user-specified area (e.g. 2 km radius around the location of a bee hive). When paired with phenological data of species within the communities associated with our land-cover classes, users can predict pollinator floral resources over any specified period in a year. This dataset would be of use to both researchers and practitioners, allowing them to estimate floral resource availability around crops or hive placements. It could also identify habitat restoration to most effectively boost native pollinator populations. We present the methodology for the creation of the spatial dataset and usage information.