Boyce Thompson Arboretum: Branching Out Speaker Series – The Sonoran Desert: A Global Bee Biodiversity Hotspot

With over 21,000 species globally, bees can be difficult to study, and our taxonomic knowledge concerning them continues to grow. The Tucson Bee Collaborative works to use DNA sequencing in conjunction with traditional museum collections to establish baselines for bee biodiversity in southern Arizona. So far, nearly 450 bee species have been found in the Tucson Basin alone, and almost 800 for all of southern AZ. Here we’ll discuss the origins of bees, their biogeography, and what makes the Sonoran Desert a top contender for being a global bee diversity hotspot. Speaker: Tanner Bland (he/him), Program Coordinator for Tucson Bee Collaborative Speaker Bio: As the program coordinator for the Tucson Bee Collaborative, my job is to enable research, educate the community, and facilitate the curation and identification of nearly 100,000 bee specimens from southern Arizona. I am also a master’s student at the University of Arizona Department of Entomology, where I’m using next-generation sequencing to help us better understand floral relationships for native, solitary bees in southern Arizona. We hope these novel methods will enable museums to answer new ecological questions using contemporary and historical specimen material, and aid in monitoring efforts for at-risk species. Register Here: https://7830.blackbaudhosting.com/7830/Branching-Out-The-Sonoran-Desert-A-Global-Bee-Biodiversity-Hotspot Interested in attending multiple lectures? Purchase a package for the December-January lectures for 10% off the ticket price: 7830.blackbaudhosting.com/7830/Branching-Out-Package-December-February   Please note: This presentation does NOT include admission to the Arboretum.