Geographic drivers more important than landscape composition in predicting bee beta diversity and community structure

The importance of microhabitat traits such as floral availability is well known; however, forest bee spatial dynamics have been variably studied across local to broad geographic scales. Past literature suggests that landscape factors from proximate to distal are important in determining forest bee community metrics, including richness, abundance, and taxonomic composition. Leveraging the interest and assistance of citizen science volunteers, we employed standard bee bowl trap transects across Maryland, Delaware, northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia and identified correlations between bee community composition, local and regional landcover, and broader geospatial patterns. We also identified the partial contributions of both specific species and sampling sites to total beta diversity. Various landcover metrics were significantly related to bee community structure, with bee abundance positively and negatively correlated with forest and wetland cover, respectively. In general, l..., Data were collected by citizen science volunteers using bee bowl transects across 99 forest sites in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia, USA, in 2014. Characteristics of the forest bee community, including nesting and trophic groups, were correlated with landcover at varying spatial scales (200- and 1000-m buffer from transect origin) and broader biogeographic parameters., , # Geographic drivers more important than landscape composition in predicting bee beta diversity and community structure

Ecosphere

Data were collected by citizen science volunteers using bee bowl transects across 99 forest sites in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia, USA, in 2014. Characteristics of the forest bee community, including nesting and trophic groups, were correlated with landcover at varying spatial scales (200- and 1000-m buffer from transect origin) and broader biogeographic parameters.

## Site\_Data

Data table includes site name (Site), geographic coordinates in decimal degrees (Latitude, Longitude), the sampled State (State) and county (County), and geographic coordinates in meters north (Northing) and east (Easting) of UTM Zone 18 origin. Remaining variables include proportion of land cover types (open water, developed, forest, agriculture and early successional, wetlands) identified within 200- or 1000-m buffer of sampling transect origin.
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