D3237: Can powerline corridors provide pollinator habitat in a suburban landscape matrix?

Research suggests that managed urban green spaces, such as powerline corridors and residential yards, may serve as pollinator habitat, depending on their vegetation management. In the Chicago metro area, some corridors are managed with mowing and herbicide (“mowed corridors”), some are rarely managed and therefore overgrown (“oldfield corridors”), and others have been planted with native prairie plants (“prairie corridors”). We examined the species composition of the plant and pollinator communities in Chicago suburbs within mowed and oldfield corridors, prairie corridors, and residential backyards surrounding the corridors. Data were collected on pollinator species richness and diversity, floral resource richness and diversity, and floral resource cover. Floral resource species richness was highest in prairie corridors. Powerline corridors (prairie, mowed, and oldfield) also consistently contained pollinator communities higher in abundance and richness than residential backyards. An increased species richness of floral resources in mowed and oldfield corridors was correlated with an increase in pollinator abundance and richness. Pollinator abundance and species richness of prairie corridors and residential yards was unrelated to the species richness of floral resources. We conclude that powerline corridors provide ecological value to the suburban landscape by serving as pollinator habitat within the surrounding urban matrix. We recommend that powerline companies and municipal planners consider the pollinator habitat quality of powerline corridors when making management decisions.