<p>Hypothesis: Larrea tridentata positively influences the abundance and diversity of the insects within its canopy</p>
<p>Predictions:</p>
<p>1.Insect community composition differs between microsites under the L. tridentata canopy and in the open</p>
<p>2.Insect abundance differs between microsites under the L. tridentata canopy and in the open</p>
<p>3.Dominant insect species such as pollinators benefit more strongly from L. tridentata facilitation</p>
<p>Significance:</p>
<p>Shrubs positively influenced insect community structure, but there was no evidence for differences in relative abundance between functional groups of insects (bees and non-bees) suggesting that trophic and non-trophic effects are driven primarily by the shrubs.</p>
<p>Management of these desert shrubs can enhance insect biodiversity and can also increase potential pollination rates of desert annual plant species.</p>
<p>The mechanistic pathways used by L. tridentata to enhance the insect community need to be examined in order to decouple the direct and indirect effects.</p>
<p> </p
