iNaturalist Specialty Synthesis

Summary of Observations:
From the observations of pollinators for the duration of the semester, I came up with four observational conclusions/hypothesis. One of which is that, pollinators are more likely to be attracted to colorful flowers and/or plants that produce distinct scents. Another is that, unlike most pollinators that visit multiple flowers at a time, honey bees seem to stay at the same plant until its all depleted of easily available source of nectar before moving to another plant. Additionally, I observed that the diversity of pollinator species during the fall and winter season was quite scarce. Although there were a few other species, such as butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds and wasps, the abundance of the observations was that of honey bees. Furthermore, the other species were mostly seen by themselves, while the honey bees were in groups of 5 to 8. And finally, I have seen that most pollinators are more active during certain periods of time. Although this varies from species to species, their pollination patterns are consistent within species.

Conservation Status and Observational trends:
The pollination of flowering plants by animals represents a critical ecosystem service of great value to humanity, both monetary and otherwise. However, the need for active conservation of pollination interactions is only now being appreciated. Pollination systems are under increasing threat from anthropogenic sources, including fragmentation of habitat, changes in land use, modern agricultural practices, use of chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, and invasions of non-native plants and animals. Honeybees, which themselves are non-native pollinators on most continents, and which may harm native bees and other pollinators, are nonetheless critically important for crop pollination. Recent declines in honeybee numbers in the United States and Europe bring home the importance of healthy pollination systems, and the need to further develop native bees and other animals as crop pollinators. Bees are major pollinators (Kearns & Inouye, pg. 2 ) ; thus, the “pollination crisis” that is evident in declines of honeybees and native bees, and in damage to webs of plant-pollinator interaction, may be ameliorated not only by cultivation of a diversity of crop pollinators, but also by changes in habitat use and agricultural practices, species reintroductions and removals, and other means. In addition, ecologists must redouble efforts to study basic aspects of plant-pollinator interactions if optimal management decisions are to be made for conservation of these interactions in natural and agricultural ecosystems (Kerns, et al., pg.83). Pollinators are keystone species, meaning that a large number of other species depends upon them for their existence. Pollinators are also considered an indicator species, with their well-being connected intimately with the bigger picture of overall environmental health. Dramatic declines in pollinator populations are attributed to three main factors: loss and fragmentation of habitat, degradation of remaining habitat, and pesticide poisoning (Lawton, pg. 3). Although most bees nest in the ground, considerable effort has centered on installing ‘bee hotels’—also known as nest boxes or trap nests—which artificially aggregate nest sites of above ground nesting bees (MacIvor & Parker, pg. 1).

References:
Kearns, C. A., & Inouye, D. W. (1997). Pollinators, flowering plants, and conservation biology. Bioscience, 47(5), 297-307

Kearns, C. A., Inouye, D. W., & Waser, N. M. (1998). ENDANGERED MUTUALISMS: The Conservation of Plant-Pollinator Interactions. Annual Review Of Ecology & Systematics, 2983.
Lawton, B. P. (2010). A Place to Land: The Herb Gardener's Role in Pollinator Conservation. Herbarist, (76), 2-7.

MacIvor, J. S., & Packer, L. (2015). ‘Bee Hotels’ as Tools for Native Pollinator Conservation: A Premature Verdict?. Plos ONE, 10(3), 1-13. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0122126

Posted on December 11, 2017 10:01 PM by jswoosh89