Pollinator Landing Frequency after Floral Guide Modification Thea Barbelet

Transcription

1 Pollinator Landing Frequency after Floral Guide Modification Thea Barbelet TESA 2017 Grade 11 Hendrick Hudson High School

2 Pollinators - Bees European Honey Bee ⅓ of all food pollination $20 billion worth of crops yearly (Tucker, 2014) Yellow- Masked Bee Common Eastern Bumblebee Virescent Sweat Bee

3 Pollinators - Other American Hoverfly Pearl Crescent Butterfly Long Hoverfl y

4 Importance of Pollinators

5 Flora Long Range Visual Signal - aids overall flower detection (Horth, 2014) Close Range Signal - directs pollinators towards a reward (Horth, 2014)

6 (Riddle, 2016)

7 Hypothesis If the floral guides of the French Marigolds are modified, then the frequency of pollinator visits will decrease, because pollinators rely on vision to effectively find flowers.

8 Methodology Find UV markings Establish study site at Cliffdale, inside the fenced garden

9 Methodology Apply organic sunscreen lotion Keep ten control Apply organic sunscreen spray Keep ten control Observe and record, five minute periods - lotion treatment - spray treatment - control

10 Results 78 total landings 44% - Am. Hoverfly 2.6% - Eu. Honey Bee

11 Results 24 total landings 62.5% - Am. Hoverfly

12 Results 5 total landings 40% - Long Hoverfly

13 Discussion Results Hoverflies - possible attraction to scent or color Lack of bees - flower blindess, red hue Butterflies - red hue Landings decrease - removal of close range and long range visual guides Bee landings were always less on treated flowers than control flowers

14 Discussion Simplified version of Horth s 2014 experiment; marigolds Issues = time, materials, season, behavior, location Pollinators are important, so it is also important to understand them and their environment Future studies can be done to look at: White coloring vs. natural coloring Scent Vision Flower blindness Controlled site More species

15 Conclusion The hypothesis was supported, but more thorough testing may yield stronger and more reliable results. Revised Hypothesis If the natural color, scent, and UV markings of French Marigolds are modified, then the frequency of pollinators will decrease, because sight and smell direct pollinators to the flowers.

16 Citations Horth, L., Campbell, L., & Bray, R. (2014). Wild bees preferentially visit Rudbeckia flower heads with exaggerated ultraviolet absorbing floral guides. Biology open, 3(3), Pixabay.com. Orange Rose Flower in Bloom during Daytime. Digital image. PEXELS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July < B. (2014, August 4). Marigold. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Riddle, S. (2016, May 20). How Bees See and Why It Matters. Bee Culture: The Magazine of American Beekeeping. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Severns, J. A. (2006, December 7). European honey bee extracts nectar. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Tucker, J. (2014, December 17). Why Bees Are Important to Our Planet. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from T. (2015, October 22). Common Eastern Bumblebee - Bombus impatiens [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Sharp-Eatman Nature Photography. (2014). Green Sweat Bees [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from

17 Citations Sharp, C. J. (2014, June 25). Long hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) female [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Phillips, K. (2011, May 27). American Hover Fly - Eupeodes americanus - Male [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from PestKill. (n.d.). Japanese Beetles Identification Read more: [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Morse, R. A., & Calderone, N. W. (2000). The value of honey bees as pollinators of US crops in Bee culture, 128(3), Pesticide Action Network North America. (n.d.). Economic Value of Commercial Beekeeping[PDF]. San Francisco: Beyond Pesticides. Pixabay.com. (n.d.). One U.s. Dollar Beside 100 Philippine Pesos [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from Ram, F. (2015, July 10). Blossoms [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, Grass No Bottom Border Clip Art [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2017, from Magnifying Glass [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2017, from

18 Acknowledgements Hillary Siener Dr. Amy Karpati Rebecca Policello TESA Class of 2017 My Parents Dr. Christine Rogers