14 th North America Agroforestry Conference Ames, IA June 1 th, Gary Bentrup Research Landscape Planner USDA National Agroforestry Center

Transcription

1 14 th North America Agroforestry Conference Ames, IA June 1 th, 2015 Gary Bentrup Research Landscape Planner USDA National Agroforestry Center

2 The Buzz about Pollinators? 30% of food production relies on insect pollination Klein et al $19-29 billion to U.S. farm income

3 Beyond Food Over 75% of flowering plants in temperate regions require animal pollination Ollerton et al U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bat ConservationInternational U.S. Forest Service

4 Presidential Memo USDA Honey Bee Forage and Nutrition Summit Report Conservation and Management of Monarch Butterflies: A Strategic Framework Pollinator-Friendly Best Management Practices for Federal Lands Attractiveness of Agricultural Crops to Pollinating Bees for the Collection of Nectar and/or Pollen Pollinator Research Action Plan

5 National Strategy Reduce honey bee colony losses to economically sustainable levels; Increase monarch butterfly numbers to protect the annual migration; and Restore or enhance 7 million acres of land for pollinators over the next 5 yrs through public and private action. Why? 1. Pollination insurance 2. Biodiversity protection

6 National Strategy Restore or enhance 7 million acres of land for pollinators over the next 5 yrs through public and private action. Agroforestry blends agriculture and forestry to build more.

7 Agroforestry: Ready for Pollinator Prime Time? 1) What do we know? 2) What do we need to know? Actionable Knowledge

8 Number of Scientific Papers Research Review & Synthesis Agroforestry Agriculture Pollinators

9 Pollinator Species Bees & Wasps Flies Butterflies & Moths Beetles Bats Hummingbirds

10 Pollen and Nectar Resources Preference for native plants Diversity of flower shapes and types Range of bloom times Intentional plantings Image by North Caroline Dept of Agriculture Morandin & Kremen 2012 Image by USDA Agricultural Research Service

11 Nectar and Pollen Resource Ranking for Selected Species Species Common Name Nectar Pollen Amelanchier spp. Serviceberry species Pinus spp. Pine species Populus spp. Poplar species Prunus spp. Cherry species Quercus spp. Oak species Rubus spp. Rubus species Salix spp. Willow species Sambucus spp. Elderberry species Viburnum spp. Viburnum species Baptisia spp. Wild Indigo species Solidago spp. Goldenrod species Trifolium spp. Clover species =no pollen/nectar source 1=major pollen/nectar source Adapted from Loose et al *Based on honeybee data

12 Temporal Distribution Morandin et al. 2011

13 Native Pollinators and Agriculture in Canada (2014) Image by Jason Ingram

14 Willows (Salix spp.) Early flowering High levels of sugar/ha High levels of crude protein Pussy willow 21.9% Crack willow 15.1% High quality protein Preference for male flowers Image by River of Flowers.org Vanderplanck et al Ostaff et al. 2015

15 Woody Plants for Butterfly Larvae Plant Genus # of Lepidoptera supported Quercus 543 Prunus 456 Salix 455 Betula 411 Populus 367 Image by Rory Cubel Malus 305 Acer 297 Vaccinium 294 Alnus 255 Carya 235 Tallamy and Shropshire 2009 Image by Patricia Ferguson

16 Nesting Sites 30% of native bee species build their nests inside hollow tunnels. Use plants with soft pithy centers: Elderberry Boxelder Rubus spp. Dogwood Sumac Image by BuzzAboutBees.net Use pruning to expose the pithy interior of the stems Retain dead or dying trees and branches whenever practical. Image by A Way To Garden.comt

17 Nesting Sites 70% of native bee species are solitary ground nesting bees. Undisturbed area necessary for ground nesting species. Bumble bee nest densities twice as high in linear woody habitats. Osborne et al Image by Cornell University Image by Hillary Sardiñas

18 Foraging Distance from Habitat Pollinator visits to crops declines to 50% of its maximum at 2,000 ft from natural habitat. Ricketts et al

19 Foraging Distance Size Does Matter Bee Size Foraging Distance (m) Bee Group Small Dark sweat bees, bluegreen sweat bees Example of Crops Pollinated Muskmelon, tomato, pepper Medium Mason, sweat, squash bees Tomato, pepper, squash, peach, pear Large Plasterer, mining, alkali bees Blueberry, apple, strawberry, alfalfa Very Large Bumble bees Cranberry, squash, watermelon, sunflower, cucumber Zurbuchen et al USDA 2015

20 Flower visitation frequency Spatial Extent/Area Wild bees Percent natural habitat (log) Klein et al. 2012

21 Spatial Extent/Area 1 km radius Holzschuch et al. 2012

22 Silvopasture and Pollinators Mean number of bees and number of species captured in 7 forest conditions in the Southeast. Hanula et al. 2015

23 Pesticide Protection Photo: NRCS (Bentrup 2008)

24 Wind Speed Reduction Bees prefer to forage on the lee side of trees and windbreaks. Lewis & Smith 1969

25 Where does agroforestry for pollinators fit?

26 Increase crop yield Reduce wind erosion Provide pollination services Provide cons. bio. control

27 Potential Negative Effects Competition for crop pollination Hedgerows acted as net exporters of native bees. Moradin and Kremen 2013 Source of crop pests and weeds?

28 What do we need to know? 1. Optimal Species 2. Configurations 3. Management 4. Economics

29 Resources

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31 Image by Xerces.org Andrew Holder Gary Bentrup U.S. Forest Service