Pollinator Landing Frequency after Floral Guide Modification Thea Barbelet TESA 2017 Grade 11 Hendrick Hudson High School
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
Pollinators - Other American Hoverfly Pearl Crescent Butterfly Long Hoverfl y
Importance of Pollinators
Flora Long Range Visual Signal - aids overall flower detection (Horth, 2014) Close Range Signal - directs pollinators towards a reward (Horth, 2014)
(Riddle, 2016)
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.
Methodology Find UV markings Establish study site at Cliffdale, inside the fenced garden
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
Results 78 total landings 44% - Am. Hoverfly 2.6% - Eu. Honey Bee
Results 24 total landings 62.5% - Am. Hoverfly
Results 5 total landings 40% - Long Hoverfly
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
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
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.
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), 221-230. Pixabay.com. Orange Rose Flower in Bloom during Daytime. Digital image. PEXELS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2017. <https://www.pexels.com/photo/plant-flower-rose-bloom-39517/>. B. (2014, August 4). Marigold. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://myphotojourney.co.uk/marigold-various-lighting/ Riddle, S. (2016, May 20). How Bees See and Why It Matters. Bee Culture: The Magazine of American Beekeeping. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://www.beeculture.com/bees-see-matters/ Severns, J. A. (2006, December 7). European honey bee extracts nectar. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/file:european_honey_bee_extracts_nectar.jpg Tucker, J. (2014, December 17). Why Bees Are Important to Our Planet. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/why-bees-are-important-to-our-planet/ T. (2015, October 22). Common Eastern Bumblebee - Bombus impatiens [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/10375054/1/ Sharp-Eatman Nature Photography. (2014). Green Sweat Bees [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from https://www.sharpeatmanguides.com/sweat-bees
Citations Sharp, C. J. (2014, June 25). Long hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) female [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/file:long_hoverfly_(sphaerophoria_scripta)_female.jpg Phillips, K. (2011, May 27). American Hover Fly - Eupeodes americanus - Male [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://bugguide.net/node/view/522715 PestKill. (n.d.). Japanese Beetles Identification Read more: http://pestkill.org/japanese-beetles/ [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017, from http://pestkill.org/japanese-beetles/ Morse, R. A., & Calderone, N. W. (2000). The value of honey bees as pollinators of US crops in 2000. Bee culture, 128(3), 1-15. 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 https://www.pexels.com/photo/one-u-s-dollar-beside-100-philippine-pesos-164560/ Ram, F. (2015, July 10). Blossoms [Digital image]. Retrieved July 19, 2017. Grass No Bottom Border Clip Art [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2017, from http://www.clker.com/clipart-grass-no-bottom-border.html Magnifying Glass [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2017, from http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/downloads-1620044
Acknowledgements Hillary Siener Dr. Amy Karpati Rebecca Policello TESA Class of 2017 My Parents Dr. Christine Rogers