Abstract Detail

Reproductive Processes

Griffin, Jared [1], Van Etten, Megan [2].

Variation in pollinator abundance and selection over space and time.

Pollinators play a hugely important role in both natural and human-controlled environments. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that pollinator numbers may be declining, in part due to human-mediated environmental changes. However, most of this evidence stems from human-managed honeybee populations rather than native pollinators, making it impossible to understand the scope and cause of pollinator declines. Additionally, it is unclear what short-term and longer-term impacts these declines could have on the plants they pollinate. To address these issues, I developed and tested the usage of arrays of Brassica rapa plants to quickly and comparably obtain estimates of pollinator abundance and selection. Using these arrays, I performed a preliminary study to investigate how pollinator abundance and selection vary across time (between days and years) and space (between meters and miles). This relatively easy and quick method of obtaining a comparable measure of pollinator abundance has the potential to be widely used in classrooms and by citizen scientists to better understand the impact of human-mediated environmental changes on plants and their pollinators.

1 - Penn State, 120 Ridge View Dr, Dunmore, PA, 18512, United States
2 - Penn State Scranton, 120 Ridge View Dr, Dunmore, PA, 18512, United States

Keywords:
pollinator decline
selection
plant-pollinator interactions
Citizen Science
trait evolution.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: RP3002
Abstract ID:446
Candidate for Awards:None