Proposal Title
The importance of urban habitats for continuity of plant-pollinator interactions
Abstract
Pollinator populations have been shown to be declining in correspondence with increased urbanization globally. In the last 50 years, there has been a dramatic reduction of bee colonies in North America. According to the New York Times article, “The Insect Apocalypse is Here. What Does it Mean for the Rest of Life on Earth”, the reduced activities and presence of bugs and other insects in urban areas, agricultural tracts, open spaces and wetlands in various parts of Copenhagen led concerned citizens to collaborate with scientists in a study that was designed to quantify the drop in insect population in Denmark. Similar accounts of drastic decline of insect abundance and biodiversity have also been observed in Britain and Germany by entomologists. All over the world, scientists as well as regular individuals continue to notice and analyze the absence of these vital critters whose existence once pervaded every aspect of daily life ensuring balance of our ecosystems. The modification of our natural surrounding alters habitat, foraging activities and nesting site. Often the consequences of urbanization negates the symbiotic relationship of insect pollinators and flowering plants. However, urbanization does not always lead to degradation of dwelling spaces of animal pollinators. In some cases, urban green sites can be managed to promote pollinators. We performed pollinator surveys between May, 2017 to September, 2018 observing and gathering pollinator data at Mt. Auburn Cemetery at three different sites. Of all groups of insect pollinators that were present, honey and bumble bee activity and abundance was observed and varied across flowering transects that were surveyed. Rather than be a limiting factor, the formation and maintenance of urban habitats suited for the protection and proliferation of pollinator communities is vital and should be practiced as a conservation strategy to ensure continuity and restoration of our ecosystem.
Start Date
27-3-2019 12:00 PM
End Date
27-3-2019 12:50 PM
Room Number
U-Hall Atrium
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Biodiversity | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Entomology | Life Sciences
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
The importance of urban habitats for continuity of plant-pollinator interactions
Pollinator populations have been shown to be declining in correspondence with increased urbanization globally. In the last 50 years, there has been a dramatic reduction of bee colonies in North America. According to the New York Times article, “The Insect Apocalypse is Here. What Does it Mean for the Rest of Life on Earth”, the reduced activities and presence of bugs and other insects in urban areas, agricultural tracts, open spaces and wetlands in various parts of Copenhagen led concerned citizens to collaborate with scientists in a study that was designed to quantify the drop in insect population in Denmark. Similar accounts of drastic decline of insect abundance and biodiversity have also been observed in Britain and Germany by entomologists. All over the world, scientists as well as regular individuals continue to notice and analyze the absence of these vital critters whose existence once pervaded every aspect of daily life ensuring balance of our ecosystems. The modification of our natural surrounding alters habitat, foraging activities and nesting site. Often the consequences of urbanization negates the symbiotic relationship of insect pollinators and flowering plants. However, urbanization does not always lead to degradation of dwelling spaces of animal pollinators. In some cases, urban green sites can be managed to promote pollinators. We performed pollinator surveys between May, 2017 to September, 2018 observing and gathering pollinator data at Mt. Auburn Cemetery at three different sites. Of all groups of insect pollinators that were present, honey and bumble bee activity and abundance was observed and varied across flowering transects that were surveyed. Rather than be a limiting factor, the formation and maintenance of urban habitats suited for the protection and proliferation of pollinator communities is vital and should be practiced as a conservation strategy to ensure continuity and restoration of our ecosystem.
