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Pollinators: Organisms, syndromes, and challenges Amanda Wilkins Horticultural Consultant MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Photo by Amanda Wilkins Photos by Amanda Wilkins Some definitions first…. Anatomy of a Flower “Pollination occurs when pollen is moved within flowers or carried from flower to flower by pollinating animals such as birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, or other animals, or by the wind.” –Pollinator Partnership Biodiversity • Biodiversity comprises all the millions of different species that live on our planet, as well as the genetic differences within species. It also refers to the multitude of different ecosystems in which species form unique communities, interacting with one another and the air, water and soil. • genetic diversity • species diversity • ecosystem diversity Photo by Amanda Wilkins - Swingland, I. R. 2001, via World Wildlife Fund Keystone species • A species whose removal would result in “dramatic changes…in the varieties and population densities of all the other species in the community” • “one whose impacts on its community or ecosystem are large and greater than would be expected from its relative abundance or total biomass” • Developed by UW zoology professor Robert T. Paine in 1969 (University of Washington and Encyclopedia of Earth) Photo by Amanda Wilkins Limulus polyphemus, Horseshoe crab, surveying on Martha’s Vineyard, MA Pollinator Syndromes Photo by Amanda Wilkins Hibiscus aculeatus, comfortroot Photo by Amanda Wilkins Clinopodium coccineum, fire sage Photo by Amanda Wilkins Zamia pumila, coontie Photo by Amanda Wilkins Spigelia marilandica, woodland pinkroot Photo by Amanda Wilkins Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' Pollinators Eastern black swallowtail enjoying fresh Asclepias tuberosa, butterflyweed, Mobile Botanical Garden Longleaf Pine Forest Photo by Amanda Wilkins • the biotic agent (vector) that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization • Bees, Bats, Beetles, Flies (Family Syrphidae mainly, but many others in the Order Diptera), Butterflies, Moths, Birds, Ants • 35% of global food production relies on animal pollinators, which is made up of mostly bee species (USDA, 2008; White House, 2014) • Pollinators contribute $24 billion worth of ecosystem services to the U.S. economy European Honey Bees- Ancient Times www.beebase.org • Apis mellifera L. • Originated from Northeast Africa or the Middle East • Humans have been cultivating and domesticating bees for more than 5,000 years • Large colonies versus solitary native species or species with small colonies Honey Bees- Modern Day Decline • Found all over the world • Help keep our food system diverse • enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops in North America • $15 billion a year in pollination and ecosystem services • Agricultural crop dependence on commercial honey bee hives, increase in cost • Bee colony loss rates increase to an average of 30 percent each winter, compared to historical loss rates of 10 to 15 percent • Stressed bees? Photo by Amanda Wilkins • loss of natural forage and inadequate diets • Mite (Nosema) infestations and diseasescarryover to native species • loss of genetic diversity • exposure to certain pesticides Colony Collapse Disorder • Identified During Winter 2006/07 • Worker bees just left • Queen, brood, food left behind • No dead bees around • Still not sure of cause • Combination of factors? • Of national importance Photo by Todd Huffman CC BY 2.0 via Flickr Number of Honey Bee Colonies (in the millions) Decline in Honey Bee Colonies Over the Last 75 Years (USDA, 2015) 7 6 5 4 Honey Bee Colonies 3 2 1 0 1947 1970 1990 2015 Photo by Amanda Wilkins Native Bees (and other Hymenopterans) • Order Hymenoptera • Wasps, hornets, bees, bumble bees, sweat bees • 4,000 species of native bees in North America • Solitary, small colonies • 50 in documented decline • Ecological services estimated at $9 billion by native bees, and other native pollinators • More plentiful and better pollinators (Cornell, 2013) Photo by Amanda Wilkins • Nine critically imperiled Native Bumble Bees Photo by Amanda Wilkins • 250 species of bumble bees worldwide • 46 species in North American • one third are at risk of extinction (Xerces Society, 2014) • five species are Critically Endangered and two are Endangered • Bumble Bee Watch project • Populations issues? • Funding. Photo by Amanda Wilkins Native Pollinator Diversity and the effects on overall biodiversity of ecosystems • ecosystem-service-based arguments- Delivery of crop pollination services is an insufficient argument for wild pollinator conservation (Kleijn, et al., 2014) • Reproductive/population health of rare and endangered species Butterflies Photo by Amanda Wilkins • More than 700 species in North America • Six of the Red Listed species are known to occur in AL • Highly sensitive to ecosystem changes • Four stages of life, most species have highly specific needs • Hibernate • 1 billion in 1995, to 57 million in 2014 • Monarch sighted in along the Gulf Coast in the winter, but spring sightings begin in mid-March (Journey North, 2015) • Milkweeds were reported blooming the third week of March, 2015 (Journey North, 2015) Butterflies (in millions) Monarch Butterflies Overwintering Population (in millions) of Monarch Butterflies in Mexico Overwintering Sanctuaries (2009-2015) (Journey North, 2015) 250 200 150 100 50 0 Total Population (in millions) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Monarch Sanctuary Selection (Journey North, 2015) Moths • Mainly nocturnal nectar feeders • White flowers fragrant at night Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe, on an Aesculus parviflora, dwarf horse chestnut, Martha’s Vineyard, MA Photo by Amanda Wilkins • Case of the Yucca Moth and Darwin’s Orchid Hummingbirds • 23 species have been observed in North America • Ruby-throat challenge • Migration and waifs • Conservation challenge: Habitat loss • Winter feeder availability • Insectivores as well Baby hummingbirds in a lichen-crafted nest, Polly Hill Arboretum, Martha’s Vineyard, MA Photo by Amanda Wilkins Photo by Amanda Wilkins Beetles • Order Coleoptera- hardened exterior exoskeleton covering the upper wings • Prehistoric visitors, 50 million years before bees • Mess and soil pollinators • Responsible for pollinating 88% of the 240,000 flowering plants globally (USDA) • ~25,000 species in North America Magnolia grandiflora, Southern Magnolia, commonly pollinated by beetles Scot Nelson (via Flickr) CC BY-SA 2.0 Hylocereus undatus, queen of the night Photo by Amanda Wilkins Piper nigrum, pepper Bats • Order Chiroptera • Found throughout the world, except the Arctic Circle and Antarctica • Consume insects, fruits and flower nectar, vertebrates and blood • 75 percent being insectivores • 150 bats can eat up to 33 million crop pests in a single summer • Estimated value of bat predation on insect pests in the agriculture industry was $23 billion annually Eastern Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis Photo by Amanda Wilkins • 47 species found in North America Northern Longeared Bat Northern Long-eared Bat, Myotis septentrionalis • Moved from least concern to threatened in 2014, now federally listed • Population has declined 90 percent since 2009 • Candidate species for listing in many Northeastern states http://www.esablawg.com/esalaw/ESBlawg.nsf/archive?openvi ew&type=Category&key=Endangered%20Species%20Act White-nose Syndrome Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Blehert & Gargas) Minnis & D.L. Lindner https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/ Occurrence, as of 4/9/2015 Occurrence, as of 8/2/2016 https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/ • Found in NY in 2006 • Fungus introduced from Europe • Killed at least 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats • Eight species affected in the U.S. • Effect of climate change • 90-100 percent mortality • Affects behavior The Facts Photo: Ryan von Linden/New York Department of Environmental Conservation Cascading Ecological Effects • Common species are now undergoing rapid population crashes, such as the common little brown bat www.mammology.org • Slow reproduction cycle • More than 50 percent of the bat species in North America use caves at some point in their life cycle • Most North American species are insectivorous and eat tons of insects each season, thus reducing the populations of insects that put pressure on agricultural and urban areas Pesticides Neonicotinoids • Systemic pesticide • Green Revolution and the • Imitates nicotine advent Industrial Agriculture • Advent in the 1990s by Bayer CropScience • Reading labels is critical, but • Imidacloprid, clothianidin, improving labeling is even dinotefuran, acetamiprid and more important thiamethoxam • Monoculture issue- incrossing • Big Names • • • • Monsanto Syngenta Bayer Crop Science Du Pont (Pioneer) • Brand/trade names- Advantage®, etc. • Benefits: • • • • water-soluble break down slowly in the environment more toxic to insects than mammals Paralyzes and kills quickly What’s the problem? • EPA has committed to environmental review of neonicotinoids by 2018 • EU has banned three neonics for two years, pending completing a scientific review • clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam • Bayer CropScience and Syngenta lawsuit argument • Harvard Study • Winter of 2010-2011 and 2012-2013, six replications • Imidacloprid and clothianidin Integrated Pest Management (IPM) • Steps • • • • Prevention Avoidance Monitoring Suppression • Biological, cultural, physical and chemical controls • Benefits Photo by Amanda Wilkins • Saves time and money • Uses sound scientific principles • Decrease likeliness of pests developing resistance Habitat Loss and Fragmentation • Fragmentation • Nectar corridors • Habitat degradation • Conservation Reserve Program • Ideal habitat • sites > ½ acre in size with a diversity of plants and > 45 percent forb cover • • Difference between a weed and an invasive species • Threaten diversity of plant species • Disrupts the composition of ecosystems • Incompatibility with specialized pollinators • Competition with native plant species Photos by Amanda Wilkins Invasive plant species Folks involved in Pollinator Conservation • USDA • Farm Service Agency • Natural Resources Conservation Service • USFWS • Federal Endangered Species Program • • • • • • • • Xerces Society Pollinator Partnership Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Journey North GEF/UNEP/FAO Global Pollination Project Project Monarch Pollinator Health Task Force What Can You Do? Photo by Amanda Wilkins • Donate to local and national causes that support pollinator conservation • Plant native plants that can serve as nectar and host plants for visiting pollinators • Reduce the use of pesticides in your landscape and encourage your municipality to do that same • Buy local food from farmers who use sustainable production methods • Participate in citizen science programs to help with pollinator population monitoring • Remove invasive species from your property and encourage your municipality to do the same from public lands Photo by Amanda Wilkins Mobile Botanical Gardens Butterfly and Pollinator Garden Things to Plant in Your Garden in Fort Collins, CO • Pollinator Partnership Planting Guides • Southern Rocky Mountain Steppe • Colorado Plateau • Food, water, shelter • Plant biodiversity breeds overall biodiversity Monarda pectinata (Left) Photo by Patrick Alexander CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr Lupinus argenteus (Middle) Photo by Juniperus_scopulorum CC BY-NC 2.0 via Flickr Ligusticum porteri (Right) Photo by Andrey Zharkikh CC BY 2.0 via Flickr Resources for Pollinators in CO • CO Department of Agriculture: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agplants/coloradopollinator-workgroup • Pollinator.org Planting Guides • http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/ColoradoPlateau.rx2.pdf • http://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/SRockyMtStepperx3FINAL.pdf • Boulder, CO pamphlet: https://wwwstatic.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/native-pollinatorsnative-plants-1-201407021611.pdf