sarasaymuah
Poison ivy with honey bee pollinator (see top middle leaf) - picture from internet. url:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toxicodendron_radicans.jpg
** PICTURE TAKEN FROM INTERNET. Difficulty taking photo while on site due to inability to get close enough for clear photo (did not want to contract poison ivy). Could visualize pollinators with binoculars, camera zoom was not adequate enough to obtain clear photos.
One type of pollinator visited the plant- a honey bee. This matched my prediction of pollinators for the species, as I predicted that beetles and bees would be most likely to visit the poison ivy based on the plant characteristics.
The total pollinator per hour on a per flower basis for poison ivy at my site was 8. The national average for pollinators per hour is around 10- my results were slightly lower than this.
do you think pollinator service can serve as proxy for other types of ecosystem variable (water filtration, soil production, air quality)? explain how one might be closely allied to pollinator service and why?
Yes- it is feasible that pollinators can serve as a proxy for other types of ecosystem variables, such as water air quality. By pollinating the plant (as well as, in the caseof the honey bee, producting nectar from the plant), it promotes plant reproduction and metabolism. Both of these processes require energy use, which can come in many forms, but most notably for plants the energy is derived from photosynthesis. Photosynthesis releasees oxygen to the atmosphere and improves air quality, thus improving the quality of life for all organisms around the plant while simultaneously providing energy for itself and improving the air.
Poison ivy with honey bee pollinator (see top middle leaf) - picture from internet. url:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toxicodendron_radicans.jpg
** PICTURE TAKEN FROM INTERNET. Difficulty taking photo while on site due to inability to get close enough for clear photo (did not want to contract poison ivy). Could visualize pollinators with binoculars, camera zoom was not adequate enough to obtain clear photos.
One type of pollinator visited the plant- a honey bee. This matched my prediction of pollinators for the species, as I predicted that beetles and bees would be most likely to visit the poison ivy based on the plant characteristics.
The total pollinator per hour on a per flower basis for poison ivy at my site was 8. The national average for pollinators per hour is around 10- my results were slightly lower than this.
do you think pollinator service can serve as proxy for other types of ecosystem variable (water filtration, soil production, air quality)? explain how one might be closely allied to pollinator service and why?
Yes- it is feasible that pollinators can serve as a proxy for other types of ecosystem variables, such as water air quality. By pollinating the plant (as well as, in the caseof the honey bee, producting nectar from the plant), it promotes plant reproduction and metabolism. Both of these processes require energy use, which can come in many forms, but most notably for plants the energy is derived from photosynthesis. Photosynthesis releasees oxygen to the atmosphere and improves air quality, thus improving the quality of life for all organisms around the plant while simultaneously providing energy for itself and improving the air.