The Bees Are Back in Town

Cindy Bennington & Peter May Volusia Sandhill can be compared to the Biology︱ pollinators visiting the sandhills of Heart Island Conservation Area to determine if the same number and species of pollinators are present in the urban ecosystem as in the larger natural area. Acmaeodera sp. (Family Buprestidae; the Agapostemon splendens (Family Halictidae - metallic wood-boring beetles). the halictid or sweat bees). PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS The bees are back Chauliognathus sp. (Family Cantharidae - the The pollinators we are most familiar with soldier beetles) - Leatherwing Beetle. are bees, though other insects including wasps, butterflies, beetles, and flies are also common pollinators. Insects visit the flowers to access the nectar and pollen in town as a food source, and in the process Pollinators in an urban ecosystem carry pollen between plants. Some plants, referred to as ‘specialists’, are only pollinated by one group of insects (for The growing urbanisation of ollinators are any animals (usually Stetson University researchers Professor example, they may only attract flies, or the landscape poses a major insects) that transfer pollen Cindy Bennington and Professor Peter have the pollen situated such that only threat to insect pollinators. The from one flower to another, and May investigate the pollinators visiting bees can collect it), and others may be P Strymon melinus (Family Lycaenidae - the reduction in number of these without them around 75% of flowering a small restoration area in an urban ‘generalists’, meaning that any insect that hairstreaks) - Red-banded Hairstreak. insects, especially bee species, plants would be unable to reproduce – ecosystem to compare how the numbers visits the flower can collect or deposit could have a severe impact on including many species that we rely on and species of insects present compare pollen. To compare pollinators, two plants agricultural production as many for food and other products. The growth to those found in a larger conservation were selected that were present in both of the crops that we rely on of towns and cities (‘urbanisation’) means area. The question is, does this small …the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem is the Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem and the could not produce seeds without the reduction in natural environments area provide enough habitat and food to now a teaching area to educate visitors Heart Island Conservation Area – one pollination. Working with the where these pollinator species thrive. support a diverse and abundant insect generalist and one specialist. Volusia Sandhill Pollinator pollinator community? Project, Professors Cindy about the natural landscape of the area While declines in European honeybee The two areas differ in the plant Bennington and Peter May populations have drawn global species present, due to a variety of investigate pollinator visitation THE VOLUSIA SANDHILL and the native plants and insects. attention because of their importance factors including the maturity of to a small restoration site at ECOSYSTEM Stetson University in Florida, to to crop pollination, declines in native In 2011 a small field located near the to visit the Gillespie Museum and take the ecosystem and the soil compare pollinators in an urban species worldwide are causing Gillespie Museum on the Stetson part in the Volusia Sandhill Pollinator quality, but Bidens alba ecosystem to those in a larger concern for both agriculture and native University campus in Florida was selected Project – where volunteers can record (B. alba; a generalist) conservation area. plant reproduction. to be restored to the natural sandhill pollinator activity and contribute to the and Chamaecrista ecosystem that would have dominated ongoing data collection. the area prior to urbanisation (European settlement). These sandhills are so called Professors Bennington and May are because of the deep, sandy soil of the interested in how well this small area area, but the dominant features of the of restored sandhill ecosystem might landscape were the large, widely spaced support pollinators, in comparison to a pine trees. The sandhill restoration larger natural area. The Volusia Sandhill involved planting more than 80 native is surrounded by an urban ecosystem of tree species, mostly longleaf pine, and residential, business and university campus the development of an understory of areas. The ability of this and any small, plants and grasses. This small fragment of isolated fragment of semi-natural habitat restored ecosystem is still immature. The to support insect life depends upon its trees are young and don’t provide the ability to provide suitable habitat for a same high, thick canopy as you would find diversity of species of plants and insects. in a more mature ecosystem, which affects the smaller plants growing below. Yet The contrast to this fragment is the already you can see the difference Heart Island Conservation Area (DeLeon from the neglected lawn that was there Springs, Florida), north of the Volusia previously, especially as pollinators return Sandhill and Stetson University campus, to visit the many flowering plants. which is more than 5700 hectares of semi-natural habitat. This covers a variety This area, known as the Volusia Sandhill of ecosystems including sandhills, and Ecosystem, is now a teaching area the plant understory of the sandhills is to educate visitors about the natural made up of many native flowering plants landscape of the area and the native that attract many native pollinators. This Jacob_09/Shutterstock.com plants and insects. Anyone is welcome means that the pollinators visiting the Jacob_09/Shutterstock.com www.researchoutreach.org www.researchoutreach.org fasciculata (C. fasciculata; a specialist) URBAN POLLINATORS were present in both ecosystems and This research suggests that this small are common in dry areas of Florida. Bombus sp. at Chamaecrista fasciculata and immature fragment of restored C. fasciculata is ‘buzz-pollinated’, (Family Apidae - bumblebees, honeybees). habitat could be enough to support Behind the Research which means that the vibrations from a community of bees in an urban the buzzing of a bee are required to ecosystem. Potentially this could also release the pollen from the flower. It is be assisted by the non-native plants expected that specialist plant species in the gardens and green areas in the Cindy Peter would suffer from the reduced number residential, business and university of available pollinators in an urban campus surroundings, and perhaps Bennington May ecosystem more than a generalist some cavity-nesting species can plant species, and so it is of interest to find suitable habitats on the sides of compare the pollination visitation to buildings. The study supports previous E: [email protected] E: [email protected] T: +1 (386) 822-8170 W: https://www.stetson.edu/other/faculty/cynthia- bennington.php https://www.stetson.edu/other/faculty/peter-may.php both specialists and generalists in urban Bembix americana (Family Crabronidae - the research which found that Hymenoptera W: and conservation areas. square-headed wasps) - American Sand Wasp. are more resilient to urbanisation than other pollinator species. The Research Objectives WELCOME VISITORS species composition at each site The researchers counted insect visitors varied a great deal, however, and so Professors Cindy Bennington and Peter May assess the ability of the Volusia Sandhill Ecoystem to support wild insect pollinators. to B. alba and C. fasciculata flowers at it seems that specific bee and wasp both sites between May and August species are differently impacted by the over three years (2016 – 2018) and changing ecosystem. The surface area Detail found a surprising result: there were available to ground-nesting species slightly more pollinator visitations to and other factors such as larval food Address the pollinators in the Volusia Sandhill, a Funding 421 N. Woodland Blvd. campus restoration site, was a natural Stetson University Summer Grant both plants at the Volusia Sandhill Cosmosoma myrodora (Family Erebidae - supplies are likely to also play a role in Ecosystem than at the Heart Island a nameless moth family) - Scarlet-bodied determining which species thrive in an DeLand, Florida 32723 USA pairing given their contributions to the Program Wasp Moth. Conservation Area. Although there was urban environment. site’s development and their respective no statistical difference in the number of Bio expertise in plants and insects. Collaborators insects visiting the plants in each area, Cindy and Peter are both Professors of Having been friends and colleagues Dr Karen Cole, Director of the Gillespie the total numbers were higher for the This research suggests that this small and Biology at Stetson University, a small for decades, they got married in the Museum Volusia Sandhill and this is not what was liberal arts college in Florida. Studying Volusia Sandhill in June 2017. expected in the urban ecosystem. immature fragment of restored habitat could be enough to support a community Most of the visitors to both plants References Personal Response at both sites were native bees, but of bees in an urban ecosystem. Bennington, C. and May, P. (2020). Pollinator What could this mean in terms of protecting there was a much greater diversity of Communities of Restored Sandhills: a Comparison native pollinator species against habitat destruction visitors to B. alba at the Heart Island The lack of the expected difference of Insect Visitation Rates to Generalist and

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