2021 Abstract Book

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

2021 Abstract Book UC Davis 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference 1 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference Letter from the Chancellor April 28, 2021 Dear Students, Colleagues and Guests: On behalf of UC Davis, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference! UC Davis is one of the top research universities in the nation, with globally leading programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, environmental science, healthcare and more. Our scholarship and research addresses some of society’s most critical challenges, including climate change, feeding the world and sustaining the health of all living beings. Student researchers are at the heart of the research enterprise. They represent a wide variety of fields and are critical to building a better tomorrow. Through this conference, we are preparing our students to move into the future with confidence and creativity. We are providing and showcasing educational opportunities that prepare students for career success. Many employers are looking for talented people who not only shine in their research and scholarship, but also have the capacity to collaborate and communicate their work in the most impactful manner possible. In addition to the skills developed during research, these oral and poster presentations are a great form of practice as our students prepare for graduate school and the workforce. Our students are currently facing an environment like no other, amid a pandemic that has changed every facet of daily life. Yet they still maintain their passion for their research and desire to participate in a virtual conference. Our students continue to demonstrate their ability to problem solve and adapt to any situation. I congratulate the student presenters for their dedication and excellent work thus far. They have partnered with faculty mentors and peers in a spirit of collaboration and discovery. Now, they can share their work with experts in their fields and our UC Davis community. I want to thank the Undergraduate Research Center for organizing this important conference and connecting students with important research opportunities, programs and awards. I also want to recognize our faculty members, who serve as mentors and role models for students. Your collaboration and mentorship with students bring out the very best in UC Davis, and your work helps prepare them for future success. Finally, I extend my gratitude to the many faculty volunteers and staff who serve as moderators for the conference sessions. This is exactly the kind of thoughtfulness and synergy between students and faculty that defines UC Davis. I wish everyone a great conference and thank you for bringing out the best in our university. Gary S. May Chancellor 2 UC Davis 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Undergraduate Research, Thank you to our Sponsors Scholarship & Creative Activities Conference gratefully acknowledges Global Affairs the faculty sponsors and other Student Affairs individuals whose mentoring has UC Davis Library contributed to the research produced Undergraduate Education by our presenters. We would also Undergraduate Research Center like to thank the many programs that generously support and encourage Conference Chair undergraduate research and creative activities at UC Davis. Among these E. Nuñez | Undergraduate Research Center are the following: Beckman Scholars Program; California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP); Educational Conference Organizing Committee Enrichment Outreach Programs (BUSP, Annaliese Franz | Undergraduate Research Center BUSP-Honors, BSHARP-MARC, CURE, Lolita Adkins | Undergraduate Research Center ADAR); Internship and Career Center; Dee Clark | Undergraduate Research Center McNair Scholars Program; Mentor- Sarah Stinson | Undergraduate Research Center Mentee Program in Humanities, Arts, Sharon Lee | Undergraduate Research Center Cultural Studies and Social Sciences; Jacques Bowyer | Graduate Studies, McNair Scholars Program Mentorships for Undergraduate Lili Bynes | Dean’s Office, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Research in Agriculture, Letters and Connie Champagne | College of Biological Sciences; BUSP Science (MURALS); Mentorships for Raynell Hamilton | Student Academic Success Center; MURALS Undergraduate Research Participants Holly Hatfield | Dean’s Office, College of Letters & Science in the Physical and Mathematical Shadaya Litt | Dean’s Office, College of Engineering Sciences (MURPPS); Provost’s Mirka Dirzo | Undergraduate Student Representative Undergraduate Fellowship; University Sarah Sheridan | Undergraduate Student Representative Honors Program; UC Davis Washington Matangi Kumar | Undergraduate Student Representative Program; UC Leadership Excellence Through Advanced Degrees (UC Design and Publications LEADS), and Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP). Steven A. Morse | Undergraduate Education UC Davis 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference 3 4 UC Davis 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Image First There Was Nothing, Then…Luminescence: The Classification + Isolation of Individual [(C6H11NC)2Au] Ions in Crystals and Their Formation of Benzene Solvates Mehita Achuthan Sponsor: Stephen Robinson, Ph.D. Alexandria Adams Mechanical & Aerospace Engr Sponsor: Alan Balch, Ph.D. The purpose of this project is to teach UC Davis’s first CubeSat Chemistry when to collect pictures and IR sensor data. The Space and Studies have shown that the two-coordinate cation, Satellite Systems (SSS) Club has developed a CubeSat that lays + - the foundation for low cost missions focused on Earth Science. [(C6H11NC)2Au] , self-associates with the anions (AsF6) and This mission objective relies heavily on the problem of when to - (SbF6) to form luminescent crystals that contain linear chains of collect data and ensuring the quality of our data. This is cations and display unusual polymorphic, vapochromic, and accomplished through machine learning and information theory thermochromic properties. The interest in developing these and processing by the Computer Systems Team of SSS. After types of environmentally responsive, luminescent metal-organic dedicated research, we have compared and contrasted three compounds can be useful in areas of temperature sensing, methods for teaching our CubeSat: Linear Regression, Logistic biological imaging, and metal toxin detection. Different ways to Regression, and Support Vector Machine. Our results were + verified with mathematical optimization. We are developing a isolate [(C6H11NC)2Au] ions from one another through the novel data set, which is highly sought after in Machine Learning formation of non-luminescent crystalline salts have been research, to further test our methods. Future work will include a investigated. It has been found that the crystallization of novel method that will not only teach the machine, but allow it [(C6H11NC)2Au]EF6 (E = As, Sb) from benzene solution produced to actively learn at low cost to our power systems. colorless, non-luminescent crystals of the solvates C6H6 • [(C6H11NC)2Au]EF6. These solvates lose benzene upon standing in air, and in turn produce green luminescent ([(C6H11NC)2Au]AsF6) or blue luminescent ([(C6H11NC)2Au]SbF6) The Influence of Climate Variables and Disease on powders. Further investigation of these crystals involves mixed Plantago lanceolata Survival amounts of anions during crystallization, as well as the anion - Lilly Ackerman (PF6) , exploring different properties of their conversion from a Sponsor: Jennifer Gremer, Ph.D. benzene solvate to a powder. Evolution & Ecology This project is a continuation of a study on the globally- distributed perennial plant Plantago lanceolata that has been Expression and Function of Sox10 During Neural Crest conducted annually since 2016. Studying global P. lanceolata Cell EMT populations in relation to climate change helps to inform the development of persistence models. The protocol of Plant Pop Carly Adamson Net, an international project, was used to execute our study. Sponsor: Crystal Rogers, Ph.D. Plant Pop Net aims to comprehend the factors driving the spatial VM: Anat Physio & Cell Biology dynamics of plant populations in response to climate change using data from P. lanceolata populations around the globe. At Neural crest cells are embryonic stem cells that transition from a our site in Davis, CA, we measured the abundance and tightly adherent epithelial sheet to migratory and invasive phenotypic traits of P. lanceolata for five years. Data collected mesenchymal cells. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition includes leaf length, inflorescence length, disease presence, (EMT) is a crucial process in which neural crest cells gain the and other phenotypic traits. We would like to investigate the ability to migrate out of the neural tube to become diverse influence of climate variables and disease on plant survival. derivatives (craniofacial bone, pigment, neurons) in the Using compiled data, we will look at variation in precipitation developing organism. Here, we study the molecular mechanisms and temperature to see if there is a correlation with yearly plant within and across species that drive the development and EMT survival. In addition, yearly survival will be compared to the of neural
Recommended publications
  • Ensemble Models Predict Invasive Bee Habitat Suitability Will Expand Under Future Climate Scenarios in Hawai’I
    insects Article Ensemble Models Predict Invasive Bee Habitat Suitability Will Expand under Future Climate Scenarios in Hawai’i Jesse A. Tabor 1,2 and Jonathan B. Koch 3,4,* 1 Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Hawai’i, 200 W. Kawili¯ Street, Hilo, HI 96720, USA; [email protected] 2 Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA 3 Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science Graduate Program, University of Hawai’i, Hilo, 200 W. Kawili¯ Street, Hilo, HI 96720, USA 4 Pollinating Insect—Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research Service, 1410 N. 800 E., Logan, UT 84341, USA * Correspondence: [email protected] Simple Summary: Climate change exacerbates the threat of biological invasions by increasing climatically suitable regions for species to invade outside of their native range. Island ecosystems may be particularly sensitive to the synergistic effects of climate change and biological invasions. In Hawai’i there are 21 non-native bees that have the capacity to spread pathogens and compete for resources with native bees. We performed an ensemble of species distribution models (SDM) for eight non-native bee species (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) in Hawai’i to predict climatically suitable niches across current and future climate scenarios. We found a significant difference in habitat suitability between SDMs that were constructed with specimen records from their native and non- native (Hawai’i) range. Although SDMs predict expansion of suitable habitat into higher elevations under 2070 climate scenarios, species-rich areas are predicted to stay below 500 m elevation.
    [Show full text]
  • Naming the Extrasolar Planets
    Naming the extrasolar planets W. Lyra Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, K¨onigstuhl 17, 69177, Heidelberg, Germany [email protected] Abstract and OGLE-TR-182 b, which does not help educators convey the message that these planets are quite similar to Jupiter. Extrasolar planets are not named and are referred to only In stark contrast, the sentence“planet Apollo is a gas giant by their assigned scientific designation. The reason given like Jupiter” is heavily - yet invisibly - coated with Coper- by the IAU to not name the planets is that it is consid- nicanism. ered impractical as planets are expected to be common. I One reason given by the IAU for not considering naming advance some reasons as to why this logic is flawed, and sug- the extrasolar planets is that it is a task deemed impractical. gest names for the 403 extrasolar planet candidates known One source is quoted as having said “if planets are found to as of Oct 2009. The names follow a scheme of association occur very frequently in the Universe, a system of individual with the constellation that the host star pertains to, and names for planets might well rapidly be found equally im- therefore are mostly drawn from Roman-Greek mythology. practicable as it is for stars, as planet discoveries progress.” Other mythologies may also be used given that a suitable 1. This leads to a second argument. It is indeed impractical association is established. to name all stars. But some stars are named nonetheless. In fact, all other classes of astronomical bodies are named.
    [Show full text]
  • Pollination of Cultivated Plants in the Tropics 111 Rrun.-Co Lcfcnow!Cdgmencle
    ISSN 1010-1365 0 AGRICULTURAL Pollination of SERVICES cultivated plants BUL IN in the tropics 118 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO 6-lina AGRICULTUTZ4U. ionof SERNES cultivated plans in tetropics Edited by David W. Roubik Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa, Panama Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations F'Ø Rome, 1995 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. M-11 ISBN 92-5-103659-4 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. FAO 1995 PlELi. uion are ted PlauAr David W. Roubilli (edita Footli-anal ISgt-iieulture Organization of the Untled Nations Contributors Marco Accorti Makhdzir Mardan Istituto Sperimentale per la Zoologia Agraria Universiti Pertanian Malaysia Cascine del Ricci° Malaysian Bee Research Development Team 50125 Firenze, Italy 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Stephen L. Buchmann John K. S. Mbaya United States Department of Agriculture National Beekeeping Station Carl Hayden Bee Research Center P.
    [Show full text]
  • Hymenoptera) Associated with Crops and Ornamental Plant in Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
    International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences ISSN: 2455-9571 Volume 4, Issue 5, pp: 195-206, 2019 http://www.ijzab.com https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo Research Article DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT OF BEES (HYMENOPTERA) ASSOCIATED WITH CROPS AND ORNAMENTAL PLANT IN OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, NIGERIA Oyewole O.A.1, Oyelade O.J.1* and Ogbogu S.S.2 1Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 2Department of Zoology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria Article History: Received 16th May 2019; Accepted 27th June 2019; Published 9th October 2019 ABSTRACT This study investigated the various species of bees in the Order Hymenoptera responsible for pollinating crop and ornamental plants in Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U.), Ile-Ife, and the study covered habitat preference, abundance and distribution of the bee species in various seasons. This was with a view to identifying and documenting the diversity of bees pollinating agricultural and ornamental plants for a meaningful conservation and management of insects in Nigeria. Bees collection was done using standard sweep net, to collect free range bees species on the sites. Standard yellow pan traps were also set using pineapple as bait to entice bees. Trapped bees were collected and baits were changed on daily basis. The bees were described and identified to species level using existing bee taxonomic keys. Host plants visited by the bee species were identified in the Natural History Museum Herbarium (UNIFEM) and Department of Botany Herbarium (IFE) in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Paleontological Statistic Software Package (PAST) was used to analyze the collected data.
    [Show full text]
  • Pacific Islands Area
    Habitat Planting for Pollinators Pacific Islands Area November 2014 The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation www.xerces.org Acknowledgements This document is the result of collaboration with state and federal agencies and educational institutions. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude for the technical assistance and time spent suggesting, advising, reviewing, and editing. In particular, we would like to thank the staff at the Hoolehua Plant Materials Center on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai, NRCS staff in Hawaii and American Samoa, and researchers and extension personnel at American Samoa Community College Land Grant (especially Mark Schmaedick). Authors Written by Jolie Goldenetz-Dollar (American Samoa Community College), Brianna Borders, Eric Lee- Mäder, and Mace Vaughan (The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation), and Gregory Koob, Kawika Duvauchelle, and Glenn Sakamoto (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service). Editing and layout Ashley Minnerath (The Xerces Society). Updated November 2014 by Sara Morris, Emily Krafft, and Anne Stine (The Xerces Society). Photographs We thank the photographers who generously allowed use of their images. Copyright of all photographs remains with the photographers. Cover main: Jolie Goldenetz-Dollar, American Samoa Community College. Cover bottom left: John Kaia, Lahaina Photography. Cover bottom right: Gregory Koob, Hawaii Natural Resources Conservation Service. Funding This technical note was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and produced jointly by the NRCS and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Additional support was provided by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA). Please contact Tony Ingersoll ([email protected]) for more information about this publication.
    [Show full text]
  • (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) De La Región Neotropical Biota Colombiana, Vol
    Biota Colombiana ISSN: 0124-5376 [email protected] Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos "Alexander von Humboldt" Colombia Ospina, Mónica Abejas Carpinteras (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) de la Región Neotropical Biota Colombiana, vol. 1, núm. 3, diciembre, 2000, pp. 239-252 Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos "Alexander von Humboldt" Bogotá, Colombia Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=49110307 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto OspinaBiota Colombiana 1 (3) 239 - 252, 2000 Carpenter Bees of the Neotropic - 239 Abejas Carpinteras (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) de la Región Neotropical Mónica Ospina Fundación Nova Hylaea, Apartado Aéreo 59415 Bogotá D.C. - Colombia. [email protected] Palabras Clave: Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopa, Abejas Carpinteras, Neotrópico, Lista de Especies Los himenópteros con aguijón conforman el grupo detectable. Son abejas polilécticas, es decir, visitan gran monofilético de los Aculeata o Vespomorpha, que se divide variedad de plantas, algunas de importancia económica en tres superfamilias, una de las cuales comprende las avis- como el maracuyá; sus provisiones son generalmente una pas esfécidas y las abejas (Apoidea). Dentro de las abejas, mezcla firme y seca de polen (Fernández & Nates 1985, Michener (2000) reconoce varias familias, siendo Apidae la Michener et al. 1994, Fernández 1995, Michener 2000). Exis- más grande en número de especies y la más ampliamente te dentro de algunas especies del género una tendencia distribuida.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy with Small Telescopes
    Astronomy With Small Telescopes Bohdan Paczy´nski Princeton University Observatory, Princeton, NJ 08544 [email protected] ABSTRACT The All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) is monitoring all sky to about 14 mag with a cadence of about 1 day; it has discovered about 105 variable stars, most of them new. The instrument used for the survey had aperture of 7 cm. A search for planetary transits has lead to the discovery of about a dozen confirmed planets, so called ’hot Jupiters’, providing the information of planetary masses and radii. Most discoveries were done with telescopes with aperture of 10 cm. We propose a search for optical transients covering all sky with a cadence of 10 - 30 minutes and the limit of 12 - 14 mag, with an instant verification of all candidate events. The search will be made with a large number of 10 cm instruments, and the verification will be done with 30 cm instruments. We also propose a system to be located at the L1 point of the Earth - Sun system to detect ’killer asteroids’. With a limiting magnitude of about 18 mag it could detect 10 m boulders several hours prior to their impact, provide warning against Tunguska-like events, as well as to provide news about spectacular but harmless more modest impacts. Subject headings: techniques: photometric — surveys — celestial mechanics — mete- oroids — stars: variable — gamma rays: bursts arXiv:astro-ph/0609161v3 7 Nov 2006 1. Introduction The goal of this paper is to point out that there are many tasks for which small and even very small telescopes are not only useful, but even indispensable.
    [Show full text]
  • The Very Handy Bee Manual
    The Very Handy Manual: How to Catch and Identify Bees and Manage a Collection A Collective and Ongoing Effort by Those Who Love to Study Bees in North America Last Revised: October, 2010 This manual is a compilation of the wisdom and experience of many individuals, some of whom are directly acknowledged here and others not. We thank all of you. The bulk of the text was compiled by Sam Droege at the USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab over several years from 2004-2008. We regularly update the manual with new information, so, if you have a new technique, some additional ideas for sections, corrections or additions, we would like to hear from you. Please email those to Sam Droege ([email protected]). You can also email Sam if you are interested in joining the group’s discussion group on bee monitoring and identification. Many thanks to Dave and Janice Green, Tracy Zarrillo, and Liz Sellers for their many hours of editing this manual. "They've got this steamroller going, and they won't stop until there's nobody fishing. What are they going to do then, save some bees?" - Mike Russo (Massachusetts fisherman who has fished cod for 18 years, on environmentalists)-Provided by Matthew Shepherd Contents Where to Find Bees ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Nets ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Netting Technique ......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Behavioral Biology of Two Middle East Species of Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)
    Comparative Behavioral Biology of Two Middle East Species of Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) DAN GERLING, PAUL D. HURD, JR., and ABRAHAM HEFETZ SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY • NUMBER 369 SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Emphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoo/ogy Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology In these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale monographs that report the research and collections of its various museums and bureaux or of professional colleagues in the world of science and scholarship. The publications are distributed by mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the world. Papers or monographs submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Press, subject to its own review for format and style, only through departments of the various Smithsonian museums or bureaux, where the manuscripts are given substantive review.
    [Show full text]
  • ECOLOGY of the POLLINATORS of PASSION FRUIT
    OCT - 4 l ~o~ grlcul 'or ..,' r: c o n o m k ~ I).~oortme nf \.. '" ~ '-:- 0' !'. ~." ·...e Uni"e, ,,, iry 0 : :-; ~lW u i i Honolulu 141 Hawaii TECHNICAL BULLETIN No . 55 JUNE 1963 ECOLOGY of the POLLINATORS of PASSION FRUIT TOSHIYUKI NISHIDA HAWAII A GRI CULTURAL E XPERIMENT STATION, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ECOLOGY of the POLLINATORS of PASSION FRUIT TOSHIYUKI NISHIDA UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII COLL EG E OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE HAWAII AGRICULTURAL EX PERIME NT STATION H ONOLULU, HAWAII J UN E 1963 TECHNICALB ULLETIN No . 55 ACKNOWLEDGMENT T his st udy was made poss ible because of the kind assistance of many people. The observations were made largely on the farms of commercial growers and much of the field work was conducted wit h the assistance of M r. Akira Kubota and Mr . Asher O ra, former Assistants in Entomology. The illustrations were prepared by M r. Barton Matsumoto , student Assistant in Entomology. The insec ts collected on passion fruit flowers were identified by Dr. D . Elmo Hardy, M rs. Marian Adachi Kohn, and M r. Kay Sakim ura. The honey bees were supplied and transferred to Waimanalo from th e University of Hawaii by Dr. R. Namba. Some of the observa­ tio ns were made on the field plots of M r. Francis A. 1. Bowers at th e Hawa ii Agr icultural Exper iment Station experimental farm at Waimanalo, Oa hu . It is with great pleasure that I extend my thanks to all these people for the ir generous cooperation an d assistance which made th is stu dy possible.
    [Show full text]
  • And Their Use of Floral Resources on the Island of Mo'orea, French Polynesia
    A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF APOIDEA (ANTHOPHILA) AND THEIR USE OF FLORAL RESOURCES ON THE ISLAND OF MO'OREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA DANIEL H. REJAS Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA Abstract The terrestrial biota of the French Polynesian archipelago presents a unique opportunity for study due to a relatively poor understanding of its biology. Among the terrestrial invertebrates, the Apoidea are one of many taxa with incompletely documented biodiversity. This study investigated the diversity of the bees on the island of Mo'orea, part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. Across a range of elevations, I collected 239 individual bees and observed the floral visits of an additional 266 bees. The visited floral species were recorded to assess apoid use of floral resources, and vegetation surveys of collection sites were conducted to assess the available floral community. A total of five genera of bees were found on Mo'orea, including two which are recorded for the first time in the Society Islands. This study suggests that introduced species, rather than native species, comprise the bee biota of Mo'orea, with the longest established species seemingly introduced at or around the time of colonization by early Polynesians. With the exception of the genera Lithurgus and Megachile , bee genera were found to rely predominantly on non-native floral resources. Floral visitation predilection by Mo'orean bees may prove to further the spread of introduced and invasive floral species. Key words: Bee diversity, Apoidea (Anthophila), floral resources, Lithurgus scabrosus , Xylocopa sonorina , Megachile umbripennis , invasive species, Mo'orea, French Polynesia Introduction such as pollination of invasive flora and interference with the pollination of native Plant pollination is an essential flora (Waser et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Surveying for Terrestrial Arthropods (Insects and Relatives) Occurring Within the Kahului Airport Environs, Maui, Hawai‘I: Synthesis Report
    Surveying for Terrestrial Arthropods (Insects and Relatives) Occurring within the Kahului Airport Environs, Maui, Hawai‘i: Synthesis Report Prepared by Francis G. Howarth, David J. Preston, and Richard Pyle Honolulu, Hawaii January 2012 Surveying for Terrestrial Arthropods (Insects and Relatives) Occurring within the Kahului Airport Environs, Maui, Hawai‘i: Synthesis Report Francis G. Howarth, David J. Preston, and Richard Pyle Hawaii Biological Survey Bishop Museum Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96817 USA Prepared for EKNA Services Inc. 615 Pi‘ikoi Street, Suite 300 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96814 and State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation, Airports Division Bishop Museum Technical Report 58 Honolulu, Hawaii January 2012 Bishop Museum Press 1525 Bernice Street Honolulu, Hawai‘i Copyright 2012 Bishop Museum All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America ISSN 1085-455X Contribution No. 2012 001 to the Hawaii Biological Survey COVER Adult male Hawaiian long-horned wood-borer, Plagithmysus kahului, on its host plant Chenopodium oahuense. This species is endemic to lowland Maui and was discovered during the arthropod surveys. Photograph by Forest and Kim Starr, Makawao, Maui. Used with permission. Hawaii Biological Report on Monitoring Arthropods within Kahului Airport Environs, Synthesis TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents …………….......................................................……………...........……………..…..….i. Executive Summary …….....................................................…………………...........……………..…..….1 Introduction ..................................................................………………………...........……………..…..….4
    [Show full text]