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Undergraduate Research and Scholarship 2021 Undergraduate Research Showcase Showcases
4-23-2021
Insects are Small, but Mighty in Pollinating Foods We Consume: The Significance of Non-Bee ollinatP ors
Julie Julison Boise State University Insects Are Small, but Mighty in Pollinating Foods We Consume
Julie Julison
The Significance of Non-bee Pollinators Introduction
We are all very familiar with bees, which includes the honey bee (Apini spp) and bumblebee (Bombus spp) (Eaton
Diptera Flies Discussion and Kaufman, 2007). In addition there are other bees that are Hymenoptera Ants, Bees, and Wasps sold commercially: stingless, mason, alkali, and alfalfa leaf cutter. What most people don’t realize is that there are lots of It has long been believed that bees provided the majority other insects that pollinate plants and may contribute to of all pollination for fruits, vegetables, and other food more of these activities than the scientific community has items that we consume. One of the limiting factors for ever considered (Garibaldi et.al., 2013). There are over 100 bees is they are active for only short periods of the day, foods that we consume that require pollination and most of late morning and early afternoon. This has to do with their this is done by insects. In the US alone the total value of the Figure 8. Hover Flies Figure 9. Blow Flies endothermic flight, which is much more dependent on gross domestic product was $780.8 billion from pollinated (Syrphidae) (Calliphoridae) Figure 14. Ants Figure 15. Wasps (Formicidae) (Vespidae) temperatures in the environment. This also becomes a food resources (Radar et.al., 2019). factor since they can only travel short distances. While flies have ectothermic flight, so they can remain flying for longer periods and travel longer distances (Rader et. al., Scientific Analysis 2012). Figure 10. Tachinid Flies (Tachinidae) Scientists have long thought that due to the high Figure 1. Honey Bee Figure 2. Bumble Bee pollen transfer that bees provide there was then a positive correlation with their behavior and overall plant production. This was followed by a widespread Figure 11. House Flies belief that non-bee interactions were inconsequential (Muscidae) Figure 12. Flesh Flies (Sarcophagidae) and only a secondary consideration and certainly not a substitute for bee contact (Rader et. al., 2016). Orders of Insects that Have Been Documented in Taking Part in Pollination Figure 13. Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)
Coleoptera Beetles Lepidoptera Moths and Butterflies Many of the same issues and problems that are affecting Figure 6. Rapeseed (Brassica napus) bee colonies, such as fragmentation or loss of natural Figure 5. Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus baltreatus) habitats, air, water, and light pollution have the same devastating impacts on non-bee pollinators. Researchers A study in 2004 and 2005 on rapeseed (Brassica napus) must consider other essential insect contact, which is vital established that there were increasing yields and more seed for continued production of food resources. This may be a pods, which were pollinated only by the Marmalade hoverfly determining factor in the future, due to climate changes Figure 6. Scarab Beetle Figure 3. Sap Beetle Figure 16. Skippers that are currently affecting our planet. Insects have been (Scarabaeidae) (Episyrphus baltreatus). The study also demonstrated that in (Nitidulidae) (Hesperiidae) Figure 18. Gossamer-winged areas that contained lower concentrations of the flies actually pollinating many of the foods we as humans consume for Butterfly (Lycaenidae) had a higher mean in number of seeds per each pod from 17.75 thousands, if not millions of years. They are small in size, to 22.25. While higher density fly areas only produced a mean but they are mighty in their contribution. Figure 5. Ladybird of 20.5. In addition to each plant having more seeds per pod Beetle (Coccinellidae) there was an increase of 3% of each plant having more pods (Jauker and Wolters, 2008).
Figure 7. Longhorn Beetle Figure 17. Brush Footed (Cerambycidae) Butterfly (Nymphalidae) References Figure 4. Blister Beetle Figure 19. (Meloidae) (Pieridae)