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Spring 2013 Pollinator Habitat Availability and Diversity in Various Tropical Agroforestry Management Systems of Arabica in Santa Clara, Chiriqui Julia Brokaw SIT Study Abroad

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Recommended Citation Brokaw, Julia, "Pollinator Habitat Availability and Diversity in Various Tropical Agroforestry Management Systems of in Santa Clara, Chiriqui" (2013). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1597. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1597

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Pollinator habitat availability and diversity in various tropical agroforestry management systems of Coffea arabica in Santa Clara, Chiriqui

Julia Brokaw Cornell University '14 Department of Natural Resources SIT Panama Spring 2013

Brokaw i Pollinator habitat availability and diversity in various tropical agroforestry management systems of Coffea arabica in Santa Clara, Chiriqui Table of Contents Acknowledgments...... ii Abstract...... ii Executive Summary...... ii Introduction...... 1 Pollination as an Ecosystem 1 Service...... Pollinator Declines...... 3 Pollinator Diversity...... 5 Cultivation...... 6 Pollination of C. arabica...... 8 Study Objectives...... Methods...... 9 Study Location...... 9 Study Species...... 9 Management Practices...... 10 Habitat Resource Availability and Observations...... 10 Pollinator Observations...... 11 Results...... 12 Habitat Availability...... 12 Organic Shade-Grown Coffee...... 12 Ecological Shade-Grown Coffee...... 12 Non-Organic Shade-Grown Coffee...... 13 Conventional Coffee...... 13 Pollinator Observations...... 14 Discussion...... 14 Nesting Resource 14 Availability...... Management for Bee Diversity...... 16 Chemical Usage...... 18 Economic Impacts...... 20 Future Research...... 21 Works Cited...... 22 Brokaw ii Acknowledgments

Me gustaria dar gracias a la familia Lezcano por su tiempo y apoyo con mi proyecto, y tambien su hospitalidad en Santa Clara. Agradezco enormemente su entusiasmo por enseñarme todos partes de el proceso de cafe y sobre la cultura de Panama. Muchas gracias a todos los agricultores en Santa Clara por darme la oportunidad a visitar sus fincas y hablar conmigo sobre abjeas y polinizacion. Muchisimas gracias a Dr. David Roubik de STRI por su percia y consejo con la identificación de especies .

Abstract

Habitat loss due to increasing agricultural intensification and chemical use may result in the loss of biodiversity of bee species. This has implications for global economies and food security for people world wide. Focusing on coffee cultivation, an important cash crop in the tropics, this study aims to understand the availability for pollinator habitat resources in a management gradient from shade-grown coffee agroforestry to conventional farming systems that employ both organic and non-organic management practices. I examined the influence of farming and land-use practices on the availability and quality of habitats for social and solitary bee species through observations of nesting resources available. The results demonstrate that C. arabica management systems have an important effect on habitat availability for pollinator diversity assemblages. In this study, organic shade-coffee farms and ecologi