S TEP 1 C ULTIVATING A C ITIZEN S CIENTIST Recruit Create a buzz - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PROJECT BEE WATCH

Matthew Opdyke, Keri Rouse, Paula Ambrose, and Hanna Evanchak

Point Park University, Pittsburgh, PA

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Establish a citizen science project in southwestern Pennsylvania to

• 1. Develop baseline data of insect pollinators
• 2. Identify pollinator preference for forage plants
• 3. Educate and recruit citizen scientists to serve as

ambassadors in the conservation of pollinators

Latodami Nature Center

STATUS OF BEE POLLINATORS IN NORTH AMERICA

• More than half of native bees are declining

in North America, with 1-in-4 at risk of extinction (Center for Biological Diversity 2017)

• Decrease of overall bee abundance across

23% of U.S. land area between 2008 and 2013, with dramatic declines in bumble bee species (Cameron et al. 2011, Koh et al. 2016)

Cameron et al. 2011. Patterns of widespread decline in North American bumble bees. Proc Natl Acad Sci 108:662-667. Koh et al. 2016. Modeling the status, trends, and impacts of wild bee abundance in the United States. Proc Natl Acad Sci 113:140-5.

Allegheny Land Trust Nonprofit conservation

• rganization protecting green

space around Allegheny County

• Protects >2,500 acres
• Network of >700 volunteers

GROWING A PARTNERSHIP

AUDUBON GREENWAY Conservation area owned and managed by ALT

• Located 12 miles NW of

Pittsburgh

• Consists of oak groves,

meadows, and several miles of hiking trails

• 17 acres of meadow comprise

study area

• Meadow management involves

some plantings and mowing

MEET THE PILOT SITE

2019 EXPANSION INCLUDES TWO ADDITIONAL PARTNERS

City of Pittsburgh

North Park (x2) Audubon Greenway (x1) Pittsburgh City Parks (x2) Size of Field Sites: 1 to 25 acres

Latodami Nature Center

• North Field (26 acres)
• Walter, Pigeon Fields (7 acres)

NORTH PARK

3,000-acre county park managed by Allegheny County Parks Department

Bartlett Meadow

• 1.5 acres

SCHENLEY PARK

Nonprofit working with the City of Pittsburgh to restore city parks

Frick Meadow

• 1.5 acres

FRICK PARK

Nonprofit working with the City of Pittsburgh to restore city parks

• Create a buzz through

news outlets

• Utilize partner

networks

• Pennsylvania Master

Naturalists

CULTIVATING A CITIZEN SCIENTIST

STEP 1

Recruit

• Identification of

pollinators

• Practice conducting

surveys

• Supplies: training

manual, identification guide, sampling plot

Train

CULTIVATING A CITIZEN SCIENTIST

STEP 2

• Volunteers set their
• wn schedules and

submit data upon completion

• Keep in touch with

monthly newsletters

Set Them Loose!

CULTIVATING A CITIZEN SCIENTIST

STEP 3

PROJECT PARTICIPATION

May-Sept 2018

12 citizen scientists 124 sampling plots 17 acres

May-Sept. 2019

41 citizen scientists 393 sampling plots 59 acres

Bees

Density = 7 per m2 Account for 67%

• f pollinators

Flies

Density = 2 per m2 Account for 20%

• f pollinators

Beetles

Density = 1 per m2 Account for 6% of pollinators

Butterflies + Moths

Density = 1 per m2 Account for 5% of pollinators

RESULTS:

POLLINATOR STATUS Bees contribute the greatest number of pollinators

Audubon Greenway North Park Pittsburgh City Parks Shannon Diversity Index 2.3 2.2 2.2

• -------------- Density (per square meter) ---------------

Overall Bees 6.7 6.9 8.6 Bumble Bees 0.5 2.0 1.9 European Honey Bees 3.2 1.6 2.6 Sweat Bees 2.1 2.3 3.0 Butterfly/Moths 0.6 0.4 0.7 Hover/Drone Flies 0.7 1.1 2.1 Soldier Beetles 0.9 0.3 0.2 Wasps 0.5 0.2 0.4

RESULTS:

POLLINATOR STATUS Differences due to variation in wildflowers and density of bee keepers

Number of different types of wildflowers surveyed = 55

• Sufficient data to examine pollinator

preference for 17

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) Clover (Trifolium spp.) Yellow Coneflowers (Rudbeckia spp.)

RESULTS:

POLLINATOR PREFERENCE

Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)

2 4 6 8 10 WilBerg CanThi ComMilk Clover Conefl QALace

Canada Thistle Canada Thistle Clover 10 4 2 Common Milkweed Wild Bergamot Coneflower

• No. of Bees per square meter

RESULTS:

POLLINATOR PREFERENCE

8 6 Queen Anne’s Lace

Take-away Messages:

1.Pollinator preference differs among wildflowers 2.Even introduced wildflowers attract pollinators

• 3. Wildflower diversity is important

Queen Anne’s Lace Clover

Top 5 wildflowers that attract Bumble Bees in order Top 5 wildflowers that attract Eur. Honey Bees in order from most to least attractive: from most to least attractive: Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (Calico Aster) Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed) Solidago spp. (Goldenrod) Helianthus + Heliopsis spp. (Yellow Sunflower) Cirsium arvense (Canada Thistle) Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed) Solidago spp. (Goldenrod) Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) Top 5 wildflowers that attract Sweat Bees in order Top 5 wildflowers that attract Butterflies and from most to least attractive: Moths in order from most to least attractive: Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (Calico Aster) Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) Vernonia noveboracensis (New York Ironweed) Vernonia noveboracensis (New York Ironweed) Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) Rudbeckia spp. (Yellow Coneflower) Helianthus + Heliopsis spp. (Yellow Sunflower) Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)

Future Goals of the Project

19

• Generate three years of data before publishing results
• Share results with scientific community, county government,

local conservation organizations, and community members

• Attract more citizen scientists to participate in collecting

data and sharing experiences

• Expand field sites to include wildflower

meadows at Boyce Park (Monroeville) and North Park (Wexford), with the assistance of grants

Thank you!

Join us in protecting native bees and their habitats!

www.opdyke-environlab.com