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Abstract Detail



Pollination Biology

Robson, Diana Bizecki [1].

Restoration of Prairie Pollinator Communities: Which Plants Have “the Right Stuff”?

Research on plant-pollinator matrices shows that there are “core” species that are involved in most of the interactions. These data are of potential interest to restoration ecologists as they suggest that including core flowering plant species is essential for the establishment of healthy pollinator communities and the long-term sustainability of restored sites. Insect visitation data from both fescue and tall grass prairie preserves was collected to identify core plant species. Although the percentage of insect visitor taxa in the different orders was fairly similar between the two prairie types, the percentage of insect visits was vastly different. Bees and wasps were responsible for only 21% of all visits in the tall grass prairies but 74% in the fescue prairies. Both the percentage of insect visits received and the Preference Index (PI) was calculated for each plant species. Of the ten core plant species identified only two species had high insect visitations and PI’s on both prairie types: Solidago rigida and Erigeron glabellus. Plants with short floral tubes were visited frequently on tall grass prairies while those with longer floral tubes were more popular on fescue prairies. Differences in soil moisture appear to affect the insect groups that dominate these prairies; bees are more abundant in drier areas and flies more abundant in moister ones. Thus slightly different forb species mixes are recommended for the two prairie types to encourage re-establishment of prairie pollinator communities in Canada.


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Related Links:
The structure of the flower-insect visitor system in tall-grass prairie


1 - The Manitoba Museum, Research, Collections & Exhibits, 190 Rupert Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 0N2, Canada

Keywords:
Prairie
pollination
restoration
flower
Insect.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 8
Location: Salon 6/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 8:15 AM
Number: 8001
Abstract ID:114
Candidate for Awards:None


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