Promoting Pollinators
Monitoring pollinators through slash pile revegetation and pollinator surveys along blueberry hedgerows.
Pollinator Enhancement Study Design Protocol
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of riparian restoration at Whitewater Ranch, as well as its impact on pollinators, our team implemented Dr. Lauren Poniso’s Pollinator Enhancement Study Design Protocol (PESDP). Dr. Poniso’s protocol aims to understand how native flowering plants germinate, grow, and flower in clear-cut areas with minimal site preparations, as well as which species persist and colonize these new areas.
To evaluate the effectiveness of PESDP, we examined about twenty plots that are inside and outside burn piles. For each plot, we estimated the percent cover and number of individual plant species. We estimated the percent cover and number of individuals to determine the effectiveness of planting in and around the burn piles. In order to understand how the native plants flower in clear cuts, we counted the number of open flowers (blooms) for each species, both inside and outside of the original plots. Understanding and measuring how native flowering species thrive in burn areas can assist with revitalizing and restoring pollinators in post-fire environments.
Monitoring Blueberry Pollination
The monitoring of blueberry pollination by native pollinators consisted of congruent protocols to the previous work of the ELP at Whitewater Ranch. Two surveys of native pollinators took place, one in early May, and the other in late May. These dates were determined by the timing of peak blooms of the blueberry fields.
About the Ponisio Lab
The PESDP Protocol is based on the survey protocols modified from Ullmann et al.
