Pollination assessments

[Jeffrey A. Caldwell]

It seems to me that for such a short study with limited resources to simply concentrate on  making observations in both areas and compare could tell you a lot.   Close observation of  the flower visitors in the cultivated areas should give you an indication of what pollinators providing services are active at the time of the study.   I would advocate captures mostly for the purpose of identification as necessary.   Perhaps some of  the more abundant and easily captured species would lend themselves to marking and later observation, but I question how well it will
work with such a short study.   The time, effort and resources of capturing might better be invested in making careful observations.   Then try to see how the species observed as flower visitors in the cultivated areas fit into the forest; I suspect many pollinators will seem to have their "home base" there, or at least other valuable plants that help to sustain their numbers.   Simple observation could include all  types of  flower visitors.

"Julio M. Arias" wrote:

> Hi all
>
>         I am trying to design a field practice for my students and will welcome any friendly advice that can get from any of you.  The goal is to measure in some way the value of pollination services from natural areas.  The setting in question is a small protected forest surrounded by urban and agricultural areas (crops and pastures), of course in the tropics (Atenas, Costa Rica).  I tought initially of working with bats, but later on reading that most pollination is done by Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera, I decided to drop the vertebrates.
>
> My approaches are to sample the diversity of potential pollinators in the forest and in another comparative area, and to try to mark pollinators in the forest or in the neigbour agricultural areas and try to recover it later in the forest.  I only have less than a month for the students to do it.  Does anyone have any suggestion/criticism/observation?  My experience with bees and flies is minimal.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>
> Julio M. Arias-Reveron, Ph.D.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Center for Sustainable Development Studies
> School for Field Studies
> Apdo. 150-4013
> Atenas, Alajuela
> Costa Rica
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Ph. (506)446-5558, (506)446-6960
> Home (506)460-3072
> JMArias at sol.racsa.co.cr
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~