48. Pollinator Dependency

Abstract

We will investigate the dependence on pollinators, as well as pollinator visitation rates to crops planted in a community garden. An estimated 94% of plant species in tropical communities and a third of global food crops rely on insect pollination. Much research has provided data displaying that pollinator-attracting crops increase pollinator visitation, resulting in a higher crop yield. We hypothesize that by planting crops that attract pollinators -such as wildflowers- we will observe a larger diversity of pollinators and their influence on crop yields. This will display the overwhelming effects that pollinators have on the global food supply. We plan to fulfill our objectives by partnering with Lanier Career Academy in April and utilizing their vegetable garden, which will be planted with adjacent flowers to attract pollinators. In order to collect our data, we will use systematic methods to measure pollinator diversity and interactions with the plants at the Lanier Career Academy. Our project will provide substantial information on the effects of pollinator-attracting plants and their influence on crop yields, reflecting the dependence of the global food supply on a smaller scale. We predict pollinator-attracting plants will substantially increase the population and diversity of pollinators. Our partner will benefit by allowing us to provide a substantial amount of information on the influence of pollinators, as well as the effectiveness of pollinator-attracting crops. This project will also allow our partner to save money by using a more self-sustaining method of attracting pollinators.