“The affects of pollination services on angiosperms among wild bee populations”

Prof.  Claire Kremen,  Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley

Plants, unlike animals, have far greater options in their ability to produce progeny.  This ranges from fully self-compatible plants, producing the same number of seeds with and without outcrossing, to those that are obligate outcrossers and will not produce any seeds without adequate pollen from transfer.  The objective of this project was to determine the breeding system (reliance on pollinators) and degree of pollen limitation (how well the pollen is being transferred) in sites occupied by Bombus vosnesenskii.  Eight species of flowers were used and sixty flowers of each species were divided into three treatments:  pollinator exclusion, control and hand pollinated.  Seeds were collected and counted from all treatments when mature. Preliminary observations indicated some species showed no levels of autogamy while other set ample seeds while bagged. Understanding the larger picture of interspecies dependence will help us better understand how native bee declines could potentially impact plant communities.  Additionally, a better understanding of the relationships in wild habitats will help inform policy makers on how to manage wild habitats.

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Wanda is currently a student at Berkeley City College.  She hopes to transfer to the University of California, Berkeley and major in Molecular and Environmental Biology.  After completing her undergraduate work she intends to continue on with a graduate degree to pursue a career in entomology.