Adrian Garcia

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Saarinen, Emily

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

Pollination processes support both wild and managed plant populations, contributing to genetic flow and resiliency among plant species. Without pollination, cross-obligate pollinated flowering plants will not receive enough genetic diversity to maintain resilient offspring capable of reaching sexual maturity. Current trends in pollinator activity suggest their populations, as well as their associated floral counterparts, are declining. Attention to these trends has highlighted the importance of pollinator interactions to human quality of life, and subsequent efforts have been undertaken in attempt to revitalize pollinator populations. Information on Best Management Practices which improve colony health is constantly evolving with new information, as the current understanding of pollination and its inputs are not well understood. Viewing pollinators as decision makers makes the comparison between consumers and pollinators possible. The overlapping behavior between the two are likely to shed insight to pollination dynamics, and therefore increase the efficiency of conservation efforts geared toward them.

Download

Share

COinS