Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

DECOUPLING OF NEOTROPICAL SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS IN THE MIDST OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Wolanin, Theresa N
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1627410105877643

Abstract Details

2021, MS, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Biological Sciences.
The loss of ecosystem function and services resulting from worldwide insect population declines and species loss has alarming ecological implications. The potential impacts of the decline of native and managed bees on plant reproduction are receiving considerable attention; however, there is insufficient information about the current conservation status of tropical bees. In the first chapter, I compared pollinator bee communities in the seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) of Palo Verde National Park (PVNP) and neighboring SDTF in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, from 1971-2018, using museum collections and field surveys. I also proposed that changes in bee communities result from changes associated with habitat, climate change, and the arrival of Africanized Apis mellifera in the mid to late 1980s. To establish the composition and abundance of historical pollinator communities, I examined the records of 6,475 specimens collected in the seasonally dry tropical forests of Guanacaste. I compared the historical records with dry season surveys conducted at PVNP in 2016-2018. There was a general decline of solitary bee diversity and abundance in PVNP, with a clear declining trend at the species level for some solitary bee genera. Melipona beecheii appears extirpated from PVNP, which coincides with the timing of increases in tthe abundance of A. mellifera. Because of the relationship between precipitation-cued flowering plants and the declining bee species, my second chapter investigated how variation in precipitation cues could likely cause a mismatch between flowering time and bee activity. Meteorological data was gathered from several sources to create a dataeet of precipitation information. To examine the relationship between precipitation patterns and the availability of floral resources, I used pollen samples taken from bee specimens from four museum collections and published data to create a historical dataset of flowering times of SDTF trees and bee communities. I found a correlation between the timing of wet season precipitation events and bee community structure. I also conducted a comparative bipartite network analysis to compare the relationship between five SDTF plant species and their pollinators based on published literature and museum specimen collection tags and the current pollinators observed in 2016-2018. I found differences in the structure and composition between the historical and 2016-2018 plant-pollinator network, as indicated by the shifts in bee species visiting these species. These findings suggest that variation in precipitation patterns associated with the ongoing climate change has influenced floral resources and bee communities; however, additional research is necessary to verify this conclusion.
Oscar Rocha (Advisor)
Matthew Lehnert (Committee Member)
Mark Kershner (Committee Member)
80 p.
Biology; Botany; Ecology; Entomology
plant-pollinator interactions, climate change, precipitation cues, solitary bees, stingless bees, Africanized honey bees, phenology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wolanin, T. N. (2021). DECOUPLING OF NEOTROPICAL SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS IN THE MIDST OF CLIMATE CHANGE [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1627410105877643

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wolanin, Theresa. DECOUPLING OF NEOTROPICAL SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS IN THE MIDST OF CLIMATE CHANGE. 2021. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1627410105877643.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wolanin, Theresa. "DECOUPLING OF NEOTROPICAL SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS IN THE MIDST OF CLIMATE CHANGE." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1627410105877643

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1627410105877643
200
© 2021, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.