Oral Presentations and Performances: Session I
Project Type
Presentation
Project Funding and Affiliations
NSF DEB 2413627; NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates; Niwot Ridge LTER
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Meredith Zettlemoyer
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Division Of Biological Sciences
Additional Mentor
Devi Tejaswini
Abstract / Artist's Statement
High elevation environments are characterized by a harsh climate, including a short growing season, wind and storms, and cold temperatures. Thus, higher elevation habitats often show lower insect abundance and diversity, and so insect pollination to alpine plants might be limited. Additionally, insect pollination should increase with increased floral abundance, but environmental stress may limit available floral resources for pollinators. In summer of 2025, we collected and processed a series of video recordings of pollinator visits to three alpine plant species, Phlox condensata, Minuartia obtusiloba, and Silene acaulis, across five field sites at the Niwot Ridge LTER, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The sites vary in exposure, snowmelt timing, and temperature. We investigated how pollination rates vary across species, sites, time of summer, and number of blooms. Our initial data suggest that pollination may vary between species, with more visits to Silene and Phlox than to later-flowering Minuartia. Our data also shows lower visitation rates in the early season compared with later season, and peak visitation aligns with when each focal species is in peak bloom. However, we saw relatively low pollination rates across the board. This could be due to either limited pollination or our methods. Future work should explore a variety of pollinator observation techniques (e.g., timed person surveys). Understanding the importance of pollination by insects can help us predict how changes in pollinator numbers and activity could impact alpine cushion plant populations.
Category
Life Sciences
Insect Pollination Rates in Alpine Cushion Plants
UC 327
High elevation environments are characterized by a harsh climate, including a short growing season, wind and storms, and cold temperatures. Thus, higher elevation habitats often show lower insect abundance and diversity, and so insect pollination to alpine plants might be limited. Additionally, insect pollination should increase with increased floral abundance, but environmental stress may limit available floral resources for pollinators. In summer of 2025, we collected and processed a series of video recordings of pollinator visits to three alpine plant species, Phlox condensata, Minuartia obtusiloba, and Silene acaulis, across five field sites at the Niwot Ridge LTER, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The sites vary in exposure, snowmelt timing, and temperature. We investigated how pollination rates vary across species, sites, time of summer, and number of blooms. Our initial data suggest that pollination may vary between species, with more visits to Silene and Phlox than to later-flowering Minuartia. Our data also shows lower visitation rates in the early season compared with later season, and peak visitation aligns with when each focal species is in peak bloom. However, we saw relatively low pollination rates across the board. This could be due to either limited pollination or our methods. Future work should explore a variety of pollinator observation techniques (e.g., timed person surveys). Understanding the importance of pollination by insects can help us predict how changes in pollinator numbers and activity could impact alpine cushion plant populations.