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Harvard Forest Research Project 2024
- Title: Bee activity in HF tree canopies
- Principal investigator: Laura Figueroa (llf44@umass.edu)
- Institution: University of Massachusetts - Amherst
- Primary contact: Laura Figueroa (llf44@umass.edu)
- Team members: Laura Figueroa
- Abstract:
Most bee species forage on flowers in search of nectar (for energy) and pollen (for protein). This plant-pollinator interaction has historically been associated with conspicuous flowering plants that attract pollinators via a myriad of cues, including bright colors, strong volatiles, and morphological structures co-evolved with the mouthparts of the pollinator. However, recent work has shown that trees may provide an important, and historically overlooked, pollen resource for bees (Urban-Mead et al. 2021). There is very little known about the temporal and spatial patterns of bee visitation to tree canopies, including in temperate regions where trees bloom much earlier than most other flowering species. The dearth of data is likely a product of the logistical challenges associated with monitoring insect foraging patterns in tree canopies.
My colleagues and I are currently developing a machine-learning (ML) bioacoustics model that can identify insect visitors based on sound, and have a preliminary model that includes the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) and the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). For this project, we intend to record insect activity in tree canopies at the Harvard Forest. Specifically, using the techniques outlined in Urban-Mead et al. 2021, we will raise one SwiftOne: Terrestrial Autonomous Recording Unit (20.3 x 12.7 x 10.1 cm, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA) into the canopy and at the base of 3 - 10 trees (focusing on red maple) this Spring prior to bloom (mid-March) and record throughout bloom (~ end of April). Approximately one week post bloom we will remove the recorders to extract the data from the memory cards. These data will be assessed using the ML bioacoustics model, to quantify phenological patterns of bee activity before/during/after bloom.
