Pollinator decline

Imagine the All American meal, two fluffy buns on either side of a juicy beef patty topped with melted cheese and accompanied by crunchy lettuce, crisp pickles and sweet ketchup. The french fries on the side are the perfect golden brown. Sounds delicious right? As you pick up the burger your mouth waters in anticipation. You bite down and are shocked when the only thing you get is bun. “Where’s the beef?” This iconic slogan from Wendy’s portrayed a sweet old woman asking a simple question…

Imagine flowering plants vanishing from the earth. Imagine never again eating fruits like blueberries, strawberries, or watermelons, nuts like almonds, or vegetables like cucumbers. At the very least, imagine these everyday food items as high-priced luxuries. These dire predictions are not science fiction, but rather a very ominous and likely scenario if the honey bee population throughout the world continues to dwindle as it has been over the past decade. Although most people know we need bees…

animals, no more man.” (Eccleston) This widely cited quote has been attributed to the famous genius, Albert Einstein. He briefly touches upon the importance of bees to planet earth. 75% of all flowering plants, including most food crops, rely on pollinators, like the honeybee, for fertilization. Apples, strawberries, broccoli, carrots, cherries, coffee, blueberries, onions, and celery are all commonly used in most people’s diets. These are just a few examples of foods pollinated by the vital…

across the globe as anthropogenic activities increase to threaten butterfly species. One such species under threat in the UK is the Duke of Burgundy. Decline in flagship species over recent years has led to a review of the biodiversity action plans and the importance they have across the globe. This POSTnote examines the risks of butterfly decline for the UK, exploring the anthropogenic impacts on the Duke of Burgundy and assessing relevant strategies to better conservation. OVERVIEW • Values…

Bannister and Kissel 1986; Abrams et al 1990), or even to minimal water potentials (Davis and Mooney 1986, a, b). A variety of contrasting, compensating physiological changes may occur as water is lost; e.g., open stomata allow water potential to decline while photosynthesis continues, or closed stomata prevent both low and photosynthesis (Bannister and Kissel 1986; Schulz et al 1987; Guehl et al 1991). The basal water potential as predawn is an important, useful measurement of plant water…

Amongst the flying insects, bees are also closely related to wasps and ants, known for their ability to pollinate and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the super family, Apoidea and are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. Some…

Introduction Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is causing a decline in honeybee population in the United States that in turn affects the nation’s economy and ecology. This paper will examine what CCD is, what the possible causes of CCD are, its impact on the nation’s economy and ecology, different treatment options, how this impacts the local area around the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and what the future might hold for bees in the United States. Colony collapse disorder is a…

Honey bees produce honey that is favored and enjoyed by many, and they pollinate a large portion of the world’s crops. While their efforts are largely appreciated, their recent troubles have not been given very much attention. Before assessing and understanding their afflictions, one must first have some basic knowledge about the structure/organization of a typical honey bee colony. They are social insects, with each individual bee living to benefit the hive. The survival of the hive depends…

What’s your favorite fruit? Imagine if you weren’t able to have that fruit anymore. If the decline of bees continue the way they have been, that will be possible in the future. It would happen here in America and across the ocean in Europe and Asia. Ruling out major importers for our produce. Bees are disappearing at alarming rates and changes need to be made. Fruits and vegetables aren’t the only benefits that we get from those little yellow and black insects. There happens to be a bright…

The monarch butterfly, also known as Danaus plexippus, is recognized as America’s state insect with a wing span of 4 inches and 10 centimeters long – the longest wing span ever recorded within the monarchs’ insect population (Conant, 2012). Monarchs are notorious in the United States because of their spectacular migration across Canada and the United States to the overwintering sites in central Mexico – and back again. In this case, monarchs migrate between 2,000 to 3,000 miles every single year…