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Event Type
Research Presentation
Academic Department
Environmental Studies
Location
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Start Date
14-4-2023 1:30 PM
End Date
14-4-2023 3:00 PM
Description
Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard
Many tropical plant species depend on hummingbirds as their primary pollinator, and it is thought that competition for this flower nectar has been a driver for hummingbird speciation. The development of ecotourism in many tropical countries has led to increased use of artificial feeders which may alter the feeding rates and thus pollination opportunities for flowering tropical plants. To better understand this, we compared hummingbird activity at artificial feeders and paired flowering plants as well as at more isolated flowering plants in Ecuador. Paired feeder/flower observations were carried out at one ecolodge near Quito (Zaysant Lodge), while isolated flowers were observed in several forested locations. A total of 40 20-minute surveys were collected across a two-week timeframe. We found no significant difference in the number of visits hummingbirds made to paired flowers and feeders. However, hummingbirds were much more likely to visit flowers in areas supplemented with feeders than they were to visit flowering plants in more isolated forested locations. Our results indicate that the presence of artificial feeders does not hinder the ability of flowers to attract hummingbirds but rather may facilitate higher visitation rates than flowers isolated in the wild. In addition, our findings highlight the pollination challenges that flowering plants in forested tropical environments face.
Feeders and Flowers: A comparison of hummingbird activity at artificial feeders and flowers in Ecuador
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard
Many tropical plant species depend on hummingbirds as their primary pollinator, and it is thought that competition for this flower nectar has been a driver for hummingbird speciation. The development of ecotourism in many tropical countries has led to increased use of artificial feeders which may alter the feeding rates and thus pollination opportunities for flowering tropical plants. To better understand this, we compared hummingbird activity at artificial feeders and paired flowering plants as well as at more isolated flowering plants in Ecuador. Paired feeder/flower observations were carried out at one ecolodge near Quito (Zaysant Lodge), while isolated flowers were observed in several forested locations. A total of 40 20-minute surveys were collected across a two-week timeframe. We found no significant difference in the number of visits hummingbirds made to paired flowers and feeders. However, hummingbirds were much more likely to visit flowers in areas supplemented with feeders than they were to visit flowering plants in more isolated forested locations. Our results indicate that the presence of artificial feeders does not hinder the ability of flowers to attract hummingbirds but rather may facilitate higher visitation rates than flowers isolated in the wild. In addition, our findings highlight the pollination challenges that flowering plants in forested tropical environments face.