Powering Pollinators: Visitation and Abundance of Pollinators in a Solar Prairie Buffer Zone

Powering Pollinators: Visitation and Abundance of Pollinators in a Solar Prairie Buffer Zone

Presenter(s)

Madison Blythe, Caroline Deerwester, Madelyn Moore, Emily Walker

Comments

10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

Description

Renewable energy, including solar energy, is becoming more prevalent across the U.S.. Creating sites for solar arrays can be damaging to ecosystems due to the need to clear and remove vegetation. One of the techniques to minimize ecological impact in these solar arrays is the formation of solar prairies beneath and surrounding the panels. Since these are novel ecosystems, their affect on wildlife has not been studied extensively. Pollinator species are of special interest due to their implications for agriculture and ecosystem services. To increase the knowledge of pollinator usage of a solar prairie, we investigated insect pollinator visitation at the University of Dayton’s solar prairie (Curran Place). To test this, we categorized the solar array at Curan Place into full sun, partial shade, and full shade microclimates and conducted point counts at randomly selected Canada goldenrod stalks. We recorded the number of flowering heads present on each of these stalks. Pollinator visitation rates were recorded over one-minute intervals, and visitors were classified into major pollinator groups, including bees, wasps, flies, and beetles. To better understand which bees and wasps are pollinating Canada goldenrod at Curran Place, we used passive netting to collect various specimens in each microclimate and identify them to the genus level. Our data found that pollinator visitations were higher in microclimates that contained Goldenrod stalks with more flowering heads, as well as increased visitations on days with warmer temperatures. Our findings contribute to an understanding of how microclimate factors shape pollinator distributions, with implications for habitat management and pollinator conservation with the increasing climate for solar energy.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Course Project - BIO 479L M1

Primary Advisor

Stephanie Kaitlyn Murray, Chelse M. Prather

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Vocation

Powering Pollinators: Visitation and Abundance of Pollinators in a Solar Prairie Buffer Zone

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