The effects of elevation on flower abundance and pollinator visits on Helianthella quinquenervis

Abstract

Spatial-temporal variation in pollinator populations can have an impact in plant reproduction. This study assessed the effects of elevation on flower abundance, pollinator visitation, and types of pollinators visiting the Helianthella quinquenervis This flower species was chosen due to its vast abundance at various elevations in Gothic, CO. I used data from 2021 and 2022 collected from the Avery Picnic (low elevation) and Virginia Basin (high elevation) field sites to address these questions. Flower counts and pollinator visits would be recorded on a weekly basis at both sites during the blooming season of the H. quinquenervis. There was a significant difference in flower abundance between sites in both years, however in the results did not support of the initial prediction that flower abundance would be greater at the high elevation site. There was no significant difference in the number of pollinator visits between the two field sites. And lastly, Bombus were the most abundant pollinators at both elevations, however more data is needed to more accurately describe the types of pollinators visiting at low elevation sites. Flower production and pollinator visitation in H. quinquenervis is not driven by elevation, which suggests that future research should focus on other factors, such as snowmelt, to explain the observed results. 3

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