Report Details
Insect Visitors of Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) (Rosales: Rosaceae) and Factors Affecting Viable Seed Production
Studies the role of pollination deficiency in decline of black cherry regeneration. Given that black cherry is insect pollinated and unable to produce viable seed from self-pollination, a reduction in seed crops could be due to a pollination deficit; however, its key pollinators are unknown. Identifying the pollinators and factors that influence pollinator abundance and fidelity is critical for supporting and enhancing seed production for this valuable timber species. Over a two-year period in developed, semideveloped, and forested areas in Pennsylvania, we identified the potential pollinators of black cherry and examined how their abundance, along with several other abiotic and biotic factors, influenced viable seed production. We found that andrenid (Andrenidae: Hymenoptera) bees are likely the most important pollinators. The proportion of viable seeds increased as the number of andrenids increased, and these ground nesting bees were most abundant on forest edges, highlighting this habitat’s potential to support pollination services. Andrenids carried an average of 347-fold more black cherry pollen than flies and 18-fold more than halictid (Halictidae: Hymenoptera) bees. We did not find
a significant relationship between the abundance of any other taxa besides andrenids and viable seed production.
Forestry
PSU
2018
2021
11/10/2021
| Funding Source Details | |
| Funding Source: | BOF Research Fund |
| Grant Number: | PO 4300621276 |
| Amount: | $151,242.00 |
Location Information
| Investigator Details | |
| Name: | Kelli Hoover |
| Street Address 1: | 501 ASI Bldg |
| Street Address 2: | |
| City/State/Zip: | University Park PA 16802 |
| Phone: | 814-863-6369 |
| khx25@psu.edu | |
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