Pollinators on Green Roofs
College of Agricultural Sciences
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Larimer
County
- Natural Resources and Sustainability
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Natural Resources and Sustainability
Other Topics:
No additional topic areas, only my selection from previous question
Internship Overview:
Green roofs are a way to return a portion of the area taken up by development into productive green space. Green roofs provide ecosystem services to pollinators, which are known to be decreasing in numbers, especially in urban areas. Pollinators are an essential component of many food production systems and other ecosystem services. Past green roof research has shown that green roofs provide ecologically significant habitat (food, nesting, etc.) in an urban setting. However, there appears to be a lack of research on how a green roof environment may impact the quality of these foraging options, specifically how nectar resources are affected and what impacts that may have on green roof pollinator visitation. Therefore we propose to continue evaluation of flowering timing, pollinator visitation, and floral nectar resources on the Nutrien green roof and in an at-grade garden next to the Plant Science building.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
Pollinator observations will be conducted every other week for 2 minutes between 9am and 11am, with each pollinator visitation being recorded. If an identification is unable to be made in situ, a picture will be taken to provide identification after the observation window. This protocol was developed by Mason et al. (2018). Bee identification will also be made following protocol and groupings outlined in Mason et al. (2018). [Mason, L., Kondratieff, B. C., & Seshadri, A. 2018. Native Bee Watch: A Colorado Citizen Science Field Guide. Colorado State University, College of Agricultural Sciences.]
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
Extension, horticulture, and green roof industries.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
The intern will gain hands-on experience in the pollinator and horticultural aspects of rooftop agriculture. Additionally, the intern will interact with professionals and gain experience in the areas of Extension, horticulture, and green roofs. The intern will also assist with outreach and community events refining their public speaking and engaged scholarship skills. Therefore, the intern will not only learn about the scientific aspects of these areas but also network with professionals.
