Bonus Opportunity
Due: 30 Jan 15
Read the following article and complete the Article Review at the end. Then share the document with me.
Bee biodiversity boosts crop yields
Date: May 9, 2014 Source: North Carolina State University
Summary: Blueberries produce more seeds and larger berries if they are visited by more diverse bee species,
allowing farmers to harvest significantly more pounds of fruit per acre. The researchers looked at blueberries in
North Carolina because it is an economically important and well understood crop that relies on insect
pollination.
Research from NC State University finds that blueberries
produce more seeds and larger berries if they are visited by
more diverse bee species.
Credit: Hannah Burrack, North Carolina State University
Research from North Carolina State University shows that blueberries produce more seeds and larger berries
if they are visited by more diverse bee species, allowing farmers to harvest significantly more pounds of fruit
per acre.
"We wanted to understand the functional role of diversity," says Dr. Hannah Burrack, an associate professor
of entomology at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. "And we found that there is a quantifiable
benefit of having a lot of different types of bees pollinating a crop."
The researchers looked at blueberries in North Carolina because it is an economically important and well
understood crop that relies on insect pollination.
Within the blueberry fields, the researchers identified five distinct groups of bee species: honey bees, bumble
bees, southeastern blueberry bees, carpenter bees and a functionally similar collection of species that they
termed small native bees.
The researchers found that for each group above one, farmers saw an increase of $311 worth of yield per
acre. For example, if two bee groups pollinated a field, the boost would be $311 per acre; for three bee groups,
the boost would be $622 per acre, and so on.
"For North Carolina blueberries as a whole, we calculate the benefit of each group to be approximately $1.42
million worth of yield each year," Burrack says.
"We think the benefit stems from differences in behavior between bee groups, in part depending on the
weather," explains Dr. David Tarpy, an associate professor of entomology at NC State and co-author of the
paper. For example, southeastern blueberry bees work well regardless of inclement weather, whereas honey
bees only perform at their best on calm, warm, sunny days.
"This can make a big difference, since blueberries bloom in March and April in North Carolina," Burrack says.
"That means the weather can swing from great to awful, as we saw this year."
There is some research showing that having native, flowering plants near blueberry fields can increase native
bee populations over time, but the researchers are now planning to see what role crop management can play
in fostering bee diversity at crop sites.
"We've shown that there is a real financial benefit associated with biodiversity," Burrack says. "The next
step is to figure out how to foster that diversity in practical terms."
North Carolina State University. "Bee biodiversity boosts crop yields." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 May 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140509172906.htm>.
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Name: __________________________________________ Block: 1 2 3 4 Date: ______________
ARTICLE REVIEW SHEET
1. Before starting to read the article, read this form so you will know what to be looking for as you begin to review the
article. You must write completing #3 and #4 below before reading the article.
2. Read the title of the article, all headings and sub-titles, and look at all the pictures, reading every caption.
3. In the space below, write a sentence or two explaining the theme (major idea) of the article. (What is the article
about?)
4. Now, write down 3-5 curious questions that come to your mind as you as you look over the article and were
preparing your theme sentences in #3.
5. Read the entire article! As you read, write down 3 or more main points of the article and whatever informational
fact that you find interesting.
6. Summarize what you learned from your reading that you didn’t know before reading the article. Write more than
one sentence. This will be important to your closing paragraph in the summary that you will write on the back of
this sheet.
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7. Write a 2-3 paragraph summary of the article in your own words making sure to include your main points listed in
#5 and #6 above. Make sure you have “voice” in your writing. Your summary paragraphs must clearly tell what
the article is about. Assume that the reader of your summary has not read the article. Give lots of detail.
Underline or circle the facts that you listed in #5 and used in your paragraphs. Most of your information from #5
should be in this summary. Good writing has a beginning, middle, and end.
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