Browsing by Author "Vermaak, Sarah"

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    Calgary - A Bee City
    (2021-12-22) Summers, Mindi; Best, Lincoln; Robinson, Samuel; Seal, Michaela; Purvis, Emily; Vermaak, Sarah; Clarke, Arminty; Gavin, Michael; Miksha, Ron; Eggermont, Marjan
    Visual summary of Calgary's native bee biodiversity and the 15 native plants found to support the greatest diversity of wild bees.
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    Calgary Insect Pollinator Diversity and Native Plant Associations
    (2021-10-15) Vermaak, Sarah; Seal, Michaela; Ford-Sahibzada, Taylor; Summers, Mindi
    Insects pollinate roughly 75% of Earth’s flowering plants, and while Calgary hosts a large number of diverse insect pollinators, its insect diversity and plant associations had not yet been cataloged. This study sought to document the diversity of Calgary’s insect pollinators and determine which native plants support them. We observed and combined observations of plant-pollinator relationships collected through iNaturalist (3168 observations) from 2008-2021, physical collections and observations from specific plants in 2020 (1840 observations), and observations of insects visiting flowers during transect (294 observations) and quadrat (225 observations) surveys in 2021. We compared the number and association type for 59 native plants, and nine major insect groups (flies, beetles, true bugs, wasps, solitary bees, butterflies, ants, bumble bees, and honey bees). We identified 63 families, 148 genera, and 194 species of insects. We found the greatest number of species and plant-pollinator associations for flies and solitary bees, followed by bumble bees and butterflies. We also identified ten native plants that were associated with the greatest number of major insect groups. The results of this project will aid conservation and restoration efforts by providing guidance to city planners, landscape designers, and gardeners on which plants best support our city’s pollinators.
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    The Native Bee Fauna and its Floral Relations in The City of Calgary, Alberta
    (2021-12-22) Summers, Mindi; Best, Lincoln; Seal, Michaela; Vermaak, Sarah; Robinson, Samuel; Gavin, Michael; Clarke, Arminty; Purvis, Emily; Miksha, Ron
    This report summarizes work conducted as part of an Urban Alliance contract with The City of Calgary. We sought to further our knowledge of native bee species’ occurrence, and the floral relations of the diverse fauna found within Calgary. Building on the foundation of our pilot project (2017-2019) examining native bee diversity in habitats adjacent to wetlands in The City of Calgary, we conducted a survey of the native bees in The City of Calgary, and documented the associations between common flowering plants and native bees. We then estimated the richness (i.e., “how many species?”) and abundance (i.e., “how many visitors?”) of native bee visitors to native plant species occurring in wetlands and adjacent habitats. Our survey enabled us to rank the contribution of each of these plant species to native bee communities. This information is a key consideration for decision-makers working to increase ecosystem complexity, resilience, and productivity in similar sites throughout The City, as it allows them to make restoration decisions that will support richer and larger communities of wild bees. To allow engagement beyond the scope of our work, we also launched a citizen science project, the Calgary Pollinator Count (https://ucalgary.ca/sustainability/our-sustainable-campus/bee-campus/bee-citizen-scientist), to engage the wider Calgary community in understanding and documenting native bee and insect biodiversity in The City of Calgary.
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    University of Calgary - Zoology 435 Insect Survey Report
    (2021-05) Summers, Mindi; Clarke, Arminty; Abid, Malaika; Aguilar, Angelo; Akhter, Basma; Archibald, Charly; Arfeen, Noor; Asim, Abdul; Aujla, Kiran; Baek, Daniel; Bhatia, Armaan; Brothers, Peter; Chughtai, Tehreem; Cobos Rodriguez, Karen; De Jesus, Joseph; Dornstauder, Kaitlyn; Duclos, Kevin; Elkhair, Zeyad; Ellis, Rachel; Felker, Arthur; Fernandes, Jordann; Fernandes, Zach; Ford-Sahibzada, Taylor; Fu, Lucia; Ganson, Natalia; Gee, Gabriella; Geyer, Kamon; Ghanduri, Mohamed; Gillis, Elizabeth; Grondin, Rowan; Hall, Emily; Hansen, Christina; Hansen, Marissa; Hatoum, Hassan; Hess, Paige; Hewitt, Courtney; Innes, Rebecca; Johnson, Michael; Jones, Katie; Jones, Sarah; Jung, Ihncheol; Kaya, Melody; Kilari, Geeta; Kompally, Meghana; Kong, Nikki; Kuervers, Catherine; Marsh, Montana; McCaw, Caleb; Mendoza Cabrera, Jonathan; Mercia, Megan; Mogensen, Stephanie; Mohanraj, Shahaanaa; Neame, Tobyn; Neill, Allie; Ngo, Nancy; Nugent, Kaigh; Nykyforuk, Christina; Ogunfowora, Sayo; Paradis, Kyle; Parrish, Kayla; Paulson, Abbie; Pearson, Erika; Pedersen, Emma; Porter, Hannah; Rashid, Urouj; Rawleigh, Julia; Roadhouse, Emily; Schach, Julian; Seal, Michaela; Sherbaz, Mojib; Skarsgard, Sarah; Sun, Nolan; Tigchelaar, Jewelianna; Tran, Tammy; Vermaak, Sarah; Verycrusse, Brenten; Waine, Ethan; Warraich, Fatima; Watts, Madeline; Wiley, Sarah; Willumsen, Laura; Wong, Jannice; Wong, Julia; Yadav, Deen Dayal; Young, Kirstin; Yu Tim Lun, Christelle; Zhao, Zhi Yong
    Students enrolled in Zoology 435 – Entomology, during fall term 2020 conducted a biodiversity survey of insects in the City of Calgary and their backyards in a variety of localities. Students collected insects where permits and permissions were available, and took digital observations for the iNaturalist platform from all localities.