Scoping innovations for improved strawberry pollination by commercial bumblebees using caffeine
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Greenwich
Department Name: Natural Resources Institute, FES
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Philip Stevenson (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Arnold SEJ
(2021)
Bumble bees show an induced preference for flowers when primed with caffeinated nectar and a target floral odor.
in Current biology : CB
| Description | We identified market opportunities for a product in commercial Bombus nest boxes that would enhance the behaviour of commercial bees. |
| Exploitation Route | This will infomr an exisiting proposal in preparation for the BBSRC-IPA award to commercial findings from another project. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
| Description | Can flowering plants produce addictive behaviours in bee pollinators? |
| Amount | £469,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | RPG-2020-393 |
| Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2021 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | Growing complimentary crops and nutritionally rewarding cultivars to sustain insect pollinators and crop pollination on farms |
| Amount | £30,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Sussex |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 08/2025 |
| Description | The influence of diet on the honeybee lipidome |
| Amount | £323,690 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/T014210/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 05/2024 |
| Title | Design of a wildflower mix for strawberries |
| Description | Part of EU BEESPOKE project BEESPOKE - Establishing Perennial Wildflowers Leaflef BEESPOKE - Establishing Perennial Wildflowers Leaflets DUTCH BEESPOKE Insect Identification Guide WEB BEESPOKE Insect Survey Form BEESPOKE - Common Bumblebees of the UK Leaflet BEESPOKE - Common Bumblebees of the Netherlands Leaflet Work University Gent - Pollination Maps for Agriculture (Tool 1) Work University Gent - The Added Value of Flower Strip (Tool 2) Report #2: 3 Training materials for measuring pollinators and pollination Report #3: 5 Development of validated pollination maps for the NSR Report #3: 2 Development and evaluation of protocols for measuring pollinators and pollination. Report #3: 3 Training materials for measuring pollinators and pollination |
| Type Of Material | Biological samples |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Hundreds of request from growers for tools |
| URL | https://northsearegion.eu/beespoke/ |
| Description | Improving pollination services in protected and controlled environment grown tomatoes in the UK. We have |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have developed a new partnership between NRI at University of Greenwich with University of Oxford and OXFORD BEE OPS LTD with Thanet Earth to develop a funding proposal for BBSRC PACE call. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Co-authorship of proposal with was ultimately successful (Grant BB/Z51438X/1). |
| Impact | Successful proposal to BBSRC |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Appearance on BBC All Over The Place CBBC TV |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Participated in a programme for CBBC and talked about Kew's and NRIs work on pollinators and bee diversity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Appearance on Top of Mind podcast/radio show |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed by Gracie Award-winning presenter Julie Rose for "Top of Mind", a talk radio/podcast series about thought-provoking issues (science, culture, society, etc.) available for download and asynchronous listening. (Potential reach of 50 million homes in USA via cable/broadcast.) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.byuradio.org/topofmind |
| Description | Australian Entomological Society Brisbane 1-4th Dec 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited plenary talk at Australian Entomological Society Brisbane 1-4th Dec 2019 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Bell House Talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Around 11 attendees came to this Zoom public lecture, including beekeepers, gardeners and general public. It prompted wide-ranging discussion on the ethics of honeybee keeping and management of habitats. The talk covered pollination, commercial applications of pollination including new science, and wider aspects around habitat management for ecosystem services such as field margins on smallholder farms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2021/10/19/fantastic-flowers-and-the-creatures-that-pollinate-the... |
| Description | Follow the Bees |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Fruit Focus farm walk |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Guest lecture for Canterbury Christ Church University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A guest lecture on "Precision pollination", describing emerging advances in the science around crop pollination, on BBCollaborate, with around 15-20 attendees who were highly engaged. The attendees asked wide-ranging questions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | HRH Prince CHarles patron of Kew visit and engagement. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I met with Prince Charles to discuss Kew's work on pollinators and discuss rewilding schemes and the importance of pollinator diversity for food security covering all UKRI projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Innovations in fruit pest control and how WCoF kick-started recent pollination research at NIAB EMR |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Worshipful Company of Fruiterers |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Insects & The Lynx Effect: A live streamed presentation for Pint of Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This presentation was performed by Sarah Arnold and Steven Harte and organised through the Pint of Science organisation. Live streamed on both Youtube and Facebook, the presentation looked at the effects of pheromones and other semiochemicals have on the behaviour of insects. This event lasted one hour and was intended to engage the public in current cutting edge research going on in the local region, as such it included a 20 minute Q&A session with the live audience where a lively discussion occurred including whether using peoples scents could be used in online dating. The event had over 100 people watching live and at the time of writing has had over 1000 views on Youtube. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhNKaxWgfpk&t=2638s |
| Description | Interview for New Zealand national radio |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Appearance on national New Zealand morning radio, live. Approximately 3 minute interview, discussing the major research findings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Interview for the Scientific American leading to news article on website and in social media |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with science reporter Tess Joosse leading to article in Scientific American, widely picked up by other media and retweeted. Prompted engagement/discussion on social media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/caffeine-boosts-bees-focus-and-helps-them-learn/ |
| Description | Interviewed for an article in Financial Times |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Discussed future for food and sustainable agriculture. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Invited lecture to Imperial College London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk to Imperial College London (Silwood Park) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Kew Science Festival 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Kew science festival using various engagement tools to inform the public about the project and the conservation of pollinators for food security. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/kew-science-festival-returns-for-2019 |
| Description | NIAB-CropScienceCentre-Cambirdge and RBG Kew minor crops research workshop 20-21 Mat 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop to identify synergies and opportunities in current and future research around minor and orphan crops for NIAB-CSC Cambridge University and Kew. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation at Assoc of Appl. Biologists Innovations in Farmed Landscapes. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Association of Applied Biologists teamed up with the British Ecological Society and Royal Entomological Society to deliver a 3-day conference "Shaping the Future for Pollinators: Innovations in Farmed Landscapes". Pollinators play a vital role in maintaining both semi-natural and agricultural ecosystems and healthy populations bolster food security, livelihoods and social wellbeing. With evidence that many species of pollinators are in decline, their conservation and management is of great public, economic and political interest. As a result, the ecology and conservation of managed and wild pollinators is a rapidly growing field of research, alongside the study of their associated ecosystem services. This conference aimed to determine how we can shape farmed landscapes to make them resilient to future challenges such as climate change. Delegates will explore the impact of agricultural practices at the farm and landscape scale on pollinator behaviour, ecology and the delivery of ecosystem services. Talks and discussions not only to share current best practices on the sustainable management of pollination services, but explore how novel innovations can create new opportunities and address future risks. This conference brought together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to debate recent advancements in the field of pollinator research; and also to go beyond ecological research to explore emerging technologies within the field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.aab.org.uk/event/shaping-the-future-for-pollinators-innovations-in-farmed-landscapes/ |
| Description | TED X talk Sex Drugs and Ecosystem Services |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx Immobility is a critical handicap for plants, particularly when it comes to defence and sexual reproduction: both fundamental functions for plant survival. Some plants use thorns or spiky leaves for defence but most deploy sophisticated plant-made chemical weapons that are distasteful or toxic to their enemies. Recent research has shown that plants use the same arsenal to enhance pollen transfer by drugging bees into being more devoted pollinators or filtering out the inefficient visitors by poisoning all but a few choice species. Can we employ these evolutionary plant adaptations to help overcome the problems of pollinator decline? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKiJphdczV4 |
| Description | Times Radio interview with John Pienaar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 5 minute interview in "drive time" slot of Times Radio - Drive show. Interviewed by John Pienaar, live appearance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Twilight Lecture (virtual online lecture) 16th March 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Around 10 16-19 year olds attended a university "Twilight Lecture". These are intended to provide a taster of university learning and teaching, enthuse and inspire. The Twilight Lecture "Fantastic Flowers" included elements related to Arnold's research on UKRI projects (management of landscape on African smallholder farms; pollinator learning and factors affecting it; plant-pollinator interactions). There were questions and discussion around pollinators, the environment and sustainability. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://docs.gre.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/216032/Virtual-Twilight-Lecture-Schedule-2020-202... |