Author
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Blackmer, Jacquelyn |
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Submitted to: Ohio Academy of Science Meeting
Publication Type: Popular Publication Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2007 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: The orchid bee of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is an incredibly beautiful insect. Some are coppery green; others are iridescent blue. These jewel-like insects play an enormous role in the life of the forest: they’re the sole pollinator of hundreds of species of exotic orchids, as well as 30 other plant families. Between 1996-1999, I joined a team of scientists and volunteers studying this relationship. Our “laboratory” was one large remnant of the original rain forest and smaller fragments that varied in size and surrounded the Desengano mountain range. Before Brazil was colonized, the Atlantic Forest covered more than a million square kilometers. Only 8 percent of this forest remains. Because it is so biologically diverse and houses so many endangered species that are found only there, scientists consider the region to be one of the most threatened habitats in the world. In 1999, the organization Conservation International designated it as one of 34 ecological “hotspots.” Although these rich and fragile environments constitute only 2.3 percent of the earth’s landmass, within them live three-quarters of all the species on the planet. In the Atlantic Forest, scientists estimate that there are nearly 11,000 endemic species of amphibians, birds, and trees. Those numbers include some of the 700 species of orchids that are pollinated only by orchid bees. The orchids emit aromatic compounds that attract only the male bee. At the lip of the orchid, the bee uses his specially modified legs to mop up and store the flower’s essential oils, which he most likely uses to court the female of his species. In the process, the orchid’s pollen sack becomes attached to specific parts of the bee and when the bee visits the next flower, pollination occurs. In our study, we learned that although the larger fragments of the Atlantic Forest have been altered by humans time and again, the fragile orchid-bee relationships have endured in those areas. The bees’ exceptional ability to forage and find resources over large distances has played an important role in their survival. But many other more specialized and less resilient species of plants and animals have lost the battle, their habitat destroyed. The government of Brazil has declared the area to be a national heritage and prohibited further logging; but satellite images indicate that deforestation is continuing. Scientists suggest that at the current rate, all rain forests on earth will be gone within a half century. Some nations have set aside large tracts of primary rain forest to be preserved for posterity. That’s one thing that gives me hope for the future. I hope that through education, people will learn to value and preserve them. Technical Abstract: The orchid bee of Brazil’s tropical Atlantic Forest is an incredibly beautiful insect. Some are coppery green; some are iridescent blue, others are like little rainbows, with cobalt blue at the head blending to a rich deep violet at the tip of the abdomen. These jewel-like insects play an enormous role in the life of the forest: they’re the sole pollinator of hundreds of species of exotic orchids, as well as 30 other plant families. Between 1996-1999, it was my great fortune to join a team of scientists and volunteers studying this relationship. Our “laboratory” was one large remnant of the original rain forest and smaller fragments that varied in size and degree of disturbance, all surrounding the Desengano mountain range. Before Brazil was colonized, the Atlantic Forest covered more than a million square kilometers. Only 8 percent of this magnificent forest remains. Because it is so biologically diverse and houses so many endangered species that are found only there, scientists consider the region to be one of the most threatened habitats in the world. In 1999, the organization Conservation International designated it as an ecological “hotspots.” There now are 34 such hotspots around the world. Although these rich and fragile environments constitute only 2.3 percent of the earth’s landmass, within them live three-quarters of all the species on the planet. In the Atlantic Forest, scientists estimate that there are nearly 11,000 endemic species of amphibians, birds, and trees. Those numbers include some of the 700 species of orchids that are pollinated only by orchid bees. The orchids emit aromatic compounds that attract only the male bee. At the lip of the orchid, the bee uses his specially modified legs to mop up and store the flower’s essential oils, which he most likely uses to court the female of his species. In the process, the orchid’s pollen sack becomes attached to specific parts of the bee and when the bee visits the next flower, pollination occurs. In our study, we learned that although the larger fragments of the Atlantic Forest have been altered by humans time and again, the fragile orchid-bee relationships have endured in those areas. The bees’ exceptional ability to forage and find resources over large distances has played an important role in their survival. But many other more specialized and less resilient species of plants and animals have lost the battle, their habitat destroyed. The government of Brazil has declared the area to be a national heritage and prohibited further logging; still, satellite images indicate that deforestation is continuing. Scientists suggest that at the current rate, all rain forests on earth – not just in Brazil – will be gone within a half century. Some nations have set aside large tracts of primary rain forest to be preserved for posterity. That’s one thing that gives me hope for the future. I hope that through education, people will learn to value and preserve them. It seems a small sacrifice—if indeed it is a sacrifice at all—to leave the earth’s fragile environments untouched. |
