Field work is starting soon! Four students will be in the field on farms doing research this spring!
Read below to learn more about their plans. | | Matt Tsruda Matt is a PhD student in the Plant-Insect Ecology & Evolution Lab at UBC. This summer he will catch decomposer insects by placing bucket traps in agricultural fields and natural habitats around the Fraser Valley, which use the smell of carrion as an attractant. He will also monitor the rate of mouse decomposition in various habitats to assess ecosystem functioning in these agricultural ecosystems. By the end of this field season, he plans to have samples of decomposer insects and data on the rate of organic matter decomposition on farms across the Fraser Valley. This sampling will help us understand how insect decomposers respond to habitat fragmentation in agricultural landscapes. By understanding these responses, we can learn how we can best implement and conserve natural habitats for maximal protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services. | Yao Yao Yao is a PhD student in the Plant-Pollinator and Global Change Lab at UBC. She will be in the field studying how perennial restoration plantings (like hedgerows) may benefit bee reproduction in agricultural ecosystems. She will apply colony transplant methods for bumblebee colony and trap nests for solitary bees, to monitor the population dynamics within their summer period. Buzz-pollinating bees, like bumblebees, are very important pollinators especially for insect-pollinated crops (like blueberries). However, their food and nesting resources are limited in simplified landscapes. By investigating the effects of perennial plantings on bees, we can explore their potential to support crop pollination in agriculture. | Hannah Anderson Hannah is a PhD student in the Plant-Insect Ecology & Evolution Lab at UBC. This summer Hannah will be sampling nocturnal moth communities at farms across the Lower Fraser Valley and trialing new methods for studying nocturnal pollination using fluorescent tags. To do this, she will use light traps to attract moths at sites across the Lower Fraser Valley and will analyze the pollen carried on macromoths. She will also test if fluorescent dyes can be used to monitor the movement of pollen by moths across landscapes. Moths play several important roles in ecosystems as pests, prey, and pollinators. Understanding how moths respond to fragmentation can help inform land management practices to better conserve and restore beneficial biodiversity. | Paul Fisher Paul is a PhD student in the Plant-Insect Ecology & Evolution Lab at UBC. Paul’s research examines how the level of fragmentation of woody habitat such as forests in agricultural ecosystems affects the diversity and abundance of parasitoid wasps around blueberry farms. He is also exploring how fragmentation affects some crop pests that are killed by parasitoid wasps. Paul will collect parasitoid wasps using two methods. The first uses traps in and around blueberry farms that collect all species of parasitoid wasps. The second is through the collection of the wasps’ host insects such as caterpillars and aphids. After collecting these hosts and bringing them back to the lab, they are kept alive until wasps emerge from them. To support parasitoid wasp populations in agricultural ecosystems we need a better understanding of how they rely on the natural ecosystems in the landscape. Parasitoid wasps are extremely diverse and understudied with many undescribed species and unknown ecologies. They are important in functioning ecosystems and could potentially be used to control agricultural pests. | New Publication Pollinators utilize both traditional and forb-supplemented set-aside fields in agriculture
Carly L. McGregor, Tyler Kelly, Juli Carrillo, and Claire Kremen Abstract Agriculture relies on pollinators, yet paradoxically, agricultural practices can harm them, including through habitat simplification. The diversification of agricultural landscapes may support pollinators by providing varied foraging and habitat resources. Grassland set-asides are often established on farms to restore soils for crop productivity, and may have the co-benefit of providing resources for pollinators. Set-asides may also be supplemented with forbs for enhanced pollinator benefit, but few studies have investigated pollinator use of these fields compared to crop fields, and across set-aside management practices. Here, we use passive traps and net surveys to assess the flower-visiting insect community in three farm field types; traditional (grass-dominant) set-asides, forb-supplemented set-asides, and non-pollinator-dependent crop reference fields, to evaluate the potential for each to provide resources for pollinators. We found higher abundance of putative wild pollinators in forb-supplemented set-asides compared to crop fields, and higher species diversity in traditional set-asides compared to crop fields. Bumble bees were more abundant in both set-aside types compared to crops, while honey bees visited flowers in forb-supplemented sites the most. The diversity of wild pollinators and abundance of bumble bees in traditional set-asides occurred despite their lack of floral supplementation, suggesting that they may support pollinators by providing other resources (i.e., nesting or graminoid nutritional resources). We demonstrate that pollinators utilize both traditional and forb-supplemented grassland set-asides more than non-pollinator-dependent crop fields. Future studies to elucidate specific resource use by pollinators in set-asides across management types are needed. Read the full article | New Research Briefs Sarah Knoerr, M.Sc., PERCS research technician in the Plant-Pollinator and Global Change Lab (PPGC), shares her research findings in two extension briefs about Grassland set-asides and bumble bees. Read Research Brief 1 Read Research Brief 2 | | 3MT Finalist We are thrilled to share that PERCS researcher Hannah Anderson was selected as one of ten finalists for UBC’s 3MT contest! The 3MT (3 Minute Thesis) challenges graduate students to effectively communicate their complex research in only three minutes. Hannah’s engaging presentation on her research exploring nocturnal pollination in moths earned praise from the judges. Congratulations Hannah! | | Presentation to BC Berries On March 31, 2025 Juli Carrillo attended the BC Berries Research Review Event and presented on previous and ongoing reesearch relevant to BC berries, and invited berry growers to participate in future PERCS research. Attendees included other berry researchers, industry specialists, ministry specialists, and berry growers. | | Goodbye Isabel! We bid farewell and bon voyage to Isabel Rodriguez Rojas, our GIS analyst who has provided excellent support on mapping, spatial analysis, and field site selection. She is off to backpack across Europe for the next three months. She will be missed! | | Keri Bowering, Postdoctoral Fellow | Alexis Graves, MSc student | | | | Keri is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with the Carbon Team on the PERCS project to quantify the carbon balance of hedgerows and riparian buffers. She received her PhD in Environmental Sciences from Memorial University, studying the vulnerability of boreal forest soils to climate change. Her thesis demonstrated the connection between the carbon and hydrological cycles and how reductions in snowpack depth contribute to losses of forest soil carbon as dissolved organic matter. Before starting at UBC, she worked as a research assistant at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, testing methods of sustainable crop production, pesticide runoff mitigation, and the building of organic carbon in agricultural soils. She holds a BSc from Vancouver Island University where she completed undergraduate research in the VIU Biometeorology Lab. | | | | I am an MSc Student in the Indigenous Ecology Lab in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC, interested in the interplay between plant species and their environment, particularly the ecological impact of invasive weeds. I am excited to join PERCS project under Dr. Jennifer Grenz to pursue scientific research which makes a positive difference in the world. Working with a diverse network of farmers, NGOs, and academics from diverse backgrounds, my research investigates ecological co- benefits of hedgerows. Specifically, my research investigates methods of hedgerow establishment and the impact of hedgerow introduction on weeds and soil ecology. This study aims to inform methods for hedgerow introduction as well as investigating co- benefits to encourage their introduction on farms. I am excited to study the establishment and ecological co-benefits of hedgerows in order to provide a robust scientific basis for hedgerow establishment and ecological co-benefits. Meet the Research Team
| | | February 21, 2025 PERCS Co-Development Meeting On February 21st, 2025, we held our first annual co-development meeting together with project stakeholders, including partner organizations, university-based researchers, municipal and provincial government partners, and producers participating in the Perennial Ecosystem Restoration for Carbon Sequestration (PERCS) project. Hosted and organized by PERCS project leads Dr. Risa Sargent (UBC), Dr. Juli Carrillo (UBC), Dr. Jeanine Rhemtulla (UBC) and project manager Vicky Baker at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam, BC, the meeting had four main goals: - Reporting, discussing and co-developing the PERCS team’s research questions and approach.
- Strengthening relationships among restoration practitioners, agricultural organizations, producers, researchers, and other stakeholders in the Lower Mainland.
- Sharing stakeholder and producer perspectives on restoration challenges and research needs.
- Fostering collaboration on research, data sharing, and extension to improve restoration outcomes.
Participants discussed challenges and opportunities related to habitat restoration in the lower mainland, and also considered related research priorities. A full report is available on the PERCS website. Read the event report | Promoting the PERCS project On February 28, 2025, Dr. Risa Sargent and Dr. Juli Carillo presented the PERCS project to the BC Minster of Agriculture and Food, Honourable Lana Popham. In addition to explaining the benefits of the research, the need for ongoing funding for restoration programs was reiterated.
On March 19, 2025 PhD student Yao Yao, along with Research Technician Sarah Knoerr and Dr. Risa Sargent described the PERCS project to UBC President Benoit Bacon during his visit to the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. | PERCS fika! Join the PERCS team for a fika! This is an opportunity for the team to connect and catch up while enjoying coffee and pastries. The last one for this term is on Monday, April 28, 2025 and will take place at the Agora Cafe at UBC (lower level, Macmillan Building). | | Salmon River Foodlands corridor Watch this short video to learn more about Rivershed's important work to restore habitat and protect wildlife in BC! Watch video | Foodlands Toolkit Rivershed translated learnings from the Foodlands Program’s restoration project into a free resource to support collaborative restoration efforts. Go to Toolkit | 2024 Habitat Restoration Learn more about the facinating work done last year on a bank stabilization project as well as a marsh connectivity project. Blog post | | | | | |
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