Loss of Horticultural Pollination Services from Wild Insects Following Bushfires

The project aims to provide a detailed case study of the impact of an extreme event (major bushfire) on wild pollinator communities and the pollination services they provide to a focal crop (apple). Bushfires have always been an integral part of the landscape in Australia, with some species even relying on these periodic events for germination and growth. However, with fire events becoming more widespread and severe, better research is needed to determine the impact on both agriculture and native bushland.

The aim of this project is to record and analyse the diversity and abundance of flowering species and wild pollinators after a significant bushfire event. Data was collected as part of another project from permanent quadrats located near Bilpin in the bushland surrounding orchards, on-farms (everything except the crop) and on pink lady apples. This data was gathered from Sept 2017 to October 2019. After the significant fire event in Dec 2019, surveys of the same plots were resumed in Feb of 2020 to determine the impact of fire on the flowering and flower-visiting community within these systems.