Groups Of Visitors Research Articles

Are floral traits good predictors of effective pollinators? A test of pollination syndromes

AbstractPollination syndromes have been widely used to predict the groups of pollinators of plants. Their predictability has been demonstrated for plant species pollinated by bees, birds, and bats. However, the importance of other aspects on the predictability of pollination syndromes still remain unknown. For instance, plant life cycle has not been considered in evaluations of the pollination syndrome predictability. The goal of this study was to evaluate the predictability of pollination syndromes in nine species with contrasting life cycles. Pollination syndromes were inferred based on floral traits of each plant species, whereas pollinator effectiveness of each group of floral visitors was established through pollen load analysis. Predictability of pollination syndromes was tested through the association between floral traits and the abundance of the most‐effective pollinators. Bees, flies, birds, beetles, and butterflies were the primary and secondary pollinators inferred from floral traits of each species. Although six out of the nine plant species studied were visited by effective pollinators; only four species were effectively pollinated by the groups of primary or secondary pollinators predicted from floral traits. However,Dahlia coccineaandTigridia pavoniawere the only species in which the predicted pollinator group was both effective and showed an association with floral traits. Pollination syndromes were not predictive of pollinators for any of the annual and perennial plant species. Although pollination syndromes are useful to understand some aspects of the reproductive biology of plant species, several other factors might have a role on their predictability.

The explosive flowers of Marsypianthes chamaedrys (Lamiaceae) resort to self-pollination and improve reproduction

Explosive pollination includes a rapid release of floral sexual elements that are enclosed in modified petals, and a subsequent contact with pollinators’ body. It requires specific groups of visitors in order to assure plant reproduction, thus reproductive success is threatened in species with explosive pollination mechanisms, especially when pollinator activity is uncertain. Autogamy can alleviate such a problem by improving plant reproductive output. Here we investigated the mating strategies of Marsypianthes chamaedrys, a species with an explosive pollen release mechanism and whose medicinal properties are broadly investigated, but no data is available regarding its reproduction. We studied its floral morphology, anthesis, floral visitors and breeding system. Flowers have a bilabiate organization with the reproductive structures housed within a lower, keel-like petal lobe. The species is protandrous and flowers have short life span. Only bees were able to activate the explosive mechanism, while butterflies acted as nectar thieves. Marsypianthes chamaedrys is self-compatible and able to autonomously self-pollinate, likely due to the elongation of the pistil within the keel of unvisited flowers. Marsypianthes chamaedrys likely has a mixed mating system, in which bee pollination and autogamy interplay to improve its reproductive output.

Striving towards Social Relevance: New Curatorial Interpretations of the Soviet Period in Estonian and Latvian Museums

The main museums in Estonia and Latvia have lately staged new exhibitions that proceed from a contemporary museological approach and reflect the results of historical research. The article compares three cases which present alternative but complementary interpretations of the Soviet period. The authors pay special attention to the application of the biographical method prominent in contemporary cultural research, and the museological method of multivocality. They conclude that in the case of multivocality, effectively addressing different visitor groups is a great challenge to curators. There is a risk that the simplified mediation of contradictory memories and views will leave a gap for visitors with less prior knowledge about the subject of the exhibition. In large exhibition teams, the curator has a crucial role to play in negotiating with team members to prevent the concept from dispersing. In the cases studied, it is possible to observe the curators’ views and detect a similar attempt to interpret complex topics through biographies. The analysis concludes that in the context of contemporary museological approaches, the voice of the curator remains essential, especially when mediating exhibits, for they cannot speak for themselves.

An Integrated System for Urban Parks Touring and Management

Urban parks are important recreational spaces of environmental interest for citizens and city visitors. Targeted and attractive promotion of these areas can help develop alternative forms of “green tourism” and increase environmental awareness among citizens, which is particularly important and vital for the future of the planet. New technologies are a key tool for improving the experience of touring urban parks, as they can make the tour much more attractive by highlighting interesting information about the flora and fauna of the park, as well as various other points of interest. This paper presents an integrated system based on augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and data analytics methodologies, comprising both mobile and web applications, focusing on urban parks touring and management, respectively. Through the mobile app for the park visitors, an attractive, interactive touring environment is created which highlights the environmental and historical interest of those areas. At the same time, the web applications for the park managers receive and analyze visitor data to help improve the visitor experience and the overall quality of the park. Finally, the developed integrated system is evaluated to ensure that it meets all user requirements and that its usability and functional components satisfy both groups of potential users, i.e., park visitors and park managers.

Single-Track Bike Trails in the Moravian Karst as Part of Forest Recreation

Recently, cycling has become a popular recreation activity, and mountain biking provides an experience that is sought by an increasing number of people. Bike trails constructed for mountain bikers in access areas lead mostly through the forest and provide not only an extraordinary riding experience but the opportunity to admire the surrounding nature. The reason for constructing such trails from a landowner’s point of view is to help keep bikers’ movements within a defined access area and to ensure adjacent areas are left free for other forest functions. It also helps distribute groups of visitors with other interests to other parts of the forest. This is what we call “controlled recreation”. In this example, it means that if cyclists come to the locality to use the bike trails, they should ride only along the designated trails; however, they may leave these trails and ride on the surrounding land. This article studied the movements of bikers in an accessible area of the Moravian Karst and the regulation of their movements by controlled recreation. Attendance in the area was measured using automatic counters. These were placed at the entry points to the accessible area and just behind the routes where the trails branch off. The results showed that bikers mostly stayed on the formal routes and that the trails were effective, i.e., there was no uncontrolled movement of bikers into the surrounding forest stands. We also noted the time of day that cyclists were active. These results can be used to better plan work in the forest, for example, harvesting and logging. To further the suitable development of accessible areas of the forest, we also compared the usual size of trail areas in two other European countries and the increasing width of bike trails due to the transverse slope of the terrain.

Perspective Sharing in Culture Group Games

This work investigates how to digitally mediate perspective sharing and face-to-face conversations within groups of museum visitors. We use the case of a storytelling group game and explore the potential of mobile technology as a tool to facilitate perspective sharing activities. Using information asymmetry, a "Social Mediator" role is introduced: players' choices get displayed only to a single group member, who thus undertakes a leading role. The findings of an experience prototyping user study with playtesting in situ show that participants effectively and naturally carried out the pertinent dialogue facilitation activities. We identify behavioral patterns and discuss the insights they offer, showcasing how they shaped the mobile design for the particular use-case. We conclude that the distribution of the Social Mediator role between participants could successfully facilitate perspective sharing within groups and reflect on its potential and limitations in different collocated game experiences.

Listening Space

Classical music venues in the Netherlands and throughout the world are struggling to attract new audiences. Especially younger visitors are underrepresented. Previous research emphasizes the importance of providing new, potentially interested audiences with more means to consume the music. This paper presents an exploratory case study with the persuasive gameListening Spacewhich we developed to help attract new audiences and thus preserve Western classical music heritage. In particular, we studied to what extent this game could promote more varied ways of listening to classical music and thus enrich the experience of visiting a classical music concert. We designed and executed a controlled randomized trial with surveys before and after the experiment as well as a series of in-depth interviews with participants after the experiment. Our treatment group consisted of 139 participants (both new and existing visitors). They played our digital game at their own convenience, followed by a visit to a concert in a renowned classical music concert hall. A control group of 165 participants only visited the concerts. We measured the effects of the game – changes in the ways participants listen to classical music – through self-report in questionnaires before and after the experiment. Results show thatListening Spaceseems most effective for new audiences: the game promoted more varied ways of listening in the treatment group and thus enriched their experience of visiting a classical music concert. The control group of new visitors did not show an effect and also no differences were found between the treatment and control groups of regular visitors of classical music concerts We employed regression analysis to identify predictors of the game's effect on listening styles: participants’ age and their level of appreciation of the classical music genre were negatively related to the effectiveness of the game. The way in which participants experienced the game also significantly influenced the effectiveness. This case study shows the potential of using games to promote classical music concerts: games seem to be valuable in attracting new, young audiences and, therefore, represent powerful instruments to help preserve Western classical music cultural heritage.

Intercultural Dialogues in Third Spaces: A Study of Learning Experiences of Museum Visitors

Abstract Bodo (2012) called for the need of museum exhibitions to create “third spaces” where individuals can cross the boundaries of belonging (both physical and psychological) to engage in intercultural dialogues. The imaginary cultural space of museum has propelled us into a realization that we are in an era where interculturality, transculturalism, and the eventual prospect of identifying a cosmopolitan citizenship can become a reality. Predicated on a five-month ethnography work at a provincial museum in British Columbia, Canada, this research explores the following questions: how have cultural and historical museum exhibitions put us in contact with the other and foster an understanding of the other? And how has transculturalism led to the establishment of a cosmopolitan citizenship? This study lends support to the potentiality of a cultural and historical museum transforming into “third spaces” where visitors may actively engage in exploration of complex multitudes of cultural identities and cosmopolitan citizenship. The findings of this study contribute to the literature on “third spaces” and transculturalism by providing an empirical study of learning experiences of visitors in museums. It reaffirms the notion of transculturalism by proposing a new humanism in recognition of the other, and in expressing oneself in a conscious subjective manner with cultural empathy. From a practical perspective, it suggests that in order to encourage international visitors to cross the cultural and psychological boundaries and engage in dialogues, the museum professionals may design interactive programs in a creative manner. It also suggests that museum administrators improve their services to more diverse groups of visitors to enhance inclusiveness.

Bee flowers drive macroevolutionary diversification in long-horned bees.

The role of plant–pollinator interactions in the rapid radiation of the angiosperms have long fascinated evolutionary biologists. Studies have brought evidence for pollinator-driven diversification of various plant lineages, particularly plants with specialized flowers and concealed rewards. By contrast, little is known about how this crucial interaction has shaped macroevolutionary patterns of floral visitors. In particular, there is currently no empirical evidence that floral host association has increased diversification in bees, the most prominent group of floral visitors that essentially rely on angiosperm pollen. In this study, we examine how floral host preference influenced diversification in eucerine bees (Apidae, Eucerini), which exhibit large variations in their floral associations. We combine quantitative pollen analyses with a recently proposed phylogenetic hypothesis, and use a state speciation and extinction probabilistic approach. Using this framework, we provide the first evidence that multiple evolutionary transitions from host plants with accessible pollen to restricted pollen from ‘bee-flowers’ have significantly increased the diversification of a bee clade. We suggest that exploiting host plants with restricted pollen has allowed the exploitation of a new ecological niche for eucerine bees and contributed both to their colonization of vast regions of the world and their rapid diversification.

High Pulse: Exploring the Exhibit Features of a Collaborative, Whole-Body Exhibition for Experiential Learning in Science Centers

This research work explored how collaborative, whole-body exhibits affect science learning in informal out-of-school settings. Specifically, the study investigated how exhibit features guided visitors to engage actively in experiential exploration of the exhibition topics, and how these exhibit features guided visitors to make sense of the interaction and transform experiences into knowledge. The study took place at a science center in Denmark. The context was the PULSE exhibition consisting of eight individual exhibits that aimed at facilitating discussions on the importance of bodily activities for physical and social well-being. Together the exhibits formed the traditional parts of a family home and core family activities, for example, a kitchen for cooking. Each exhibit was built on experiencing through physical activity and revolved around one or several biological phenomena, for example, balance, coordination, and suppleness. All exhibits were designed for group interactions. The study explored the visitors’ experiences with the exhibition using data from walking interviews with 34 visitor groups comprising a total of 108 visitors. Each exhibit was composed of a set of exhibit features, and the study analyzed how these features supported the experiential learning. The findings showed that the whole-body activities and group collaborations formed the greatest motivation to participate in the exhibition and, thereby, explore the themes of the exhibition. As regard the visitors’ learning, most groups expressed the joy of physical movement, group work, and need of strategy planning to carry out the activities in their conversations, whereas only a few groups seemed to perceive and reflect on the biological phenomena presented. Due to the physically demanding activities and the required social collaboration, the visitors were not able to engage in in-depth explorations of the exhibition’s scientific themes. In some exhibits where scientific information was incorporated naturally in the activity through interactive videos, the visitors talked about the themes as a natural part of the activity. Altogether, the findings have been used to outline a set of design principles for collaborative whole-body exhibits.

What structures diurnal visitation rates to flowering trees in an Afrotropical lowland rainforest understory?

Abstract As environmental change and degradation accelerate, perturbing insect populations, we need to better understand the resource use dynamics of diverse wild pollinators. Most tropical trees are adapted for biotic pollination, yet we still know little about plant–pollinator interactions in African rainforests. We addressed this gap from a community perspective, identifying what floral traits – colour, scent, reward accessibility and visibility – structure visitation patterns among insect functional groups to tree species flowering in the understory of Korup National Park, Cameroon. To understand how visitor groups share resources, we used joint modelling that explicitly considers zero‐inflation in visitation rates and correlation among visitor groups. Most tree species had exposed floral rewards, and all were visited by multiple insect groups among which ants, bees, beetles, and flies were most abundant. Visitation rates varied more among tree species than among individual trees. Floral scent differences were important for structuring visits, particularly for flies, bees, and ants. Ant and bee visitation rates decreased while fly visits increased marginally throughout the season, correlated with the dry to wet season transition. Comparison with other lowland tropical understories suggests flies may be uniquely diverse and important to this system, and differences in seasonality and forest structure may be drivers of community differences. Floral scent is likely a key functional trait structuring flower–insect interactions in tropical forest environments and should be emphasised in future studies. Lastly, a joint modelling approach can elucidate community structure, particularly in communities with ecologically generalised interactions.

Native flower strips increase visitation by non-bee insects to avocado flowers and promote yield

Pollination is an essential ecosystem service for pollinator-dependent crops and plant communities. Apis mellifera L. is by far the most commonly used species to obtain this service in agriculture. However, there is growing evidence of the importance for crop yields of the service provided by wild bees and non-bee insect pollinators. Establishing flower resources in agricultural landscapes is a management practice that can increase insect pollinator populations and improve crop yields. We established perennial native flower strips (NFS) in four avocado orchards in central Chile during autumn 2017. We monitored flower visitors and counted newly formed fruits in avocados near and far from NFS in spring 2019, to assess flower visitor groups, flower visitation rates and fruit numbers. Only A. mellifera visited avocado flowers within bees, whereas both the managed A. mellifera and wild bees were the main visitors to the NFS. NFS increased visitation rates to adjacent avocado of flies, and with a trend for the sum of all non-managed flower visitors (i.e. excluding A. mellifera). However, there were no differences in the rates of A. mellifera visitation to avocados near and far from NFS. Avocado fruit numbers were higher among avocados near NFS than among those farther away. This difference could be due to better pollination by the increased visits to avocado flowers by flies or other wild insects. Therefore, NFS could contribute to crop fruit number, as well as conservation of native flora, wild bees and non-bee pollinators on fruit farms in the “Central Chile” biodiversity hotspot.

Bimodal activity of diurnal flower visitation at high elevation.

Successful pollination in animal‐pollinated plants depends on the temporal overlap between flower presentation and pollinator foraging activity. Variation in the temporal dimension of plant–pollinator networks has been investigated intensely across flowering seasons. However, over the course of a day, the dynamics of plant–pollinator interactions may vary strongly due environmental fluctuations. It is usually assumed there is a unimodal, diurnal, activity pattern, while alternative multimodal types of activity patterns are often neglected and deserve greater investigation. Here, we quantified the daily activity pattern of flower visitors in two different habitats contrasting high elevation meadows versus forests in Southwest China to investigate the role of abiotic conditions in the temporal dynamics of plant–pollinator interactions. We examined diurnal activity patterns for the entire pollinator community. Pollinator groups may differ in their ability to adapt to habitats and abiotic conditions, which might be displayed in their patterns of activity. We hypothesized that (a) pollinator communities show multimodal activity patterns, (b) patterns differ between pollinator groups and habitat types, and (c) abiotic conditions explain observed activity patterns. In total, we collected 4,988 flower visitors belonging to six functional groups. There was a bimodal activity pattern when looking at the entire pollinator community and in five out of six flower visitor groups (exempting solitary bees) regardless of habitat types. Bumblebees, honeybees, dipterans, lepidopterans, and other insects showed activity peaks in the morning and afternoon, whereas solitary bees were most active at midday. Activity of all six pollinator groups increased as solar radiation increased and then decreased after reaching a certain threshold. Our findings suggest that in habitats at higher elevations, a bimodal activity pattern of flower visitation is commonly employed across most pollinator groups that are diurnal foragers. This pattern may be caused by insects avoiding overheating due to elevated temperatures when exposed to high solar radiation at midday.

Recreational ecosystem services of mountain lakes in the European Alps: Preferences, visitor groups and management implications

Lakes provide many opportunities for outdoor recreation and tourism, but growing visitor numbers and global changes increase negative effects on recreational values and environmental impacts requiring targeted management strategies. Since there is a lack of information about visitors and their preferences related to natural mountain lakes, this study aimed at assessing people's preferences with a focus on recreational activities, accessibility, and touristic facilities. We collected 526 responses through an online survey and identified recreational visitor groups using cluster analysis. Our results indicate that mountain lakes are mostly valued for passive recreation such as nature observation and relaxation, while recreational activities such as boating or having a barbecue were less often associated with a visit to mountain lakes. Respondents mostly valued hiking/walking trails along the lakeshore as well as direct access to the lake, while they indicated less often the importance of playgrounds and water sports facilities. We identified two major visitor groups: (1) nature-oriented visitors, preferring pristine and remote mountain lakes, and (2) leisure-oriented visitors, favouring mountain lakes that were easily accessible and developed for tourism. Accordingly, the latter group valued most recreational activities at lakes such as reading/listening to music or having a picnic higher. Although there is potential for conflicts between these two visitor groups, the presence of lakes with different level of accessibility may defuse such conflicts. Our findings provide valuable insights for developing targeted management strategies based on the preferences of different visitor groups. Mountain lakes are associated with high recreational values. Maintaining marked hiking trails is essential to provide access, but the construction of tourist facilities needs to be cautiously evaluated, as this can cause a change in the type of visitors with possible negative consequences. The results of the survey also indicate diverging preferences between two major visitor types. Improved and easily accessible tourist facilities at mountain lakes support more recreational uses and may attract leisure-oriented visitors. In contrast, recreational values of nature-oriented visitors could be maintained by preserving the naturalness of remote lakes and not improving accessibility.

The Ammonite Tirolites idrianus – A Paleontological Icon of the Idrija UNESCO Global Geopark (Slovenia)

Idrija UNECO Global Geopark embraces the area of Idrija Municipality in the western part of Slovenia, with an area of 294 km2. Its main town Idrija, with a famous mercury ore deposit beneath, has always been a home to several European naturalists, who explored natural features, plants, animals and fossils of the area since the beginning of mining in 1490. The ammonite Tirolites idrianus is one of the most important fossils finds in the area of the Idrija Geopark. It is named after Idrija and is an index fossil. This review focuses on the ammonite Tirolites idrianus, its type locality and stratigraphic distribution in the area of the Idrija Geopark. We also discuss means of interpreting the value and importance of this fossil to various groups of visitors, such as school groups, and groups of visitors in the Visitor Centre.

Cómo los visitantes y sus percepciones de los paisajes sonoros pueden mejorar la gestión colaborativa de las áreas protegidas

This study explored perceptions of the soundscapes of the CNR (Coyhaique National Reserve). Visitor surveys (N = 899), included demographic data and an exercise in listening to ambient sound. Results showed interest and affinity for sound as part of the recreation/tourism experience, with generally positive responses for most of the ten coded categories (Wind, Birds, Insects, Forest, Water, Voices, Passersby, Personal Sounds, Machines, Airplanes/City). Similarities and differences emerged between three groups of visitors (locals, national tourists, foreign tourists), with respect to the ways they experienced the sounds. The discussion focused on: how the results can inform better management in the RNC; how soundscapes can be used to increase understanding and support for RNC mandates; and possible initiatives to encourage citizen participation and governance of Chile’s Natural Protected Areas.

Acceptability and appeal: How visitors’ perceptions of sounds can contribute to shared learning and transdisciplinary protected area governance

This paper demonstrates how protected area (PA) acoustic environments , or soundscapes, can provide a boundary object for transdisciplinary conservation governance, informing and facilitating better communication, transdisciplinary learning, and decision making. Through visitor intercepts and on-site listening exercises (N = 899), research examined the appeal and acceptability of perceived sounds, to understand the congruence between visitors’ ratings for the ten open-coded sound categories that emerged. Discussion presents a hypothetical transdisciplinary governance scenario demonstrating how actors can employ similar research to advance collaborative transdisciplinary conservation learning and governance, through collaborative consideration of emergent trends across sound categories and local, national, and international tourist visitor groups. For example, all participants frequently observed Birds, Forest, and Water sounds, as highly appealing and acceptable. This aligns well with core natural PA attributes and conservation objectives. Wind and Insect sounds were less appealing, particularly for international tourists; yet considered acceptable within the PA, for all groups. Perhaps divergence can be addressed through programming and/or infrastructure. Low acceptability for Machine sounds should concern conservation governance; participants seemingly did not connect machine sounds with important PA conservation practices. • Soundscape research can assist collaborative stakeholder ecological governance and learning. • Research employs soundscape acceptability/appeal measures for transdisciplinary governance. • Assessing congruence in acceptability and appeal helps gauge visitor understanding of PA values. • Better visitor understanding/education around human-nature soundscape relationships is needed.

The impact of a gamified mobile question-asking app on museum visitor group interactions: an ICAP framing

The impact of a gamified mobile question-asking app on museum visitor group interactions: an ICAP framing

Novel nectar robbing negatively affects reproduction in Digitalis purpurea.

With many plant–pollinator interactions undergoing change as species’ distributions shift, we require a better understanding of how the addition of new interacting partners can affect plant reproduction. One such group of floral visitors, nectar robbers, can deplete plants of nectar rewards without contributing to pollination. The addition of nectar robbing to the floral visitor assemblage could therefore have costs to the plant´s reproductive output. We focus on a recent plant colonist, Digitalis purpurea, a plant that in its native range is rarely robbed, but experiences intense nectar robbing in areas it has been introduced to. Here, we test the costs to reproduction following experimental nectar robbing. To identify any changes in the behavior of the principal pollinators in response to nectar robbing, we measured visitation rates, visit duration, proportion of flowers visited, and rate of rejection of inflorescences. To find the effects of robbing on fitness, we used proxies for female and male components of reproductive output, by measuring the seeds produced per fruit and the pollen export, respectively. Nectar robbing significantly reduced the rate of visitation and lengths of visits by bumblebees. Additionally, bumblebees visited a lower proportion of flowers on an inflorescence that had robbed flowers. We found that flowers in the robbed treatment produced significantly fewer seeds per fruit on average but did not export fewer pollen grains. Our finding that robbing leads to reduced seed production could be due to fewer and shorter visits to flowers leading to less effective pollination. We discuss the potential consequences of new pollinator environments, such as exposure to nectar robbing, for plant reproduction.

Attractiveness of sown wildflower strips to flower-visiting insects depends on seed mixture and establishment success

Establishing wildflower strips has been suggested as an effective measure to promote pollination services, pest control or general insect biodiversity, but little is known about the integration of these different objectives when selecting flower seed mixtures. In ten agricultural landscapes in the Netherlands, we established a wildflower strip (0.4 – 4.9 ha) with half of each strip sown with a mixture targeting longer-tongued pollinators and the other half sown with a mixture targeting shorter-tongued pollinators and natural enemies. We determined establishment success of sown wildflowers and evaluated the attractiveness of the established flower communities to multiple functional groups of flower visitors: bumblebees (long-tongued pollinators), hoverflies (short-tongued pollinators and natural enemies), and butterflies and total flower-visitor richness (indicators of wider biodiversity values). Bumblebees clearly preferred the pollinator-targeted seed mixture and were positively associated with cover of Fabaceae and negatively with Apiaceae. Hoverflies consistently preferred the natural enemy mixture and were positively associated with Apiaceae. The other target groups displayed no clear responses to seed mixture type but instead were associated with local flower richness within strips. Across sites, responses of flower-visitors to sown mixture types did not depend on wildflower strip size, proportion of surrounding semi-natural habitat, or flower variables. However, all flower-visitors except butterflies increased with increasing established cover or richness of (sown) flower species across sites. Our results suggest that, although species-rich wildflower strips may benefit several species groups, maximising different objectives involves trade-offs between functional groups that prefer short- or long-corolla flowers. Furthermore, our study suggests that sowing a wildflower mixture does not necessarily result in a vegetation with the same composition as the seed mixture as species may establish poorly or not at all. Selection of flower species for seed mixtures should therefore, in addition to insect target group, take the establishment characteristics of plant species into account.