Project Summary
Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a fast-growing and common native tree species that grows in hedgerows and woodlands and is the source of elderflowers and berries for use in the drinks industry, and as natural food colouring. An estimated 500 tonnes of elderflowers are used annually in the UK, of which ~70% is currently imported from abroad, despite the high economic and environmental costs of transport. As a result of these demands and costs, there is increasing interest in growing more elder on UK farmland, and experimental plots are starting to be planted to assess how best to achieve this. However, there are still many gaps in our understanding of the ecology of the elder and how best to increase the yields of both flowers and fruit. This includes uncertainty relating to how the flowers are pollinated. It has long been thought that elder was purely wind-pollinated, but a recent study (Scott-Brown et al., 2019) showed the importance of insects – specifically thrips (Thrips major) – for pollination. This current project will build on this recent study to develop a better understanding of the role that insects play in delivering elderberry yield. Specifically, the project will consider whether other insects play a role in pollination and assess whether the roles of all insects change over time, across different elder varieties, in relation to flower morphology and density, and in different growing contexts. This will involve fieldwork-based data collection at elderflower plots followed by lab-based insect identifications and data analyses.
Reference:
Scott-Brown, A. S., Arnold, S. E. J., Kite, G. C., Farrell, I. W., Farman, D. I., Collins, D. W., & Stevenson, P. C. (2019). Mechanisms in mutualisms: a chemically mediated thrips pollination strategy in common elder. Planta, 250(1), 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-019-03176-5