Progress 01/01/21 to 12/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences include horticultural, entomological, and ecological scientists along with professionals in the landscaping and nursery industries, Master Gardeners, and other land managers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One post-doc, three graduate students, and five undergradute students have worked on this project and been trained in scientific methods and communication. Additionally, two full-time biological scientists worked on the project and were provided training and professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to scientific audiences at entomology and horticulture conferences (see products). Results have also been disseminated to Master Gardener Volunteers through presentations at local and regional meetings, and through an online course on gardening for pollinators available to the general public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Obj. 1: We conducted a field study over two years in which 20 plant species were selected, including 10 native and 10 non-native species, and grown under two irrigation treatments. This was replicated across multiple plots per location and acrosstwo locations in Florida. Data was collected over two years on plant growth and performance and floral traits as well as on nectar and pollen production and pollinator recruitment. One paper has been published (Jaramillo et al. 2024 HortTechnology) and another is in preparation. Additionally, we did a greenhouse experiment in which plants were drought-stressed and nectar and pollen production, floral volatiles, and pollinator recruiment was measured and compared to control plants. This work is also being prepared for publicaiton. Obj. 2. Thirty-two backyard gardens in FL were selected for the project ranging along a rural-urban gradient. Half of these were enhanced with pollinator plants while the other half were left as control. Sites were assesed for floral density and pollinator activity pre and post enhancement. Pollinator abundance and richness, plant-pollinator interactions, and plant-pollinator networks were compared between control and enhanced sites and over time spanning the pre and post enhancement period. We also looked at whether/how landscape context mediated the effects of pollinator enhancement. A large collection of pollinators was processed, identified, and labeled. One publication is in review (Adedoja et al. 2025, Landscape Ecology) and another is in preparation. Obj. 3. Focus groups and a large-scale survey were conducted to assess FL residents barriers to adoption of pollinator gardening.A professional survey sampling company (Centiment; Denver, CO) assisted with accessing the sample of Florida residents aged 18+ to participate in the survey. The survey was distributed online between February and March 2022, a total of 1,598 residents submitted completed responses, which exceeded the goal of 1,500 respondents. Quota sampling was employed to sample residents representative of Florida demographic census data (e.g., age groups, race and ethnicity, sex and gender) (Lamm & Lamm, 2019).For in-person focusgroups,an assortment of 24 respondents from the expert, enthusiast, reluctant and casual gardener types wereinvited to participate in the three focus groups (8 participants per session).Three focus groups were conducted on August 2nd and 3rd with 20 Florida residents who indicated interest in the session about pollinator gardening. Multiple peer-reviewed publications have come from this objective (see products).
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Silvert, C. J., Gusto, C., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J. M., & Mallinger, R. E. 2023. How can residents protect and promote pollinators? Factors influencing residential pollinator gardening. Journal of Environmental Management. 345: 118877
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Warner, Laura A., Colby Silvert, John Diaz, Cody Gusto, and Rachel Mallinger. 2023. Barriers and Opportunities for Pollinator Gardening in Homeowners Associations: Pollinator Gardening in Homeowners Associations . EDIS 2023 (3). Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wc430-2023.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Silvert, Colby, Laura A. Warner, John Diaz, Cody Gusto, and Rachel Mallinger. 2023. Strategies to Increase the Adoption of Residential Pollinator Gardening: Tackling Percieved Barriers: AEC767 WC429, 5 2023 . EDIS 2023 (3). Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wc428-2023.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Gusto, C., Silvert, C. J., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J., & Mallinger, R. (2023). Exploring Florida residents perceptions of pollinator-friendly gardening: An exploratory study to gauge current knowledge and engagement. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127867
- Type:
Other Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Adedoja, O., Mallinger, R. In review. Garden enhancements increase pollinator abundance, diversity and interactions across an urbanization gradient. Under review at Landscape Ecology. Submission ID 753b8dd8-84d2-4ba2-8c59-21fc65ac896c.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
JC Silva, SB Wilson, X Martini, K Begcy, R Mallinger. Effects of plant origin and water irrigations on floral resource value for pollinators. Joint Meeting of the Entomological Societies of Quebec and Canada 2024. Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Adedoja OA, Mallinger RE, 2024. Can trait matching inform the design of pollinator-friendly urban green spaces?: A review and synthesis of the literature. Ecosphere 15(1), e4734.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Jaramillo Silva J, Wilson S, Mallinger R, 2024. Evaluation of plant growth and flowering performance of Florida native and non-native ornamentals under varying irrigation. HortTechnology 34(5): 629-643
- Type:
Other Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Silvert, C. J., Warner, L. A., Gusto, C., Diaz, J. M., & Mallinger, R. E. (2024). Buzzworthy Messaging: Assessing Residents Perceptions of Labels to Better Promote Pollinator Gardening. The Journal of Extension, 62(3), Article 15. https://open.clemson.edu/joe/vol62/iss3/15
|
Progress 01/01/23 to 12/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences include horticultural, entomological, and ecological scientists along with professionals in the landscaping and nursery industries, Master Gardeners, and other land managers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During 2023, two undergraduate students worked on the project assisting with field work in spring 2023, and the pinning, processing, and identification of insects from summer - fall 2023. Undergradutes received extensive training in insect identification and database management. Additionally, one undergraduate student started an independent research project under the mentorship of the graduate student working on this project. One graduate (PhD) student worked on this project in 2023. During this time, she learned how to analyze floral volatile data and additionally gained many opportunities to present her work at conferences (see products). She furthermore took on the role of mentoring undergraduates and drafted her first PhD publication, which was accepted in 2024. One post-doc worked on this project in 2023. During this time, he gained experience in data analysis including hierarchical modeling and network analysis under the mentorship of the PI Mallinger. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to scientific audiences at entomology and horticulture conferences (see producs). Results have also been disseminated to Master Gardener Volunteers through presentations at local and regional meetings, and through an online course on gardening for pollinators available to the general public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Obj. 1: During the next reporting period, all greenhouse experiments will be completed. Floral volatile and pollen chemistry data will be collected and analyzed. One additional publication will be submitted for review. Obj 2. During the next reporting period, all data will be analyzed. One manuscript will be submitted for publication and a second will be drafted and reviewed internally for submission in 2025. Obj. 3. All work for this objective has been completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Field work was completed in spring 2023. Field trials included growing 20 species of plants, including 10 native and 10 non-native species, under two water treatments and across two field sites. Field trials spanned two years ending in spring 2023. For the remainder of 2023, field data was analyzed and a manuscript was drafted and submitted for publication (accepted in 2024). Additionally, greenhouse experiments were started to study the effects of induced water stress on floral traits and rewards, and pollinator visitation, for these same 20 species. Greenhouse experiments occurred from spring 2023 - fall 2023. Objective 2: Field work was done in March 2023 to conduct one additional season of sampling across 32 gardens including 16 enhanced and 16 control gardens. Following the final field season, data was processed including the pinning, preserving, and counting of insects. All insects were identified to species during fall of 2023. Databases were compiled, checked for errors, and initial data analyses were conducted at the end of 2023. Objective 3: Publications in review were edited and published in 2023 - 2024.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Adedoja OA(P), Geslin B, Calixto ES(p), Kehinde T, Mallinger RE, 2024. Interaction networks, their limitations, and applicability to insect conservation. In: Pryke J, Samways MJ, New T, Cardoso P, and Gaigher R (eds), Routledge Handbook of Insect Conservation. Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Jaramillo Silva J(G), Wilson S, Mallinger R, Accepted. Evaluation of plant growth and flowering performance of Florida native and non-native ornamentals under varying irrigation. HortTechnology.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Adedoja OA(P), Mallinger RE, 2024. Can trait matching inform the design of pollinator-friendly urban green spaces?: A review and synthesis of the literature. Ecosphere 15(1), e4734.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Silvert C(g), Warner LA, Diaz J, Gusto C(g), Mallinger R, 2023. Strategies to increase the adoption of residential pollinator gardening: Tackling perceived barriers. UF IFAS Extension EDIS Publication #AEC767. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wc428-2023
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Jaramillo-Silva, J., Wilson SB, Knox G, Mallinger R. Landscape Performance of Native and Non-Native Ornamentals Grown Under Two Different Irrigation Regimes in North and Northcentral Florida Submitted. Combined Proceedings IPPS 2023
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Jaramillo-Silva, J. Mallinger R. Martini, X. 2023. Supporting native wild bees in the Florida landscape. Gardening in the Panhandle, UF/IFAS Extension https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2023/02/08/supporting-native-wild-bees-in-the-florida-landscape/
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
October 2023 Poster. Performance of native and non-native ornamentals grown under two different irrigation regimes in North and Northcentral Florida
JC Silva, SB Wilson, G Knox, R Mallinger
International Plant Propagation Society. IPPS. Annual Conference. Durhan, NC, US.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
August 2023 Contributed talk. Effects of water availability on ornamental plants: An estimation of the relative resource value of native and non-native plants to Florida and their attraction to pollinators
JC Silva, SB Wilson, X Martini, R Mallinger
American Society for Horticultural Sciences. ASHS. Annual Conference. Orlando, FL, US.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
November 2023 Contributed talk in a symposium. The buzz under the water: Evaluating alterations of floral resources for pollinator conservation under different water treatments.
JC Silva, SB Wilson, X Martini, R Mallinger
Entomological Society of America. ESA. Annual Conference. National Harbor, MD, US.
|
Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences includehorticultural, entomological, and ecological scientists along with professionals in the landscaping and nursery industries, Master Gardeners, and other land managers. Changes/Problems:No major changes to report. We will request a 1-year no cost extension to finish processing and identifying all specimens from the field (for Objs. 1 and 2), conductchemical analyses of pollen, nectar and floral volatiles (Obj. 1), assess changes in floral color (Obj. 1), measure insect body size (Obj. 2), and analyse plant-pollinator network and landscape data (Obj. 2) into 2024. Our project start was delayed slightly due to Covid, but we are on track to complete all objectives with a 1-year no cost extension. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three graduate students have conducted research for the project, including two graduate students for Obj. 3 and one graduate student for Obj. 1. Additiionally, one postdoctoral researcher is conducting research for Obj. 2. All graduate students and postdocs have received extensive mentoring and have learned a suite of ecological and sociological research methods for this project. Finally, in 2022, twoundergraduate researchers wereassisting with Obj. 1 and developed knowledge of plant and insect biology through the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Four presentations to scientific audiences in 2022 (see products), two research publications published or in review (see products), two Extension publications in press (see products), two infographics in press, one published blog post, and five presentations to Master Gardeners in 2022. Additionally, results have been incorporated into an online gardening course, which was taken by 175 people in 2022. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For objective 1, the final two seasons of data collection in the field will occur in winter and spring 2023. Following the completion of data collection in the field, all insect specimens will be identified, pollen slides made and analyzed, and both nectar and pollen chemical composition analyzed with identified collaborators in horticulture. Additionally, lab and greenhouse experiments will be started to grow plants in pots and under two water treatments. From these potted plants, floral volatiles will be collected and analyzed for all 20 plant species under the two water treatments. Addtionally, we will examine changes in floral color across species and water treatments. For objective 2, final field sampling at all 32 gardens will occur in spring 2023. After completion of data collection, all insects will be pinned and identified. Insect body size will be measured for a select 1-2 species across all gardens. Data will be entered and analyzed. For objective 3, we will continue to pursue publication in both research and Extension formats.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Obj. 1:Trials were conducted at two experimental research stations in Florida in 2022. At each station, 20 plant species under 2 irrigation treatments and replicated 8 times were planted across small single-species plots. These 20 species represent 10 congeneric pairs with each pair including a native and non-native (to Florida) species. Data was collected in each plot monthly including flower density, pollinator visitation rates, and pollinator identity. Additionally, plant size was measured seasonally and nectar volume was measured for each plant twice during bloom, Nectar and pollen were also collected for chemical composition analysis to be conducted in 2023. Pollinators were collected for pollen analysis, with app. 1000 specimens collected in 2022. Pollen slides were made for all specimens, and quantification and identification of pollen is ongoing. Results to date were presented at two scientific conferences. Obj. 2: Thirty-two sites were sampled pre-enhancement in February 2022. Following this, 16 of 32 sites were enhanced with pollinator plants in April 2022. Pollinator plants included 27 potted plants of 9 species at each of the 16 sites. Sites were then sampled in May, July, September/October and December 2022 to compare between control and enhanced gardens. During each sampling round, flower identity and density, and pollinator visitation rates, were recorded. Pollinators were also collected through netting and bee bowls with app. 1,000 specimens collected to date. Specimens have been pinned and identified, and preliminary analyses conducted. Obj. 3: Survey Development The second phase of Component 3 activities focused on the development and distribution of an online quantitative survey to Florida residents to examine barriers to residential pollinator gardening practices. The survey was designed based on findings from analysis of the focus group qualitative data (conducted in the previous year) that were contrasted with existing literature to determine emergent pollinator gardening themes related to residents' behaviors, barriers, knowledge, and perceptions. Perceptions and barrier questions were designed based on the Diffusion of Innovations theory which proposes that five characteristics of an innovation (in this case pollinator gardening) are significant predictors of its adoption potential: relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, trialability, and observability (Rogers, 2003). A section of the survey also aimed to examine differences in residents' perceptions of pollinator gardening terminology and messaging and included a randomly assigned visual message test. Survey PilotTest Following expert panel review (in late 2021), the survey was pilot tested among Florida residents (n = 50) in early 2022. Based on sufficient reliability measurements, no revisions were needed before transitioning from piloting to official data collection. Survey Recruitment and Sampling A professional survey sampling company (Centiment; Denver, CO) assisted with accessing the sample of Florida residents aged 18+ to participate in the survey. The survey was distributed online between February and March 2022, a total of 1,598 residents submitted completed responses, which exceeded the goal of 1,500 respondents. Quota sampling was employed to sample residents representative of Florida demographic census data (e.g., age groups, race and ethnicity, sex and gender) (Lamm & Lamm, 2019). Quantitative Data Analysis The quantitative data from the online survey were exported from Qualtrics into SPSS (version 28.0). Analysis of the survey data involved cleaning and removal of incomplete responses, reliability analyses, and then the use of descriptive and inferential statistical procedures to explore and represent findings, patterns, and relationships based on the research objective. Preliminary analysis outputs were shared with the entire grant team during September 2022 to coordinate across objectives and gather feedback to inform addition analysis and development of scholarly and extension products.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Gusto, C., Silvert, C. J., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J., & Mallinger, R. (2023). Exploring Florida residents perceptions of pollinator-friendly gardening: An exploratory study to gauge current knowledge and engagement. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127867
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Silvert, C. J., Gusto, C., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J. M., & Mallinger, R. E. (in review). How can residents protect and promote pollinators? Factors influencing residential pollinator gardening. Urban Ecosystems.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Adedoja, O.A. and R.E. Mallinger. (in review). Using trait-based interaction networks to create pollinator-friendly urban green spaces. Urban Ecosystems.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Gusto, C., Silvert C. J., Warner, L. A., & Diaz, J. (2022, April 19-20). Exploring factors influencing residents adoption of pollinator-friendly gardening practices. Center for Land Use Efficiency 2022 Urban Landscape Summit. Gainesville, Florida.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Gusto, C., Silvert C. J., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J., & Mallinger, R. (2023, February 3-5). Popularizing residential pollinator gardening: Evidence-based implications for extension professionals. Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science 2023 Annual Conference. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
August 2022, Contributed talk. Joanna J. Silva, Dr. Sandra Wilson, Dr. Gary Knox, Dr. Rachel Mallinger. Right plant, right place, right pollinator? Evaluation of resource values, and pollinator visitation on native and non-native plants to Florida under different water availability.
Ecological Society of America, Montreal, Canada.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
March 2022, Poster. Joanna J. Silva, Dr. Sandra Wilson, Dr. Gary Knox, Dr. Rachel Mallinger. Optimizing plants for pollinators: Bee visitation on congeneric flowers under different irrigation. Branch meeting Entomological Society of America, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
- Type:
Other
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Warner, L. A., Silvert, C. J., Diaz, J. M., Gusto, C., & Mallinger, R. E. (accepted). Barriers and opportunities for pollinator gardening in homeowners associations. Ask IFAS: Florida Cooperative Extension Service Electronic Data Information Source.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Silvert, C. J., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J. M., Gusto, C., & Mallinger, R. E. (in review). How do residents feel about pollinator gardening? Tackling perceived barriers to adoption. Ask IFAS: Florida Cooperative Extension Service Electronic Data Information Source.
|
Progress 01/01/21 to 12/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, experiments were initiated to acheive the grant objectives. Target audiences including horticultural, entomological, and ecological scientists along with professionals in the landscaping and nursery industries, Master Gardeners, and other land managers, will be reached in the future when results from the project have been obtained. Changes/Problems:No major changes or problems to report for Objectives 1 and 2 in 2021. Methods have been modified for Objective 2 following feedback from grant panelists, but the overall experimental design, goals, and major methods remain similar to those initially proposed. Some minor problems werefaced with plant establishment for Objective 1, but plants have been replaced and managed as needed to address these problems. Obj. 3:Pivoting from in-person social research to respond to pandemic: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aim to reach Floridians throughout the state, the research team made the decision to host the focus groups virtually, using Zoom, instead of postponing the research or holding in-person research sessions. To better prepare for unexpected logistical or facilitation issues, the co-facilitators conducted a mock session, on Zoom, with four graduate students in early July. Observations during this session led to adjustment of the qualitative questionnaire to ensure the question prompts could adequately be discussed within 60 minutes. The graduate student participants also provided suggestions on how to improve facilitation, such as reminding participants multiple times throughout the session that responding to any question is voluntary. While the graduate students were already familiar with the Zoom platform, the actual invitees for the three sessions were sent information on Zoom procedures with learning resources and tutorials to become familiar with the platform. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three graduate students have conducted research for the project, including twograduate students for Obj. 3 and one graduate student for Obj. 1. Additiionally, one postdoctoral researcher is conducting research for Obj. 3. All graduate students and postdocs have received extensive mentoring and have learned a suite of ecological and sociological research methods for this project. Finally, in 2021, one undergraduate researcher was assisting with Obj. 1 and developed knowledge of plant and insect biology through the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Qualitative results from the first phase of the study for Obj. 3 supported the preparation of a conference presentation submission for the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science's (SR-ASHS) 2022 meeting held February 10th - 15th of 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Obj 1: Second year of data collection similar to that done in 2021. Present results at the SE branch of the Entomological Society of America meeting in March 2022, the Ecology Society of America Annual Meeting in August 2022, and the Entomological Society of America Meeting in November 2022. Hold field day for professionals and extension agents in Fall 2022. Obj. 2: Collect data in early spring 2022 at all 32 sites pre-enhancement for a total of three pre-enhancement sampling rounds from 2021 - 2022. Enhance half of the sites (16) with pollinator plants in April 2022. Collect data at all sites in May, August, and October 2022 for three post-enhancement sampling rounds from2022. All sampling rounds will be similar to thosein 2021 and consist of recording data on flower density and identity and pollinator visitation rates. Obj. 3:Survey Development: The second phase of the project involves the development and distribution of an online quantitative survey to Florida residents to further explore barriers to residential pollinator gardening practices. Specifically, findings from analysis of the focus group qualitative data will be contrasted with existing literature to determine emergent pollinator gardening themes related to residents' behaviors, barriers, knowledge, and perceptions to include in the survey. The survey is currently in development and will undergo expert panel review by the end of 2021. Following expert review, the survey will be pilot tested by Florida residents (n = 50). Once revisions are made to improve the survey based on the pilot data, the survey is slated to be administered to a broad sample of at least 1,500 Floridians 18 years of age or older in February and March 2022.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Obj. 1: Trials were planted at two experimental research stations in Florida in early 2021. At each station, 20 plant species under 2 irrigation treatments and replicated 8 times were planted across small single-species plots. These 20 species represent 10 congeneric pairs with each pair including a native and non-native (to Florida) species. Data was collected in each plot monthly including flower density, pollinator visitation rates, and pollinator identity. Additionally, plant size was measured seasonally and nectar volume was measured for each plant twice during bloom, Nectar was also collected for chemical composition. Pollinators were collected for pollen analysis, with app. 750 specimens collected in 2021. Obj. 2: A survey was sent to all FL Master Gardeners and following the results of the survey along with land-cover analysis, 32 sites were selected spanning a gradient of rural to urban landscapes. These sites were visited in Sept. 2021 to confirm site and landscape characteristics. Sites were then sampled in October and December 2021. During each sampling round, flower identity and density, and pollinator visitation rates, were recorded. Pollinators were also collected through netting and bee bowls. Data from 2021 will represent pre-enhancement data, with sites enhanced with pollinator plants in 2022, Obj. 3:IRB Approval Secured: This study (IRB 202003051), titled "Evaluating and Optimizing Pollinator Gardening for Bees," received exempt approval from the University of Florida's Behavioral/Non-Medical Institutional Review Board (IRB-02) on 11/24/2020.Focus Group Recruitment: Online recruitment for the virtual focus groups took place during the month of July.Recruitment was overwhelmingly successful, and between July 6th and July 20th (while the online questionnaire was open), 2,036 responses were recorded. The researchers initially reviewed and cleaned the data to screen for availability to attend the focus groups and valid email contacts provided, which resulted in validating 1,352 responses (potential participants from across Florida). A second stage of screening then entailed randomly selecting an assortment of 24 respondents from the expert, enthusiast, reluctant and casual gardener types to invite to participate in the three focus groups (8 participants per session).Three Virtual Focus Groups Conducted: Three focus groups were conducted on August 2nd and 3rd with 20 Florida residents who indicated interest in the session about pollinator gardening. Although eight people were invited to each of the three sessions, only four actually attended the first session while all sixteen invitees were present in the subsequent two sessions (eight in each session).Preliminary Literature Review: A preliminary review of literature was conducted in the early spring of 2021. Adhering to the rapid review method (Armitage, 2009; Khangura et al., 2012), established criteria for source selection, appraisal, and synthesis were applied.An annotated bibliography of 24 sources was compiled and finalized in March of 2020, prior to the development of the focus group instrument. In addition to an annotated bibliography, a separate document was created which identified and categorized salient themes from the compiled sources.
Publications
|
|