A study co-authored by the Bioeconomy Science Institute's Dr Marion Donald and Johnathon Ridden from the Canterbury Museum has shown that analysed metadata from insect specimens in Canterbury Museum’s collection, spanning from the 1900s to the present, can identify a wide array of previously undocumented plant-pollinator interactions.
Entomologists (insect specialists) tend to be very thorough, details-oriented people, so many of the museum’s historical insect specimen labels also noted information such as whether the insect was collected from a flower, or was seen on a plant, or had a plant name mentioned.
Of 290 plant-insect pairings found on the labels, 86% were previously undocumented in scientific literature. This study highlights the value of digitising and sharing insect collection data to uncover overlooked ecological relationships. It also reveals the extent of historical pollination networks and provides essential baselines for assessing ecological change over time.
Bees entering a hive
