Nicholas Hicks

Professor Mark Campbell

UWRT 1104

9/27/2018

Topic Proposal: Pollinator Population Decline

Introduction/Overview

The topic that interests me is the effects of pollinator population decline. Due to the fact

that pollinators support all plant life, which is the main source of food for all life on earth, this is

a subject that affects nearly all life on earth. The effects will grow as the pollinators populations

continue to decline. For this, I will be examining “what happens as pollinator populations

decline.”

I’ll start this proposal off with a quick lesson on how energy gets to most living

organisms. Plants create food from photosynthesis. Another organism gets the remaining energy

from eating the plant; this is called a primary consumer. From there, another organism can eat

the primary consumer and obtain the remaining energy. This cycle can continue until there is a

very small amount of energy left. According to the Oxford English Dictionary Pollinators,

“convey pollen to or deposit pollen on (a stigma, ovule, flower, or plant) and so allow

fertilization.” By allowing fertilization, pollinators are what allow for plant reproduction. With

the decline of pollinator populations, plant life reproduction would be slowed, and this could

have dire consequences for world food supplies.

To research this topic, I have used multiple library databases and news articles. I already

loosely understood the subject I chose, but my research led me to have a much more concrete
understanding of the subject.

The topic on pollinator populations is quite complex. Although everyone agrees that

pollinators must be saved, most people aren’t willing to make the changes needed for their

survival. People always say save the bees, but when one flies in front of someone, they may

become afraid and try to kill it. People still use toxic pesticides that can kill pollinators. People

say they support this, yet their actions show otherwise. The problem with this issue is that to

truly make a change, you must convince someone to change how they live their day to day lives.

Two organizations that deal with the protection of pollinators are the Pollinator Partnership and

the United States Department of Agriculture.

Initial Inquiry Question

What happens as pollinator populations decline?

My Interest in this Topic

I’m interested in what happens as pollinator populations decrease because I know the

results are bad. I know that if I stress how important of a topic this is, it is possible to influence

some opinions, and I could maybe get someone to change their day to day life. If I can change

how one person acts, I might be able to make a difference, and I might be able to inspire

someone else to make a difference as well.

Next Steps

I plan on continuing to find resources on this subject. I will keep track of news on the

subject as it comes out, and I will check library databases, and I will attempt to gather the

courage to ignore my anxiety and possibly ask a librarian for help.