Volunteers needed to solve pollination mystery

Nature lovers can help scientists answer the question of whether flowering dates of fruit trees and pollinator flight times are remaining in sync as the climate warms, in a new project.

The Fruitwatch project aims to gather much-needed data on the timing of fruit tree flowering all over the UK by mobilising citizen scientists to snap photos and submit notes online at fruitwatch.org this spring.

Recent evidence has suggested climate change might be causing trees to flower earlier than when insect pollinators are most active. If true, this could have serious implications for common tree species like apple, pear, cherry and plum, which all rely on insect pollination to produce their fruit.

The project is led by the University of Reading, supported by computer software company Oracle, with whom the University has also partnered on innovative research into honeybee decline.

Chris Wyver, the PhD researcher at the University of Reading who is leading the Fruitwatch project, said: “We need members of the public to go out into gardens, allotments, orchards or parks and tell us what they see.

“We want as many eyes on as many trees as possible to tell us if climate change really is having an impact on fruit tree pollination. If it is, then action will be required to prevent a potentially significant impact on fruit production.

“Pollinators and fruit trees falling out of sync could mean supply issues, and more expensive and lower-quality fruit. Pollinators do an incredible job for the planet, and if insects are unable to pollinate fruit trees then something else will have to – potentially humans.”

While records of pollinator activity are readily available, data on fruit tree flowering is relatively scarce.

Information submitted on the Fruitwatch website will be uploaded onto an interactive map, providing a clearer picture of how climate change is affecting flowering times compared to pollinator activity across the UK, as well as how it varies between different regions.

Users will be asked to record the type of tree, its location, and the stage of flowering, along with photos. These will be shared on the map to allow others to compare their own observations.

Volunteers will also have access to the study findings showing how their data has contributed to a better understanding of this problem.

The resulting data could be used to inform conservation action in the most affected areas, or reveal a need for alternative solutions to protect insect pollination in orchards, which is estimated to contribute more than £36 million per year to the UK’s apple production alone.

Both flowering dates of fruit trees and pollinator activity are triggered by warmer temperatures. Warmer conditions earlier in the year being seen under climate change is therefore likely to affect both.

A recent UN Environment Programme report highlighted the earliest ever full cherry blossom bloom in Japan on record on 26 March 2021, among unprecedented advances in flowering dates that pollinators might struggle to keep up with.

The Fruitwatch project is run in partnership with Oracle for Research, through which Oracle provides technological solutions for researchers. The research is also funded by the Waitrose Collaborative Training Partnership.

Follow the project and discuss your contributions with other volunteers on Twitter at @Fruit_Watch