An updated insect exclosure design for pollination ecology

Abstract

Exclosures are a common method for quantifying the effects of animal pollinators on flowering plant species. However, a lack of standardized designs or clear descriptions of previously implemented exclosure designs decreases replicability in pollination studies and reduces scientific rigor. We summarized previous descriptions of pollination exclosure designs, and developed/tested a novel exclosure design in alpine environments on the Beartooth Plateau in northern Wyoming, USA. This exclosure design consists of a cylindrical internal wire frame, integrated ground stakes, and various mesh materials attached to the exterior. Exclosures on the plateau showed high efficacy in inhibiting insects from pollinating flowering plants, and nearly all of these exclosures remained functional throughout the time they were in place. Our updated exclosure design is effective, inexpensive, easy to produce, and widely applicable across differing ecosystems and experimental design types.