9319489 Thorp A major goal of conservation biologist is to quantify the impact that exotic species have had on the abundance and diversity of native plant and animal species. An impediment to solving this problem has been the difficulty of completely removing an exotic species from an area circumscribed with definite borders that is large enough to display ecosystem dynamics. This is particularly difficult in the case of a highly mobile forager such as the honey bee. The response o native pollinator and plant species to the extinction of a well-entrenched exotic pollinator has not been investigated by experimental manipulations on an ecosystem level. %%% This study examines the consequences of removing all of the feral honey bees from a 25,000 hectare (96 square mile) island in step-wise manipulations. The effect of an important exotic species on pollinators and plants in the ecosystem will be quantitatively described. With the use of proven bee hunting techniques, biogeographical data on density, distributions in relation to resources, and rates of dispersal are being compiled for all colonies on the island. Apis foraging patterns are being determined to a high resolution by a combination of tested and new methods in order to reveal the extent of their impact. The recovery of native fauna is being monitored as release from competition occurs. Removal is being dome in concert with studies aimed at answering additional questions important to conservation theory, particularly with respect to native bees and their pollination of native plants. Changes in seed set, vegetative growth, pollinator efficiency, and seed quality of both exotic and native plants will be studied. %%% The results of this set of experiments will provide new insight into the ecology of plants and pollinators and the recovery of an ecosystem from exotic species effects. acuse U f P EUGENsec~ f 4 X @ W f , O Molecular Evolution of a Duplication Containing Region of the Drosphilia Genome f , P f , f , f , f , f , f , f , ~ f , H@ f , f B f = f = f = f = / 4 ! ! ! ! F _ _ ( Times New Roman Symbol & Arial " h z z ( Y - Gayle Edmonds Gayle Edmonds
