After several years of intense work, Virginia (Vicky) Chirilá defended her PhD dissertation. Inspired by the real-world need to integrate agriculture and biodiversity conservation in her native Cachi (Salta province, northwestern Argentina), Vicky set out to study the contribution of pollinators and natural ecosystems for the production of Lima bean, a crop of high regional importance.
Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) depends on pollinators to produce seeds. In Cachi, the non-native honeybee is by far the most abundant pollinator. Yet, as Vicky found in her study, excessive honeybee visits lead to decreased bean production. In contrast, several native bee species have the potential to enhance bean pollination, but they are all too rare to have a significant impact on overall bean production.
Vicky’s study also showed that bean production can be enhanced by nesting sites for native pollinators, including both natural sites and the “bee hotels” she set up in her study sites. Thus, preserving nesting sites in the surrounding natural ecosystems and supplementing them with artificial nests may help enhance bean production. Vicky’s study thus represents a great example of how rigorous ecological research may offer concrete answers to some of the most pressing applied questions for food production and biodiversity conservation.
One of the chapters from Vicky’s dissertation has been recently published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. Stay tuned for more papers showcasing Vicky’s research!
Congratulations Dr Vicky all the excellent work!
Ecological Interactions Lab 
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