In nature, growth and change never end. In the world of environmental education, neither does the learning.
Learning at FortWhyte Alive is so much more than walking tours and programs – it extends all the way to universities and research teams doing essential work to understand our environment and the creatures that live there.
We’re proud to host several researchers working towards a deeper understanding of Purple Martins, freshwater bacteria, and local bee populations here and at other sites around the province.
Below, our Education Program Coordinator, Katrina Froese, breaks down their work and why they love doing it at FortWhyte Alive.
Purple Martin Research
Purple martins are a common sight and sound at FortWhyte Alive. They are the largest type of swallow in Manitoba, and you’ll see them swooping around capturing insects for food. They are also long-distance migrators, making their way to South America for the winter. Purple martins are an ideal species of bird to study, due to their comfort in the presence of humans, and their preference for human-made nesting structures.
A team of researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba has been studying FortWhyte Alive’s purple martins since 2016. We caught up with 4 researchers during a typical field day this summer.
Clémence Olson-Brissaud is a Masters of Science candidate studying how the timing of peak insect abundance relates to the timing of nesting, egg hatching and fledging of purple martin chicks. Vinuri Mendis is working on her Ph. D research on how the date of egg-laying affects the timing of migration by first-year birds the following spring. Undergraduate summer research assistants Yantong Tan and Candace Haiko are completing their own research studies.
The researchers hypothesize that purple martins time their breeding so that their young are at peak growth at the time that there are the most insects available. Climate change is changing temperature patterns towards warmer springs and summers, which can cause that peak insect emergence to happen earlier. If purple martins are able to shift their migration and egg-laying date earlier, they may be able to adapt, but if climate instability affects their migration or delays nesting, they may miss that peak, resulting in weaker nestlings.
What does a field research day look like for the team?
Researchers spend a lot of time at FortWhyte during the purple martin season from May to August. They slowly walk a 100m transect for 15 minutes, observing insects. They also have an insect trap, called a Malaise trap, which looks like a flimsy tent, which is set up to collect around the clock to help to understand the abundance of insects over time.
Researchers view the nests and birds first by setting up a spotting scope. Then, they move in to do a nest check by cranking down the bird houses and looking to see how many eggs are laid, if they are hatched, the size and weight of the fledglings. At Day 12 of each bird’s life, researchers attach lightweight small metal bands to their legs which have a unique number code (name tag!) for each individual. Some birds also get to wear tiny tags, attached with leg loops for their migration. These small units are GPS receivers which record the birds’ flight route and locations. The tags weigh less than 3% of the bird’s total weight.
What’s your favourite part of doing research at FortWhyte?
Clémence shared that, “I think we can all agree here that FortWhyte is one of the few sites where we actually get to interact with the public. Our other field sites are either on private land or remote areas. We get to connect with the public, the public gets to talk to us as researchers, but they also get to see purple martins up close, they get to connect with the birds themselves.”
For more information on Purple Martins you can go to the Purple Martin Conservation Association.
Water Quality Research
Debosmitha Sen and Maria Garcia have been visiting FortWhyte Alive throughout the summer to collect water samples to contribute to a better understanding of the bacterial communities in freshwater, including blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria can produce toxins like microcystin which pollutes drinking water.
What does a field research day look like for the team?
The scientists drive to various sites in Manitoba to collect samples, including from rivers and creeks in urban Winnipeg, FortWhyte’s lakes, as well as Lake Winnipeg and some lakes in Whiteshell Provincial Park. They use special fine filters (0.2 micron) and a plastic syringe to filter out microorganisms. Back at the lab, they focus on DNA extraction and sequencing. They match the DNA signatures found in the sample to a library available to discover what bacteria are present. They also look for specific gene sequences, particularly the genes that code for the six proteins involved in making the algal toxin microcystin.
What’s your favourite part of doing research at FortWhyte?
“It’s very peaceful here, unlike the city sites. I’ve been tempted to rent a kayak to go out and sample, and I’d like to come back and enjoy the site on a non-work day!”
Bee Diversity Research
Bees are important pollinators of flowering plants, as well as the crops we grow for food. Diseases, pesticides, poor nutrition and habitat loss are all potential threats to pollinators. Honey bees (a European species) are well-studied, and are known to be affected by many viral diseases. Honey bee viruses are passed between bees through contact, and by a bee parasite called a Varroa mite. But there are also over 300 species of native bees found in Manitoba, and very little is known about how honey bee diseases may impact native bee populations.
Kira Peters is working on her Masters of Science in Entomology at the University of Manitoba. Along with two undergraduate summer research assistants, Jay Bowles and James Watson, she has been visiting multiple sites throughout Manitoba to complete her first field sampling season. The goal is to identify any presence of honey bee viruses in native bee populations, by comparing bees in natural and agricultural land as well as in various locations with different densities of honey bee hives. Her project will also study the potential of pollen as a mode of disease transmission.
What does a field research day look like for the team?
At each study site, the scientists set up a transect, which is a line measured out through a floral patch. They measure out square plots called quadrats along the transect line. Within the quadrats, they take account of flower diversity and abundance. Along the transect, they spend 10 minutes catching any bees they spot with large sweep nets. These bees will be used as a reference collection for identification. Then, using clean nets, the team captures a small number of honey bees, as well as of the two most common native bee species present. Back at the lab, these bees will be stored in a -80 degree Celsius freezer, and will be analyzed for any of five common honey bee viruses. Any pollen that the native bees collected will also be analyzed for viral content.
Note: Entomology research generally involves some collection and killing of insects as live identification to species is impossible in most cases. Kira’s research requires around 25 bees per sampling site. This is a very small proportion of the natural population.
What’s your favourite part of research at FortWhyte?
Jay Bowles is one of Kira’s summer research assistants, working towards a Bachelor of Science in Agroecology. Jay shared that they spent a lot of time at FortWhyte as a kid. “I did summer camps here, I have had family members who’ve had their wedding receptions here. I used to come here all the time in the winter and toboggan, and go on nature walks in the summer. It’s pretty cool to come back here as an adult and help with research … in a space that I have a lot of fond childhood memories of.”
Thank you to all the scientists who took the time to share more about their essential work here at FortWhyte Alive, answer questions from our staff, volunteers, and visitors, and for your incredible work growing our understanding of the environment and the things that call it home!
Katrina Froese is the Education Program Coordinator at FortWhyte Alive. She has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology. Along with developing and delivering educational programming for K-12 students and teachers, she also manages FortWhyte’s long-term lake water monitoring program. She assists with projects that enhance biodiversity and ecosystem health, as well as with exhibit development, to help inform our visitors about the importance of healthy ecosystems.