Plant Science from Cell Biology to Ecosystems
Botanical gardens provide access to vital plants and water for butterflies in the southwest US. This will only become more important as the climate becomes warmer and drier.
Guides suggest some species are better than others for pollinators, but when you get to the plant nursery you’re confronted by half a dozen cultivars of the same species. How do you pick between them?
Invasive plants change the opportunities for pollinators, helping some but harming others.
Ecologists have found that weeds are far more valuable in supporting biodiversity than we give them credit for.
How does drought influence floral traits of Sinapis arvensis and how does this affect visitation by bumblebee pollinators?
Greater proportions of semi-natural habitat surrounding fields increased bumble bee and honey bee densities.
A disagreement on when flowers evolved could be solved by studying the real experts on pollination, the pollinators.
Climate can indirectly affect floral morphology within a species by affecting what pollinators will visit those flowers across its range.
Floral chemistry is hypothesized to be the product of natural selection, but researchers have just begun to consider the micro-evolution of these traits.
Not only can insects view ultraviolet patterns in flowers, they also seem to be sensitive enough to be able to sense heat patterns in flowers too.
This study uses dual choice assays and experimental arrays of blue and white flowers to determine pollinators’ preference for flower colour in Aquilegia.
