Impacts of single pollinator visits on multiple paternity and genetic diversity 2021
Greenhouse, lab

Ecology, Genetics, Plant Breeding, Labwork

Different insect pollinators exhibit distinct foraging ecology and movements, which may translate to differences in the pollination services they provide plant species. For example, highly mobile pollinators are likely to visit more flowers across a larger area compared to pollinators that forage in a small area. In this project, we test this hypothesis by planting seeds from flowers of two plants that were visited by a single pollinator. We will test if flowers that are pollinated by insects that forage in large areas, like hawkmoths, have seeds with higher levels of genetic diversity compared to flowers pollinated by insects that forage in small areas, like bees and flies. This research will provide us with an important understanding of the role that different pollinators in promoting genetic diversity in flowering plants.