Jennifer Apland (M ‘23 biological sciences) is now the collections coordinator at the Michigan State University Herbarium. Apland and associate professor Matt Koski recently published two studies showing that flowers with traits that help them thermoregulate have advantages over those that don’t when it comes to reproduction and ability to attract pollinators.
In this Functional Ecology blog post, Apland speaks to her love for plants and fascination with flower traits and pollination and reminds us to invest in our local communities – they can often lead us towards our calling!
Detailed findings on the floral shape and color study were published in the journal American Journal of Botany in an article titled, “Floral shape and color impact heat accumulation and thermal stability of the floral microenvironment in a subalpine meadow.”
The findings of the study on floral temperature and pollinator visits were published in the British Ecological Society journal “Functional Ecology in an article titled, “Isolating the effects of floral temperature on visitation and behavior of wild bee and fly pollinators.”
Clemson News article, “Plants with traits that help them thermoregulate have advantage in a warming world.”
