Hiking up to the next plot…
Microbial facilitation of floral exploitation in a subalpine pollination mutualism This summer, I will explore the ecological interactions between plants, flower-visiting insects, and the microbes that inhabit flowers. Recently, nectar-inhabiting microbes, including yeasts and bacteria, have been identified as potentially significant mediators of plant-insect interactions. However, the chemical cues produced by nectar microbes and the effects they have on insect foraging behaviors and plant reproduction remain unclear. In subalpine meadows at the Rocky Mountain Biological Research Station (RMBL, Elk Mountains, Colorado) I will examine interactions between a threatened wildflower (Corydalis caseana ssp. Brandegeei; Brandegee's fumewort), nectar microbial communities, and bumblebee floral visitors.