Flipping through field notebooks…
Floral scent is an important trait of flowering plants because of its role in attracting pollinators. Recent advancements in the field have found floral scent to respond plastically to changes in the environment, such as temperature and water availability. Because of this, climate change has the potential to alter floral scent emission in some species. This could impact plant-pollinator interactions and consequently plant reproduction. One way plants are able to adjust more quickly to environmental changes is by forming symbiotic relationships with soil microorganisms. Soil microbes help plants acquire water and nutrients, like nitrogen, that are essential for growth and reproduction. Soil microbes can also influence floral traits, including floral scent. Since one of the main compounds found in floral scent profiles is nitrogen, changes in soil nitrogen and soil microbes may influence floral scent. Still, little is known about how soil microbes and nitrogen availability in the soil, alone or in concert, affect floral scent. I propose a two part experiment investigating the role of nitrogen availability and soil microbes on floral scent. In the first experiment, I will test the effects of soil nitrogen availability in two species of Ipomopsis (scarlet gilia and slendertube skyrocket). Since soil microbes play an important role in allocating nitrogen in plants, for the second experiment I plan on examining the effect of soil microbes and soil nitrogen availability on floral scent in scarlet gilia ( I. aggregata ). To better understand the role of climate change in these interactions, I will investigate differences in floral scent of plants grown in soil from areas exposed to early snowmelt compared to areas with normal snowmelt.