Abstract Detail

Ecology

Christiansen, Madison [1], Krakos, Kyra Neipp [2].

Examining the impact of abiotic factors on the characteristics of pollen loads in MO native plant-pollinator networks.

The transfer of pollen by a pollinator is a key step in a plant’s reproductive success. This can be impacted by pollinator size, pollen grain variations, and abiotic conditions. We examined pollen load data for nine native prairie species from 2012-2020 to determine the impact of drought winters. This data was analyzed using summary statistics, parametric statistics, and anova across all plant focal species and their pollen loads. Pollinator functional groups are seen to carry different pollen load sizes and these loads are impacted by the size of pollen grains. Pollen loads were found to be consistent with varying abiotic factors such as drought winters. This shows that there is a resiliency to variable conditions for pollination networks.

1 - Maryville University , 650 Maryville University Dr., St. , MO
2 - Maryville University, Biology, 650 Maryville University, St Louis, MO, 63141, United States

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PEC024
Abstract ID:940
Candidate for Awards:None