Our weekly seminar series featuring internal and external speakers in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Abstract
Nearly 90 percent of flowering plants rely on pollinators for successful seed production. But what happens when pollinators fail? Selection may act to favor traits that make plants more attractive to pollinators. Or, plants could extend the amount of time they are able to export and import outcross pollen. And, if all else fails, the only option left may be to self-pollinate. First, I will present results from a study investigating spatial variation in pollinator-mediated selection on floral traits across wild populations of a biennial plant, Sabatia angularis. Next, I will present a series of experimental studies related to the evolution of floral longevity and its constraints. Finally, I will discuss how fragmentation and alteration of the landscape influence the extent to which plants must rely on self-pollination and shape population connectivity and genetic structure. This work has implications for understanding the forces that maintain variance within and among populations, the evolution of plant mating systems, and the fate of plant populations in a changing world.

Image credit: RB Spigler