About our projectWe are a group of researchers aiming to engage the community in scientific data collection.
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Our Research |
Our Mission |
We are assessing how habitat differences can spur floral signal evolution. Flower color is an important axis of diversity among plants, and decades of research has tested how differences in the pollinator community might drive flower color evolution. Pollinator perception of color, however, may depend on the habitat in which they perceive flowers. For example, Appalachian Phacelia, Phacelia dubia, grows in granite outcrops and roadside meadows (figures below), which differ dramatically in background color. Does the background color impact what colors pollinators choose?
![]() A. Granite outcrop in SC. B. Roadside meadow in AL. Pollinators perceive color using three photoreceptors: UV, green, and blue. For this reason, the signaling background might drive changes in flower color depending on what color stands out to pollinators during their foraging bouts.
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We are reaching out to hobby botanists, native plant societies, and other community scientists to help us with our research. Using YOUR photographic data, we will be able to assess flower color and background color across a number of species. Below is an image similar to the ones you'll be collecting that we will use to conduct our analysis.
![]() C. Color checker surrounded by P. dubia in a granite outcrop
We will be providing community scientists with a standardized color checker card and proper protocols to collect photographic data to be uploaded to our dropbox or iNaturalist project |