Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

CNAS NewsWatch

An online publication for the alumni and friends of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences

From ploy to pollination: How flowers plant tricks on bees

Dr. Avery Russell outlines his studies on floral mimicry.

July 2, 2020 by Ashley Lenahan

Like other living creatures, plants are capable of deceit.

Dr. Avery Russell, assistant professor of biology, studies how some plants deceive insects through a process called floral mimicry.

About his research

In plants that engage in floral mimicry, flowers mimic other flowers to trick insects into pollinating them.

The pollen the insects spread fertilizes flowers and enables them to produce seeds.

Russell focuses his studies on how female flowers trick bees into pollinating them by mimicking male flowers on the same plant.

A bee lands on flower at testing station of lab.
A bee at testing station of Russell’s lab

But why do bees prefer male flowers?

These male flowers offer a food reward. Meanwhile the female flowers do not, Russell explains.

“A single plant in this and many other plant species has two flower sexes,” Russell said. “We investigate how bees learn to distinguish rewardless females from rewarding males.”

Many undergraduate student researchers assist Russell with his ongoing research.

“Watching the students I mentor develop into capable scientists is the best part of the research process,” Russell said.

About the implications

Mimicry is common in plant-pollinator systems.

But, there’s not much research getting at the root of mimicry among floral sexes.

A white begonia flower.
Begonia flower used in Russell’s studies

Russell’s studies reveal how the interests of plants and pollinators conflict, even while both still benefit each other.

Using his results, the biology community can better understand how and why floral mimicry and bee learning evolves.

“We study how plants exploit bees’ cognition so they can be effectively pollinated,” Russell said. “We also examine how bees change their behavior to avoid being exploited.”

Filed Under: Biology, CNAS faculty Tagged With: Avery Russell

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Share Your Story

Submit your story or accomplishment by completing this form.

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: July 2, 2020
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • EO/AA/M/F/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
  • © 2013 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information