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Springfield Researcher Studies How Microbes Affect Pollination

Emily McTavish
/
KSMU

We all know that many plants need pollinating and that this activity is crucial to the agriculture on which we depend.  However, in most cases, our understanding can be somewhat simplistic, centering on the honeybee and its relationship with various flowers.  It turns out the interactions between pollinators, of which there are many besides honeybees, and plants is a complicated one.  Not only is the development of the characteristics of both plant and animal dependent on each participant, there are other forces at work in the relationship, namely microbes.  Dr. Avery Russell, of the MSU Biology Department, is studying interactions along these lines.  Combining field and lab work, he is searching to better understand the complicated interplay in these systems.  This week, he stops by STEM Spots to talk about his work, and the ways it can enhance future studies.

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.