Daniel Song, a doctoral student at the University of
Pennsylvania, writes from Hovsgol National Park, Mongolia, where
he is studying how plants and pollinators form interaction
networks. Tuesday, June 21 Next time you grab a snack or sit
down for a meal, take a minute to think about what you’re
eating; chances are plants and insect pollinators were involved.
Tomatoes, almonds, apples and coffee are just a few examples of
the hundreds of foods consumed daily by people around the world
that are insect-pollinated. How do pollinators behave in natural
habitats? What goes into the decision to pollinate a certain
flowering species? What is it about the flowers that attract
pollinators? Especially in light of colony collapse disorder, it
is ever more important that we study how natural plant
communities maintain their pollination services. Our field site
in the Dalbay Valley is interesting in that it has, in close
proximity, two drastically different areas: the valley floor and
the upper slope. The two areas differ