Project:

How Different Color UV Rays on Flowers Attract Different Pollinators

Students:

Elizabeth Ryan, Lauren Marino, Deonna Cusumano

School:

Garden City High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Steven Gordon

Abstract:

Flowers and their pollinators are not as simple a topic as one would think. Just as we do not eat every piece of food put in front of us, pollinators are drawn to different flowers based on a variety of factors. From location to season, various factors affect which pollinators are attracted to which flowers and why. Our project focuses on the pigment of a flower's UV rays. The vast range of flower colors relies on four major pigment classes: chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids, and betalains. Each pigment class has a distinctive chemical structure, which ultimately affects the specific wavelengths it absorbs and thereby the color it generates. These invisible patterns and colors are invisible to us, but are clear as day to most pollinators. In this study we will analyze how the different colored flower pigments are perceived by the main functional groups of pollinators (such as hymenopterans, dipterans, lepidopterans, and birds) and see which of these pollinators they attract..

Poster:

Team samples: