Dr. Wendy Valencia’s work is featured this week in the top journal for scientific research, SCIENCE. She led a team of experts — including our own Dr. Michael Calonje — who established that thermal radiation is an ancient pollination signal in cycads.
The authors determined that, “Comparative analyses revealed that infrared is among the earliest pollination signals, and indicate a deep-time transition from infrared-based to color-dominated signaling in flowering plants. Our findings uncover an ancient sensory modality shaping the early evolution of pollination, one of the world’s most vital processes linking plants and animals.”
An amazing accomplishment for Wendy, Michael, and the whole team — leveraging the living plant collections at Montgomery.