Mysteries of road dust: Does road dust influence flower lifespan in scarlet gilia?
Abstract
This study aims to explore the exciting mysteries of road dust. In the beautiful Rocky Mountains, at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in western Colorado, there is an amazing diversity of plants, but one in particular near unpaved roads is Ipomopsis aggregata, Scarlet gilia, a perennial flowering plant. In this paper I unveil the effects that road dust has on the stigma closure rates on Ipomopsis aggregata. To find out this mystery, armed with a hand lens and a duster, I keep track of 216 individual flowers to see the influence of road dust. Interestingly, road dust decreases floral lifespan, and female longevity. The stigma position in these flowers also plays a role in the floral lifespan of this plant, with weather having surprising effect. With all these factors, the evidence suggests that road dust influences stigma closure rates, and therefore influence the pollen loads.
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