How non-native plants change pollination of berry plants across Alaska

Katie Spellman and Christa Mulder at work in the forest.

Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy is hosting a webinar Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 10 a.m. Christa Mulder and Katie Spellman will discuss how non-native plants are changing the pollination of berry plants across Alaska.

What happens when a new plant species comes into an area, and it is more attractive to pollinators than anything else around? Does it improve pollination of the native plants that are already there? Or does it lure away pollinators, or lead to the delivery of the wrong kind of pollen? The discussion will focus on the arrival of a non-native plant, white sweetclover (Melilotus albus,) in berry picking habitats. This webinar will feature field experiments and the researchers' efforts to model future interactions between invasive sweetclover and native berries in a changing climate using herbarium specimens and citizen science observations.

Mulder is a professor in ecology, Institute of Arctic Biology. She is a plant ecologist who works primarily on plant-animal interactions. Spellman is a doctoral student.

Register here. Call 907-474-7812 for more information.