Title: “The buzz in the prairie: how bees, fragmentation, and fire shape pollination in a native prairie plant”

Abstract: Ison lab members have research interests in plant ecology, conservation biology, and ecological genetics. They study how anthropogenic (i.e., human-induced) alterations to natural areas are impacting native plant and bee populations. In North America, nearly all of our natural areas have been fragmented, and many populations are small and isolated. In fact, less than 1% of the pre-colonization prairie remains. In this talk Dr. Ison will discuss the pollination in purple coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia, across fragmented prairie sites in west-central Minnesota. She will share collaborative plant-pollinator research from many undergraduate student researchers and the conservation implications of their work. At the end of her talk, she will also discuss ways you can help protect and encourage native bees.

Biography: Dr. Jennifer Ison is a plant ecologist who focuses on plant reproduction in natural areas. She has been at the College of Wooster, a small liberal arts college in Ohio, for ten years, and the favorite aspect of her position is working with undergraduate student researchers. Before her current position, she had a postdoctoral position at the University of Toronto and did her graduate work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and the Chicago Botanic Garden. She and her ten-year-old kiddo love hiking and camping, and they do a little backpacking. Finally, she’s got a leaf-long quest for the perfect plant pun.