Techniques for Pollination Biology, Paperback

Techniques for Pollination Biologists is the first book to incorporate all techniques published in the pollination literature as well as unpublished methods compiled from practicing pollination biologists. The bibliography includes 1,200 references from more than 200 journals, plus books and previously unpublished materials.

Appendices list sources for all the equipment and chemicals needed.

This book presents the newest techniques such as fluorescence microscopy to examine pollen tubes, high-pressure liquid chromatography for nectar analysis, and using particle counters to count pollen grains and nuclear magnetic resonance for floral odor analysis. In addition to these sophisticated methods, basic techniques are described for labeling plants, manipulating flowers, marking or excluding, and designing simple but elegant experiments with small budgets. The book also examines potential pitfalls for pollination studies and offers cautionary advice about designing and implementing different types of pollination experiments.

About the Author:

Carol Kearns is assistant professor of biology at Wesleyan College. She has conducted research on the pollination of montane plants at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and served as assistant director of the Mountain Research Station in Nederland, Colorado. Her research interests are in the fields of plant mating systems and fly pollination. David W. Inouye is associate professor of zoology and botany at the University of Maryland. He is a board member and officer for the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado, where he has been conducting research since 1971. Dr. Inouye's curiosity is directed to long-term studies of plant and insect ecology, pollination biology, and uncovering the factors determining flowering phenology.