9318602 Brody This research investigates the combined roles of pollinators and a seed predator on the origins of flowering times of two Rocky Mountain wildflowers: Polemonium foliosissimum and Ipomopsis aggregata. Because these two plant species have a common seed predator but utilize different pollinators, the flowering time of one species may affect seed production in the other by attracting the seed predator. The investigators are also examining how the seed predators (an anthomyiid fly) select and/or manipulate flowers to increase their own offspring's survival. %%% This research is novel in addressing the potential indirect interaction between two plants species that share seed predators. Most previous research has been limited to studying a single interaction between organisms at a time. This project is important in that it addresses multiple plant-plant and plant-insect interactions simultaneously, allowing the detection of complex relationships that may be common in nature but usually ignored in standard ecological studies. The results of this research may have applications in agriculture and conservation biology: seed-production by valuable plants is often simultaneously reduced by seed predators and increased by pollinators. Understanding the dynamics of these conflicts may help us learn how to optimize flowering schedules to increase seed yields. ***
