CORVALLIS, Ore.— Matthew Betts, a professor of landscape ecology in Oregon State University’s College of Forestry, will talk about the movement of hummingbird species across tropical forest landscapes and the pollination of plants within those landscapes Monday, May 13, at Science Pub Corvallis. The presentation will start at 6 p.m. at the Old World Deli, 341 2nd St. in Corvallis.

As tropical forests become increasingly broken up by roads, farm fields, pastures and other developments, corridors of trees provide vital pathways for pollinators, including hummingbirds. Betts will also discuss some of his recent research on pollinator recognition.

“Pollinator recognition is a newly discovered trait that enables a particular genus of tropical plants to recognize different species of hummingbirds and to ‘turn on’ for the ones that are most likely to help spread genes,” he said.  

Betts’ research focuses on forest biodiversity, including how to conserve forests, the ecosystem benefits provided by forests; and the ecological processes that affect plant and animal distributions. 

Science Pub is free and open to the public, but due to its continuing popularity, registration is required. People can register online at https://beav.es/ZSV or by contacting University Events at 541-737-4717 or [email protected]. If registration is closed (fully booked), walk-ins are welcome, but people who arrive without a ticket will not be admitted to the reserved seating area until 6 p.m.

Podcasts of previous Corvallis Science Pub events on topics such as “Technology in the Fields” and “From Wolves to the Warning to Humanity: Facing the Environmental Crisis through Science” are available at http://communications.oregonstate.edu/podcast.

Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

For accommodations for disabilities or questions, contact University Events at 541-737-4717 or [email protected]

College of Forestry

About the OSU College of Forestry: For a century, the College of Forestry has been a world class center of teaching, learning and research. It offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in sustaining ecosystems, managing forests and manufacturing wood products; conducts basic and applied research on the nature and use of forests; and operates more than 15,000 acres of college forests.

Story By: 

By Ian Vorster, [email protected], 541-737-0783

Source: 

Source: Matthew Betts, [email protected], 541-737-5460

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