The effects of climate change have led to increases in floral pigmentation over the last 76 years, according to research featuring the work of Tia Lynn Ashman, a distinguished professor of evolutionary ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.
The paper, “Floral Pigmentation Has Responded Rapidly to Global Change in Ozone and Temperature,” was published Sept. 17 in Current Biology. It was coauthored with Drew MacQueen, a geographic information systems specialist at the University of Virginia, and Clemson University Assistant Professor Matthew Koski, who earned his Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Pittsburgh. The research outlines how global changes in ozone and temperature have affected UV-absorbing pigmentation of flowers during the 20th century.