Nectary development, structure and function in relation to angiosperm reproductive biology

我的研究计划强调开花植物生殖生物学的花卉特征-特别是花蜜腺的结构和功能-导致吸引各种游客到花。因此，我们调查了授粉的许多生物媒介(昆虫、鸟类、蝙蝠和其他动物)的主要花卉食物来源(花蜜)的产生，从而为地球上已知的最重要和最古老的动植物相互作用之一奠定了基础。由于这种授粉活动导致人类饮食中无数农业和园艺水果和种子的有性繁殖，加上在地球上大多数生物群中繁殖几个非农业物种，花蜜和产生花蜜的小腺体(蜜腺)对于确保世界各地健康、营养充分的人类的饮食需求至关重要。与此同时，许多国家依赖蜂蜜作为甜味剂，并将其作为珍贵的天然食物来源，直接从蜜蜂采集的花蜜中提取。因此，在这一领域进行的与人类粮食生产如此相关的研究将继续每天提供好处。

My research program emphasizes floral features of the reproductive biology of flowering plants - especially the structure and function of floral nectaries - leading to the attraction of a variety of visitors to flowers. Thus, we investigate production of the main floral food source (nectar) of many biotic agents (insects, birds, bats and other animals) of pollination, and hence the foundation for one of the most important and oldest plant-animal interactions known on earth. Because this pollinating activity leads to the sexual reproduction of countless agricultural and horticultural varieties of fruits and seeds for mankind's diet, plus results in the propagation of several non-agricultural species in most of earth's biomes, floral nectar and the diminutive glands (nectaries) that produce it are extremely significant for securing the dietary demands of a healthy, sufficiently-nourished human population across the world. At the same time, many nations rely on honey as a sweetener and as a prized, natural source of food derived directly from nectar collected by honey bees. Thus, research undertaken in this field so relevant to human food production will continue to provide benefits, on a daily basis.