Great essay! Do pollen released from a point source follow some kind of inverse square law for attenuation of density per air volume? In other words, plants of a feather perforcedly clump close together to maximize their pollination chances?
Interesting to speculate whether the very fire smokey air nowadays effects airborne pollen. If the pollen electrostaticly binds to smoke particles, that might change the dispersion and we might consequently see some type of medium term sequelae in the plant world.
The pattern of dispersion has always been an important question in pheromone research too. Most evidence suggests that concentration is not as simple as an inverse square law, rather, the dispersion is rather "tendrily", like smoke. I would expect pollen to disperse similarly, as you can see in the image of pine pollen dispersion. As for smoke and pollen, one would need to know a bit more about charges on both. There is probably some kind of physics associated with pollen and stigma, and I suppose that could involve charge.
The soot particles that came down all over Portland were on car windshields etc. where they very much resembled the fine powdery feel of pollen when one dragged ones finger through the film. My guess is that they are close in size. My mechanic told me not try brushing them off the car bodywork as they were abrasive!
It would seem relatively easy to allow such particles to settle on glass slides, then examine them for pollen under a microscope. I mean, how hard could that be, right? Let me know what you find!
Pollenaise: Pollen so thick you could spread it on bread?
(Great essay!)
The magical gracefulness of reproduction….
Love the artwork!
Great essay! Do pollen released from a point source follow some kind of inverse square law for attenuation of density per air volume? In other words, plants of a feather perforcedly clump close together to maximize their pollination chances?
Interesting to speculate whether the very fire smokey air nowadays effects airborne pollen. If the pollen electrostaticly binds to smoke particles, that might change the dispersion and we might consequently see some type of medium term sequelae in the plant world.
The pattern of dispersion has always been an important question in pheromone research too. Most evidence suggests that concentration is not as simple as an inverse square law, rather, the dispersion is rather "tendrily", like smoke. I would expect pollen to disperse similarly, as you can see in the image of pine pollen dispersion. As for smoke and pollen, one would need to know a bit more about charges on both. There is probably some kind of physics associated with pollen and stigma, and I suppose that could involve charge.
The soot particles that came down all over Portland were on car windshields etc. where they very much resembled the fine powdery feel of pollen when one dragged ones finger through the film. My guess is that they are close in size. My mechanic told me not try brushing them off the car bodywork as they were abrasive!
It would seem relatively easy to allow such particles to settle on glass slides, then examine them for pollen under a microscope. I mean, how hard could that be, right? Let me know what you find!
But I am a theoretician! We're notoriously inexpert with lab equipment!
It also would help if I had a microscope!
Or a slide!