Dynamic duo
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This photo shows a pair of inflorescences of the Hairpin Banksia, Banksia spinulosa, a plant that is common along the east coast of Australia. This impressive floral display has evolved to attract visits from birds, which play an important role in transporting pollen between flowers. This process can enable mating between plants separated by some distance , even though plants themselves stand still. We are using genetic markers to trace the origin of pollen that has fathered seed found on B. spinulosa plants, to find out how far pollen travels and whether plants that produce more flowers father more offspring.