Montana Atwater | Moth and Flower Research

 

 

 

​My main research interests encompass the ecology and evolution of moths and their interactions with flowers - from unique ecosystems of high priority for conservation to backyard pollination studies. I recently completed my Dissertation on the diversity and pollination ecology of flower-settling moths, which has led me from the Pine Sandhills of Florida up to the snow-capped Northern Andean Páramos of Colombia. With this, I revealed that moth pollinators are more functionally diverse that previously understood, with up to three functional groups; and demonstrated that moths play an important role as pollinators in environments that are too harsh for other pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.

 

Overall, I seek to explore the life history and evolutionary processes that shape moth-flower interactions, and the role of flower-settling moths for the long term stability and resilience of pollination systems in general. Currently, I hold two part-time positions as Research Associate at the UF/IFAS Medical Entomology Laboratory (The Reeve's Lab) and Adjunct Professor of Biology at Indian River State College.