Study Co-Authored by New SWOSU Biology Faculty Member Published in New Phytologist

A recent study co-authored by Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) Assistant Professor Dr. Liedson Carneiro has been published in New Phytologist, one of the world's leading journals in plant science.

The paper is titled "Empirical evidence for the ecological significance of interaction network indices within a mutualistic network." It offers the first empirical evidence connecting plant-pollinator network structure to actual reproductive outcomes in plants.

Carneiro conducted the research in collaboration with Dr. Gerardo Arceo-Gómez of East Tennessee State University (ETSU), with support from the National Science Foundation and research grants from ETSU.

The work examines how the relationships between plants and their pollinators influence ecological stability. The study's findings show that plants relying on a few efficient pollinators achieve stronger reproductive success than those visited by a large number of different species. This conclusion suggests that the effectiveness of pollinator interactions plays a more important role in plant reproduction than the overall number of pollinator visits.

Carneiro said, "Not all pollinator visits to flowers are equally helpful. Plants reproduce better when they rely on a few efficient pollinators, and this helps explain how ecosystems stay stable and how we can protect the most important pollinator relationships."

Dr. Liedson Carneiro of the SWOSU Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

This project was conducted in a serpentine seep plant community in Northern California, a region with many native and endemic species. According to Carneiro, the location provided an important setting for understanding how plant-pollinator networks operate in diverse natural systems. The study also contributes to ongoing conversations in ecology about the need to connect network theory with measurable biological outcomes.

Carneiro joined SWOSU this semester, and this publication represents a significant step in the development of his research program at the university. He plans to expand this line of work by studying native plant and pollinator communities in western Oklahoma, with an emphasis on involving undergraduate students in fieldwork, data collection, data interpretation and scientific communication.

"This study sets the stage for the kind of hands-on research I hope to develop here," said Carneiro. "It's exciting to bring this focus on pollination ecology to SWOSU and involve students directly in projects that contribute to real-world understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem stability."

In addition to the New Phytologist publication, Carneiro recently co-authored a related paper in Plant Biology. While the second project examines a different component of pollination ecology, both studies support the broader direction of his research and provide context for the work he plans to continue at SWOSU.

Carneiro will also meet with students during the department's "Meet Your Professor" event on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. in the Old Science Building, SCI-212. The event is organized by the Biology Club and is open to all students. It provides a more informal setting for students to learn about new faculty and their work.

For more information about the SWOSU Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, visit https://www.swosu.edu/biological-sciences/index.php.

About Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) was founded in 1901 and offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs across three locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon. The university serves over 5,000 scholars and prides itself on affordability, small class sizes, and over 200 faculty and staff committed to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals.

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