Shedding light on the biology of the phorid fly pollinators of the underground orchids of NSW

The project will fill crucial knowledge gaps in our understanding of the biology of the intricate orchid-pollinator interactions between the elusive underground orchids, and their equally elusive phorid pollinators. Phorids in general belong to the ‘dark fauna’, tiny insects with exceptional species diversity that play crucial ecosystem roles such as decomposition, parasitism and pollination, but for which virtually nothing is known