NEW ZEALAND — Scion scientists have identified a unique microbiome associated with pine pollen, a significant step forward in forest research. Led by microbiome scientist Lottie Armstrong and Dr Steve Wakelin, the world-first discovery reveals that pine pollen carries specific microorganisms consistently across regions and years. This microbiome may also offer insights into future environmental and allergy research. As outlined in a newly published paper, Armstrong has been exploring the idea that pollen is more than just a carrier of plant genetic material. “Like humans, many plant surfaces are colonised by microbial organisms, and these microbes influence the fitness of the plants. Pine trees and other conifers have been around a lot longer than humans, so we wonder if they have had much longer to form, or co-evolved, microbiome associations.