Download Plant Phenology and Project BudBurst By George R. Kish, Tampa

Plant Phenology and Project BudBurst
By George R. Kish, Tampa, FL
Phenology
Phenology is the study of periodic plant and
animal life cycle events and is increasingly
recognized as a vital aspect of understanding how
ecosystems will respond to seasonal and interannual variations in climate. Examples include the
timing of leafing and flowering, agricultural crop
stages, insect emergence, and animal migration. All
of these events are sensitive measures of climatic
variation and change, are relatively simple to record
and understand, and are vital to both the scientific
and public interest.
Tier 3: Volunteer & Education Networks: Citizen Science,
Education, and Outreach
Tree
Project BudBurst
• Pilot program, April – June 2007
• 913 phenological events from 26 states
• Most-reported spp. were common dandelion.
Forsythia, and black locust
• 485 “other” species
• BudBurst report and data are available online,
www.budburst.org
Projected climate change over the next 50 years
includes warmer summer temperatures and
increased periods of drought. Projected climate
change effects of particular importance to
ecosystems for the southeastern U.S. are: (1)
reduced availability of soil moisture to plants, and
( 2) changes in ecosystem community dynamics.
Volunteer
and education
networks
The USA-NPN consists of four components, or tiers.
Each tier represents different levels of spatial
coverage and related environmental information: 1)
networks of local intensive sites focused on process
studies (e.g., NEON, LTER, Ameriflux); 2) spatially
extensive environmental management or networks
focused on standardized observations (e.g., the NPN
lilac [Syringa] monitoring network, or USFWS
refuges, or NPS I & M sites); 3) volunteer and
education networks (e.g., Project BudBurst);
and 4) remote sensing products that can be
assimilated to extend surface observations.
Mertensia
fusiformis
Courtesy of David Inouye
First sighting to first Mertensia flower (days)
Distributed data collection network
Casual observers become dedicated observers
Engagement in meaningful activities
Education/awareness engenders science literacy
Leaf
• Generation of political/policy support
• Historic/baseline data (pre-network)
• Potentially rich datasets collected by
individuals
Flowers
Rocky Mtn. Biol. Laboratory
Heat
Zone
Map
Nymphalis milberti
Emergence is
changing relative to
flowering
50
Tier 3 Programs
• Project BudBurst (www.budburst.org), an online
educational and program targeting students and nature
enthusiasts
• Students Observing Seasons, a suite of GK-12
education modules
• Phenology 101 and the Phenological Stewardship
Program, programs to facilitate integration of phenology
studies into undergraduate curricula
• Masters of Monitoring, targeted to public and private
institutions with docent programs
• Laboratory exercise for Teaching Issues and
Experiments in Ecology (TIEE) focused on phenology of
flowering in Colorado (in development)
Why employ citizen scientists?
•
•
•
•
A Southeastern Regional Phenology Network
(SERPN) is currently being designed and organized
as a component of the USA National Phenology
Network (USA-NPN) to engage federal agencies,
environmental networks and field stations,
educational institutions, and mass participation by
citizen scientists.
60
Budburst/First Leaf: Date at which the
first leaves are completely unfolded
from the bud.. The leaves need to be
opened completely and the leaf stem or
leaf base must be visible.
First Flower: Date at
which the first flowers
are completely open.
You must be able to
see the stamens
among the unfolded
petals.
40
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
30
r2 = .192, p = .03
20
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
Distribution
Tier 3 Goals
• Engage public in long-term phenological data collection
and analysis through formal and informal science
education programs
• Engender self-directed, voluntary learning using inquirybased approaches
• Provide training in the tools and applications of
phenological studies to citizens and scientists
• Enhance opportunities for the public to interact with
professional scientists.
Phenology can be used as a predictor for a
variety of processes and variables of importance at
local to global scales. Phenology modulates the
abundance and diversity of organisms, their interspecific interactions, their ecological functions, and
their effects on fluxes in water, energy, and chemical
elements at various scales.
Phenology influences
interactions among
organisms
Record Your Data!!
2005
Full Flower: Date when
50% of the flowers are
fully opened. or date of
first flower and last flower.
Seed/Fruit Dispersal:
Date when you notice
the first fruits or seeds
dropping naturally from
the plant.