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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.