Abstract Detail

Conference Wide

Mazer, Susan [1], Matthews, Elizabeth [2].

The California Phenology Project: tracking the effects of climate on plant phenology through citizen science.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to contribute to a nationwide effort to track the effects of climate change on the timing of phenological events such as leaf emergence and first flowering date. Topics will include the evidence-based link between (and the mechanisms responsible for) phenological events and climate;the long-term effects of climate change on plant phenology; and the risks of phenological mismatches induced by environmental change. The workshop will prepare participants to conduct their own training of students, volunteers, and members of the public to record phenological observations on campuses, at botanical gardens, and in wild habitats.This workshop will include a short presentation, interactive activities, and a discussion session that will provide background informationon phenology (and ways to teach its importance to undergraduates or adult students) and on the monitoring protocols and on-line database designed by the USA National Phenology Network (www.usanpn.org) to which the public and scientists may contribute standardized phenological observations of hundreds of plant and animal species.We will introduce the California Phenology Project (CPP; www.usanpn.org/cpp),a statewide phenological monitoring program based in 8 National Parks and 6 Universityof California Natural Reserves, among which 33 plant species are currently being monitored in a replicated fashion across a variety of environmental gradients. We will describe the planning and implementation of this regional program and offer guidance and reference materials that describe the steps and challenges faced when creating a highly organized but flexible program that encourages public participation in scientific research. The standardized protocols of the National Phenology Network will be introduced and practiced by workshop participants, and the on-line resources available for phenological data upload,download, and visualization will be explored.

Broader Impacts:

1 - University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Ecology & Marine Biology, 4119 Life Sciences Building, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
2 - University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Santa Barbara, CA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Array
Session: WS08
Location: Fountain/Riverside Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 28th, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM
Number: WS08001
Abstract ID:50
Candidate for Awards:None