Climate Change Lesson 9 : Plant and Animal Phenology

Part One: Phenology

1. Define phenology.

Begin the class by brainstorming with students what they think would be an easy way to observe and record climate change. Ask students, “Do you need expensive scientific equipment to help to record climate change?” If no student volunteers the information, note that plants and animals are like environmental measuring instruments, because they have to “observe” environmental information in order to know when to do things like make flowers, drop their leaves, or migrate to another place during the winter. Discuss with students how they might use their observational skills in order to discover these indirect indications of climate change. 

Introduce the word phenology (Phenology is the branch of ecology that explores the seasonal timing of life cycle events). (Slide 2) Show students the Climate Wisconsin Video of Nina Leopold found at: http://climatewisconsin.org/ story/phenology (2:34). This video sets the stage for the natural world that the students will be exploring. (Slide 3)

2. Look at phenological changes over time.

Have students individually read Phenology Over Time (student resource) and complete the Comparing Phenological Observations (student activity), which looks at the blooming time of plants. The student reading and the student activity are adapted from the Earth Partnership for Schools Curriculum.

As a class, lead a discussion on students’ findings regarding variation of plant phenology between Aldo and Nina Leopold’s observations. Try to get them to make a generalization about the “typical” pattern of plant activity, and then look at the exceptions to their generalization. The New England Aster is the most prominent exception. Ask students to think of reasons why this one plant might be unusual. (It could bebecause it is an early fall species – it may wait until it “senses” colder weather before starting to bloom, and since fall arrives later, so does the onset of flowering for this species.) (Slides 4-7)

Note: Phenological observations have been done in many other places; the Leopold observations are a well-known example of a long record, but the general principle has been observed in hundreds of places around the world.

Have students offer ideas about other plants and animals that they could seasonally track in their own community, and preferably in a very easy-to-observe place like the school grounds or their own backyards. Examples: robins arriving in spring, tulips blooming, maple leaves changing color in fall.

3. Hypothesize about possible implications of phenology and the state economy.

Engage students in a discussion about the importance of agriculture in Michigan. Sample discussion questions and answers are: (Slides 8-9)

• What are the most important crops? (Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation; Michigan ranks number one in production for tart cherries, pickling cucumbers, geraniums, petunias and squash, second for beans, carrots, celery and plums, and third for apples and asparagus.)

• What might be the connections of climate change to plant life cycles? (A change in planting and harvest time, altered growing season)

• What might be the consequences of changing precipitation patterns? (less rain in the summer will affect ability of plants to grow and mature; this might also affect the health of insects and/or birds and other wildlife)

• How might differences in the timing of weather events affect other aspects of the Michigan economy? (A change in timing of weather conditions and plant or animal activity might have implications for hunting, fishing, and many other kinds of tourism (tulip festivals, ice sculptures, marathons, bicycle races, canoe races, or simply driving around to look at the colorful leaves in autumn), which add up to a multi-milliondollar boost to the Michigan economy.)

Introduce students to the idea of plant hardiness zones, (Slide 10) which are specific geographic areas defined by climatic conditions and average minimum temperatures; they identify where a certain plant is capable of growing. To illustrate how climate change has affected plant hardiness zones, play the animation from the National Arbor Day Foundation that shows the shifts in these zones from 1990 to 2006. (See http://www.arborday.org/media/mapchanges.cfm for the animation.) Some parts of Michigan have shifted 1 or even 2 zones so some plants that could not survive the cold can now grow here. Have students suggest ideas about how that would affect gardening and agriculture in Michigan. Another example of implications of changing climate on Michiganplants was noticed with the Holland Tulip Time Festival. The festival in Holland has been moved up one week to better coincide with the earlier blooming of tulips.

Part Two: Case Study

3. Michigan Cherries

A real world example that illustrates the importance of seasonal timing is found in agriculture. Use the student booklet, Michigan Cherries and Climate Change (found on the MEECS Climate Change Resource DVD), to help students explore phenological effects of climate change on agriculture. (Slide 11)

After students have completed the booklet, guide a broad discussion on the topic of the possible implications of climate change on Michigan agriculture. Sample discussion questions (Slides 12-14) include:

• As phenological changes occur, such as earlier bloom dates, how might this affect plant/pollinator relationships? (The plants may be ready for pollinators that have not reached peak abundance yet.) 

• Thinking about crops other than cherries, what could the implication be as pests that typically thrive in more southern climates are able to thrive further north, potentially in Michigan? (More crop loss due to pests.)

• What are some innovative ideas that farmers could implement to combat the changes that are occurring or are projected to occur as a result of climate change? (Plant different types of crops.)

4. Tying it all together

Engage students in a class discussion on how ecosystem phenology relates to climate change in Michigan. Some sample thought questions (Slides 15-16) are:

• How do you think phenological data will help us further understand climate change in Michigan? (Sample: Observations of plants and animals can be an indicator of climate changes through ecosystem impacts and disruptions caused by climate changes)

• What might be some ecosystem and species-survival challenges if some parts of an ecosystem change the timing of their biological events, but others do not? Hint, think about an insect that emerges on the same date every spring and pollinates a particular type of blooming plant. What happens if the plant blooms earlier, but the insect doesn’t change the date it emerges? (Sample: The timing may be off in mutualistic relationships between different species. For example, plants may be ready for pollinators that have not reached peak abundance yet.)

Optional: Have students do research and report on the climate-challenged survival of a specific species (plant or animal).