Our Desert Plants Are Feeling the Heat: How & What We Can Do to Help
Wednesday, October 21, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Nature has its own calendar, which is why leaves change color in the fall and, here in the Sonoran Desert, why our cactus and shrubs flower when they do. It’s the natural rhythm of nature — but what about that rhythm now, as our climate heats up?
Tucson ecologist Dr. Theresa Crimmins is on the cutting-edge of the science that tracks natural life cycles, called phenology, as director of the USA National Phenological Network. Crimmins will fill us in on what’s being learned about the impacts of climate change on our region’s vegetation — and how we can participate as citizen scientists in the needed work of continuing to observe and monitor these changing natural life cycles.
A decade ago, Crimmins and her husband, UArizona climatologist Michael Crimmins, began studying changing patterns among plants along the Finger Rock Canyon trail in the Catalina Mountains. What they discovered: nearly one-third of the plants they observed had already begun migrating upward to escape increasing temperatures. From that research, Crimmins became deeply involved in phenology.
Her talk at Climate Tucson is a two-parter: First, we’ll learn about the early research on the migration they recorded. She’ll then take us into the world of phenological research — and introduce us to Nature’s Notebook, a program that seeks volunteers to track seasonal changes in plants and animals. What an opportunity: help science by spending time in our great outdoors admiring nature!
About Dr. Theresa Crimmins
Dr. Theresa Crimmins is the Director for the USA National Phenology Network and has been a part of the organization since 2007. Hailing from Ohio and Michigan, she received a B.S. and M.A at Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. In her role with the Network, Theresa supports an amazing team of individuals and works enthusiastically to support the growth and use of phenology data and resources curated by the USA-NPN, involvement in Nature’s Notebook, and a broader appreciation of phenology among scientists and non-scientists alike.
Theresa also maintains an active research career and has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in journals including Geophysical Research Letters, Global Change Biology, PLoS ONE, and Journal of Ecology. Her writing has also appeared in Scientific American and the Arizona Daily Star, and she has appeared in the PBS productions SciGirls and American Spring Live as well as on NPR and The Weather Channel. She currently serves on the editorial board for Ecosphere. In 2018, Theresa received the Alumni Achievement Award from the Department of Geography as well as the Globally-Engaged Pillar Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University.
USA National Phenological Network
Sonoran Desert Plants Climb Warming Santa Catalina Mountains