Springing Forward
Lesson
![]320:r Featured Scientists: Shaun Davis, Mark Hammond, Elizabeth Schultheis, and Jen Lau from Michigan State University Study Location: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Site Summary: Plants use temperature cues to determine when it is time to flower each year. Each year in Michigan, when the weather gets warm in the spring, flowers bloom. However, springs in Michigan have been getting warmer and warmer each year due to climate change. What effects will climate change have on flowering plants? Scientists who study phenology, examine several life-history events, such as when flowers bloom for plants, and when birds migrate as an example in animals. These scientists predict that plants will produce their flowers earlier and earlier each year with warming temperatures. Earlier flowering dates will have important repercussions for pollinators and other species that rely on flowering plants.
Topics and standards: Temperature