Is Spring Break Coming Early? Effects of Climate Change on Alabama's Native Plant Phenology
Date
2-19-2025
Faculty Mentor
Tenzing Ingty, Biology
Files
Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
4:45-4:55 pm | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor
Description
Please note: no video is available for this presentation.
Climate change has significantly impacted biodiversity, prompting many species to adapt by altering their phenology—the timing of life cycle events. Shifts in plant phenology can have far-reaching ecological consequences, particularly for species that rely on these plants directly or indirectly. One critical consequence is the temporal mismatch between plants and their pollinators, a phenomenon observed in multiple species. Studies using satellite imagery have documented advances in spring phenology across the United States, but species-specific data remain limited, especially in the biodiverse and ecologically vulnerable Southeastern region.
To address this gap, we analyzed historical records from herbarium specimens of native plant species in Alabama. Our dataset consisted of 1,304 specimens from 11 species, spanning 146 years. The analysis revealed that 10 of the 11 species exhibited advanced flowering phenology, with three showing statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05) between the day of year (DOY) of flowering and the collection year, as determined by Pearson’s correlation.
This study represents the first attempt to leverage herbarium specimens to investigate climate-driven changes in plant phenology in the Southeastern United States. The observed advancements in flowering phenology for most species align with global findings from previous studies. While satellite imagery has highlighted regional trends in spring phenology, its broad spatial scale cannot capture species-specific responses, underscoring the value of our specimen-based approach.
Expanding this research to include more species and specimens would help address key limitations, including the small sample size for certain species.
Keywords
student research, biology
Rights
This content is the property of Jacksonville State University and is intended for non-commercial use. Video and images may be copied for personal use, research, teaching or any "fair use" as defined by copyright law. Users are asked to acknowledge Jacksonville State University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@jsu.edu.
Disciplines
Biology
Recommended Citation
Madden, Kathleen; Barksdale, Madisyn; Pruitt, Kelly; and Zamora, Summer, "Is Spring Break Coming Early? Effects of Climate Change on Alabama's Native Plant Phenology" (2025). JSU Student Symposium 2025. 27.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2025/27
