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#469, v1.0 Published:
#1266, v1.0 Published:

Title

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1The Effect of Climate Change on Butterfly Phenology 1The Effect of Climate Change on Butterfly Phenology - Intro Environmental Science

Authors

Old VersionNew Version
1Debra Linton (Central Michigan University) 1Megan Kelly ()
2Anna Monfils (Central Michigan University) 2Megan Kelly ()
3Molly Phillips (Florida Museum of Natural History)   
4Elizabeth Ellwood (La Brea Tar Pits & Museum)   
5Kaitlin Bonner (St. John Fisher College)   

Description

Old VersionNew Version
1<p>Phenology is the study of the timing of cyclical events in an organism&rsquo;s life cycle, including plants flowering, insects emerging, and birds migrating. The timing of these events is often influenced by climatic variables, in particular temperature and precipitation. As global weather patterns are altered due to climate change, an organism&rsquo;s phenology may change in response. Further, interactions between organisms may be affected to the detriment of one or both species. If, for example, a plant flowers earlier in warmer springs, it is dependent on its insect pollinators emerging at a similarly early pace in order for the plant to be pollinated and effectively reproduce. Likewise, the insect pollinator will ideally emerge at a time when its nectar food source is available. If the phenological timing of associated organisms is no longer synced, the interaction may be disrupted and result in what is known as an ecological mismatch.</p>  1<p>This module was adapted for use in the first course of a two-semester sequence in introductory Environmental Science. The module was used early on in a larger unit on climate change, to emphasize that climate change affects &ldquo;where and how species survive.&rdquo;<sup>1</sup></p>
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3<p>In the present exercise, students explore natural history collections as a source of phenology data, using the research presented in the article, Flowering time of butterfly nectar food plants is more sensitive to temperature than the timing of butterfly adult flight (Kharouba and Vellend 2015) as an entry point. Students use natural history collections data downloaded from the iDigBio portal representing flight dates of butterfly species in British Columbia, Canada. These species are a subset of those used by Kharouba and Vellend. Students are also provided temperature data and assess how temperature has changed over time and how butterfly phenology relates to temperature. Students interpret their graphs and assess how butterfly phenology is changing and whether an ecological mismatch may be possible.</p>  3<p>This activity came immediately after the EDDIE Climate Change module, in which students improved their Excel skills significantly.<sup>2</sup></p>
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5<p>The authors would like to thank<b id="docs-internal-guid-3eb0460b-b759-e446-ada4-8bc85f5d5969">&nbsp;</b>the AIM-UP! project for leading the way in integrating natural history collections in undergraduate education, to QUBES and the DIG Faculty Mentoring Network for providing the infrastructure and constructive discussions about this lesson, to the Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education (BLUE) network for ongoing dialogue on the topic, and to Central Michigan University for their support of this effort in their biology curriculum.</p>  5<p>Files provided here:</p>
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7<p><strong>Please cite as:</strong></p>  7<ol>
   8   <li>A downloadable student handout with just the &ldquo;Student Instructions&rdquo; section, pre-lab questions regarding the Kharouba and Velland reading, and in-lab assignment. The pre-lab questions were lightly edited to draw students&rsquo; attention to the relevant section of the paper, to support new readers of scientific literature. The in-lab questions were formatted to draw students&rsquo; attention to the task to be completed in each question.</li>
   9   <li>A slide deck introducing students to the study of phenology and showing important examples of climate-induced phenological shifts. It also prompts an activity to help students understand slope, and examine relationships between unfamiliar variables.</li>
   10   <li>A teaching notes file with additional information on implementation.</li>
   11</ol>
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9<p>Debra Linton, Anna Monfils, Molly Phillips, and Elizabeth R. Ellwood. 2018.&nbsp;The Effect of Climate Change on Butterfly Phenology.&nbsp;<cite>Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology</cite>, Vol. 13: Practice #7 [online].&nbsp;<a href="http://tiee.esa.org/vol/v13/issues/data_sets/ellwood/abstract.html">http://tiee.esa.org/vol/v13/issues/data_sets/ellwood/abstract.html</a>. doi:10.25334/Q46Q5B</p>  9<p>References:</p>
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11<p><strong>Groups associated with this resource:</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>  11<p>1.&nbsp;Climate Literacy &amp; Energy Awareness Network. Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate. <a href="https://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/principle_3.html">https://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/principle_3.html</a> (accessed June 1, 2019).</p>
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13<p><a href="https://qubeshub.org/community/groups/blue_data" target="_blank"><img alt="BLUE group logo" src="https://qubeshub.org/groups/blue_data/File:/uploads/blue_logo_transparent_FINAL.png" style="width:225px;height:100px" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://qubeshub.org/community/groups/aimup" target="_blank"><img alt="AIM-UP logo" src="https://qubeshub.org/groups/aimup/File:/uploads/aim-up-logo-wide.png" style="width:210px;height:100px" /></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://qubeshub.org/community/groups/idigbio" target="_blank"><img alt="AIM-UP logo" src="https://qubeshub.org/groups/idigbio/File:/uploads/idigbiologo35.jpg" style="width:300px;height:100px" /></a></p> 13<p>2.&nbsp;Project EDDIE. Climate Change Module&nbsp;<a href="https://serc.carleton.edu/eddie/enviro_data/activities/climate_change.html">https://serc.carleton.edu/eddie/enviro_data/activities/climate_change.html</a>&nbsp;(accessed June 1, 2019).</p>

Attachments

1 link — Link to TIEE publication and teaching materials for The Effect of Climate Change on Butterfly Phenology (Abstract) | TIEE 1 file — Butterfly Phenology Slides.pptx
2 file — ./iDigBio/Libby Ellwood - iDigBio_Strymon_melinus.jpeg 2 file — Buttery Phenology Student Handout.docx
3 link — Link to TIEE publication and teaching materials for The Effect of Climate Change on Butterfly Phenology (Abstract) | TIEE
4 file — FMNTeachingNotesPhenologyKellyS19.docx
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