August 26, 2019, by admin

Join SSSC and UAS for the next Natural History Seminar, featuring Dr. Christa Mulder presenting “Tales of the Unexpected: Phenology of Boreal Berry-Producing Plants under Climate Change,” September 3rd at 7:30pm in room 229 at UAS.

People across Alaska have expressed concern about increased unpredictability in when their favorite fruit will be available for picking. They have also noticed that sometimes plants that normally flower in spring are producing some flowers in fall. Alaska’s climate is changing rapidly, and in interior Alaska springs are coming earlier and summers are warmer than they used to be. But why would that make phenology (timing of flowering and fruiting) less predictable? And what does it have to do with those “latebloomers”? Join Christa Mulder as she explains how combining data from experiments, herbarium specimens, and observations across Alaska (including ones made by the 4H club in Sitka!) can answer these questions.

Dr. Christa Mulder is a Professor of Ecology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she holds joint appointments in the Department of Biology and Wildlife and the Institute of Arctic Biology. 

The Natural History seminar series is supported by a grant from the Sitka Permanent Charitable Trust to the Sitka Sound Science Center and by University of Alaska Southeast and the National Park Service.  

If you have any questions please contact Kitty LaBounty at 747-9432 or kllabounty@alaska.edu