Uncovering Over 150 Years of Herbarium Specimen Data to Examine the Impacts Of Climate Change On Alpine Plant Phenology In The Southern Rocky Mountains

Erin Berkowitz, MS Student

Museum Studies
Mentors: Hannah Marx and Loa Traxler

The historical data preserved in herbaria can be used to study biological responses to climate change, such as changes in plant phenology, across various habitats including understudied alpine ecosystems.

This study will use historical data from over one hundred years of plant collecting, along with updated collecting and community science efforts, to investigate how climate change is influencing alpine plant phenology in the Southern Rocky Mountains.

These records will be analyzed alongside historical climate data to explore phenological sensitivities to climate change, and further investigate these responses on the species level.

While other studies have utilized biological collections as long-term data, this research stresses the importance of combining historical data with continued collecting and discusses the application of community science data in plant phenology research.