Tuesday, August 8, 1:30-5 pm
Organizers: Abraham Miller-Rushing, Richard Primack, David Inouye

Global climate change has the potential to alter and disrupt ecological communities. Among the most important and dramatic ecological changes are changes in phenology, i.e., the timing of climate-sensitive ecological events. Changes in phenological events could disrupt close ecological relationships, such as leaf-out, insect emergence, pollination, fruit dispersal, and the feeding behavior and breeding success of birds. These changes will also affect critical ecosystem functions, such as carbon sequestration, productivity, and water availability. In this session we will hear evidence of phenological changes, mostly involving plants, that are already occurring as a result of climate change. We will learn about new techniques that are available to monitor these changes, such as remote sensing and multi-continental networks of ground observations. Lastly, we will hear predictions of how time-sensitive ecological relationships will change in response to climate change. Climate change is already affecting ecological systems and will continue to do so over the coming years, providing a particularly relevant topic for this session.