Ecosystem Phenology in the Shortgrass Steppe
Plant phenology - the seasonal timing of growth, reproduction, and senescence - can be measured from the scale of individuals to biomes. Understanding the timing of plant canopy development and how it is related to climatic variables is an important step in our understanding of how grassland ecosystems are being altered by a changing climate. In this poster we compare 2 years of plant canopy development in a dry year (2002) and an average precipitation year (2005). We used two-channel radiometers (Skye Instruments) and measured reflected radiation in the red (630 nm) and near infrared (862.5 nm) in a grazed and ungrazed shortgrass steppe. We used these data to calculate a greenness index. Soil water and precipitation were also measured on site. This poster will show how canopy development varied between treatments and years as well as how it was related to soil water variables.
