Dear Colleagues, During spring break in 2014 Todd Esque and I will again be teaching a citizen science course in cooperation with the Desert Institute, and the Joshua Tree National Park Association. We will spend three days learning about desert natural history, the pollination biology of Joshua trees, and the impacts of climate change, while contributing to a long-term ecological research project. The program costs $260.
The full course description is at the end of this message. You can read more about the course and reserve space here: http://www.joshuatree.org/desert-institute/field-classes/citizen-science-pollination-biology-of-joshua-trees/ Christopher Irwin Smith Assistant Professor Department of Biology Willamette University Salem, OR 97301 ph: 503-370-6181 fax: 503-375-5425 Google Calendar Lab Website: http://www.willamette.edu/~csmith/ChrisSmith.htm Citizen Science and The Race North: Population Ecology of Joshua Trees In an Era of Climate Change Information Date/ Time: Friday, March 21, 7 pm – 9 pm Saturday, March 22, 9 am – 4 pm Sunday, March 23, 9 am – 4 pm Monday, March 24, 9 am – 7PM. Meet at: Windmill Ridge Inn, Alamo, NV US Highway 93, Windmill Circle, Alamo, NV 89001 Instructors: Chris Smith, Ph.D. Assistant Professor at Willamette University. Todd Esque, Ph.D. Ecologist, US Geological Survey Overview Joshua trees are the most unique and recognizable plants of the Mojave Desert. In addition to their comical appearance, they are famous for their unusual pollination biology. Joshua trees are pollinated exclusively by two species of yucca moths – tiny grey moths that carry pollen to the trees in their mouths. The moths in turn reproduce by laying their eggs inside the Joshua tree flowers. Thus, both the moths and the Joshua trees are dependent on each other for reproduction. The future of this remarkable pollination system is threatened, however, by ongoing global climate change. Computer models predict that within the next 100 years Joshua trees may disappear from much of their current range, and emerging demographic data suggest that many populations in the southern Mojave Desert are already on their way to extinction. It is possible that the species may be able to survive by migrating to more temperate environments further north, but the trees' capacity to escape warming climates will depend on how quickly they are able to colonize new habitats. A lonely valley in central Nevada, on the northern edge of the Joshua trees' range, creates a ‘natural laboratory’ for studying how Joshua trees are responding to global climate change. At this site, eastern and western subspecies of Joshua trees, along with their respective yucca moth pollinators, meet and interbreed. By tracking spatial patterns in plant demography at this site, it may be possible to predict which Joshua trees -if any- will win “The Great Race North”. During a three-day citizen science program, participants in this course will contribute to ongoing scientific research on the population ecology of this most famous Mojave Desert species.
