Abstract Detail

Education and Outreach

Siggers, Jordan [1], Eilers, Greg [2], Pigg, Kathleen [3], DeVore, Melanie [4].

Observations from your backyard, and InsideWood provide insights to integrated plant structure/ function.

The utilization of nature as a classroom has been conceptualized across multiple disciplines. Arboreta and parks are excellent resources for locating unique, diverse plant species that can be analyzed for different questions. With a minimum of a few leaves, or even photographs alone, many insights can be drawn. Techniques that measure the environmental factors that influence floras, such as temperature, precipitation, and light, can be imitated in most regions of the world. The Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP), leaf margin analysis, and stomatal and undulation indices can be integrated into any level of education to display the correlations between plant characters and their surroundings. Inclusion of databases like InsideWood further support the ability to understand scientific observations from your backyard. A series of observations were made during spring 2021 by an undergraduate plant anatomy class in Milledgeville, Georgia, USA regarding the timing of bud break, patterns of leaf venation and margin, and type of wood structure of different tree species. Students noted the stage at which buds were developing on numerous tree species and measured additional leaf parameters. Using the on-site notes in conjunction with available databases, students were able to determine which species possessed diffuse, semi-diffuse or ring-porous wood. They then deduced a correlation between seasonality, porosity, and other leaf functional traits. Correlations between leaf type, time of bud break and wood anatomy demonstrate the integrated nature of plant adaptation to the deciduous temperate environment we find in middle Georgia. Incorporating these techniques and resources into plant anatomy and morphology and related plant biology courses will facilitate an understanding of biotic and abiotic interactions. Data of these type observed through time provide a direct means for illustrating plant responses to climate change. Most importantly, the processes of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting these data provides a transparent view of how plant anatomy and morphology, and paleobotany can be used in modern climate science.

1 - Georgia College and State University, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Campus Box 081, Milledgeville, GA, US, 31061, United States
2 - Lockerly Arboretum , 1534 Irwinton Road , Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA
3 - Arizona State University, School Of Life Sciences, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287, United States
4 - Georgia College & State University, Biological And Environmental Sciences, Campus Box 081, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, United States

Keywords:
wood
CLAMP
MAT  
botany education
Inside Wood Database.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P2, Education and Outreach Posters
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Tuesday, July 20th, 2021
Time: 5:00 PM(EDT)
Number: P2EO006
Abstract ID:612
Candidate for Awards:None