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Erin Posthumus

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Time to Restore: Using a Community Based Approach to Identify Key Plant Species for Pollinator Restoration
Pollinator restoration requires information about what species to plant and when to plant them to ensure food sources are available throughout the periods when pollinators are active. Changes in climate, including earlier spring warming and warmer fall temperatures, may cause flowering to become out of sync with pollinator activity. When restoring land to support pollinators, managers are challenged to select a mix of species that support pollinators of concern throughout their periods of activity. Existing planting tools have several disadvantages such as, their usability is location specific, they are virtually non-existent for the South Central region, and they do not often account for future changes in plant...
Pollinator restoration presents many challenges, from selecting which species to plant to provide nectar during critical periods, to anticipating how these plant species will respond to changes in climate. A better understanding of flowering and seed timing for critical nectar plants, and the links between this activity and climate, can inform more resilient restoration plantings. We are a team of collaborators from the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators, the Gulf Coast Phenology Trail, and the USA National Phenology Network, supported by a grant from the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. Our project, Time to Restore: Connecting People, Plants, and...
Knowledge co-production, a process that involves both creators and users of information in knowledge generation, is growing in popularity in the conservation and ecology fields. While examples of successful co-production are becoming more common, many barriers and challenges remain in this work. Here, we reflect on our experiences in knowledge co-production from three recent case studies, using a prominent framework to understand and improve our efforts at each phase of the co-production process. Our reflections yield insights that may help other scientists seeking to support decision-making. We found that paying particular attention to the composition of the team and connecting with agency representatives early...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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Time to Restore: Developing Tools for Climate-Smart Restoration
Climate projections for the South-Central U.S. indicate increases of 2-5°F in average high temperatures by mid-century, declines of up to 4% in average precipitation, and increases in heatwaves and large rainfall events. This changing, more unpredictable climate makes it difficult to decide which species to plant when, or to know when certain species will bloom and go to seed. A refuge manager might ask: what species should be included in restoration plantings to ensure pollinators will have nectar ten years from now? Or a tribal member might wonder: when is the most effective time to visit prairie remnants to collect culturally significant plant seeds to grow for a restoration project? The Time to Restore project...
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Collaborating with Resource Managers to Identify and Address Phenological Information Needs
Plants and animals undergo certain recurring life-cycle events, such as springtime flowering or migrations between summer and winter habitats, that are often strongly controlled by changes in environmental conditions, including climate. Because species interact, shifts in one species’ phenology can have cascading effects throughout entire food webs and ecosystems. Recent advances have helped grow the body of literature surrounding phenology. We now know, for example, that invasive species often show greater flexibility in the timing of their phenological events, enabling them to outcompete native species as climate and environmental conditions change. Natural resource managers recognize that changes in phenology...
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