The fall season is a busy one on the coast of Maine. Birds are migrating through on their way south to warmer climes, many shrubs are producing fruit so that their seed is dispersed prior to winter, and insect populations have their last opportunities to be active before it gets too cold. Precisely when these activities are occurring – and how they are related to each other – is not well known.
More importantly, the timing of these iconic moments of autumn might be in the middle of changing due to climate change, which means the potential disruption of key ecological processes, such as the consumption of fruit and insects by birds.
Along with colleagues from Acadia and Schoodic Institute, and citizen scientists from the Earthwatch Institute, Dr. Richard Feldman, Schoodic Institute Adjunct Professor has been documenting the unfolding of fall on the Schoodic Peninsula. In this presentation, he will use the data that has been collected to describe how birds, fruit, and insects interact with each other and how that changes through fall and across the years. Dr. Feldman will also discuss the importance of citizen scientists to work and similar projects across the country, and how to improve the flow of data between professional and citizen scientists.
Schoodic Institute invites the public to this presentation, Tuesday, October 23, 2018, at 7:00 PM in Moore Auditorium on the Institute campus. No registration is required.