Submitted by Benjamin Blonder on
Environmental change is driven at large spatial scales, but plant
community response acts at fine spatial scales, especially due to
interactions among organisms. For example, through local amelioration
of microclimate, some plants may provide climate change refugia. This
project explores differences in thermal microclimate modification in
an alpine plant community. We ask: how does thermal microclimate
modification differ by species and, for multi-individual groups, by
plant diversity.
To help address these questions, the SPUR student's
work will focus on processing and analyzing thermal images from our
alpine field site in SW Colorado. Through this work, the student would
have the opportunity to gain skills in R, Flir Thermal Studio, and
Photoshop.
No prior experience is required. The student will also be
supported in utilizing some of these data to develop an independent
project, as well as fully looped into lab meetings and events within
the broader lab community.