The document summarizes a student's phenology project observing the changes in a tulip poplar tree over six weeks in the fall. Phenology is the study of seasonal natural phenomena and how plants and animals adapt to changes in climate. The student documented how the tree's leaves changed from green to yellow to orange and brown as temperatures dropped and sunlight decreased. Fungus also affected some leaves. By observing these seasonal changes, the student learned that trees store energy in their roots to survive the winter without leaves.

1. Digital Phenology Project
Kayla Mullen
Biology 3000-001

2. What is Phenology?
According to the World Book Encyclopedia, phenology
“is the study of when certain biological events that
depend on climate take place.”1
leaves changing colors plants sprouting
birds migrating
Photos on this page are courtesy of
Google Images

3. THE CLIMATE EFFECTS
WHEN THINGS HAPPEN!
 Why do birds migrate in the Winter?
 Why do plants sprout in the Spring?
 Why do the leaves change colors in Fall, and why
do they fall off??
All of these questions can be answered by
studying phenology!
Let’s look at the last question: Why do leaves change
colors in the Fall?

4. Phenology of a Tulip Poplar
a 6-week case study of the changes in a deciduous tree in my backyard

5. Week 1
 October 14, 2012
 Mostly green leaves
 No trees adjacent
 Largest tree in my yard
 Tulip Poplar Facts2:
 Scientific name:
Liriodendron tulipifera
 member of the magnolia
family
 Feeds squirrels and deer
 Great for reforestation due
to rapid growth

6. Week 2
October 22, 2012
Most of the leaves are still
green, but some are
beginning to turn yellow.
NOTE:
The days are starting to get
shorter, which means less
sunlight. Less sunlight means
less photosynthesis! Less
photosynthesis means….

7. Less need for
CHLOROPLAST!
 Chloroplast is what makes
plants GREEN and what
allows them to
PHOTOSYNTHESIZE.
 Without sunlight, plants
don’t need it! So, they lose
their green color, which
allows other colors to come
through the surface. They
were always there…hiding
behind the green
chloroplast!3

8. Week 3
October 29, 2012
Leaves are starting to fall at a
faster rate. More and more
leaves are turning yellow.
If this tree were in a backyard
in the northern United States,
it would probably have less
leaves and more colorful
leaves. How do I know this?
Foliage maps predict the
forecast of fall foliage for
travelers, farmers, and even
scientists!

9. 4

10. Week 4
November 10, 2012
Far less leaves than before!
Branches are starting to have
larger gaps of leaves and
more leaves are falling from
the bottom of the tree.
On some of the yellow leaves,
there are brown, splotchy
areas…..WHAT IS THIS!
It could be…….FUNGUS!

11. Leaf Spot Fungus
 According to Gardening
Know How, “Spotted leaves
occur when fungal spores
in the air find a warm, wet,
plant surface to cling to. As
soon as that microscopic
spore gets comfortable in
its new home, sporulation
(the fungal method of
reproduction) occurs and
the tiny brown fungal leaf
spot begins to grow.”5

12. Week 5
November 15, 2012
Wow! What a difference!
The tree is mostly yellow
and orange, a beautiful fall
combination. The leaves
are dry and brittle, and are
beginning to shrivel.
These leaves have changed
a great deal and are totally
different from the bright
green leaves from before.

13. Week 1 vs Week 5
Leaf Contrast
Week 1 Week 5
Leaves
Leaves
• Brittle
• Soft
• Crumbles
• Cat face shape
• Rough
• Moist when torn
• Dry
• Smells like grass
• Curled up

14. Week 6
November 19, 2012
The leaves on this tree will
continue to fall, as the
temperatures get colder and
the days get shorter. The tree
will survive through the
winter by using its stored
energy.
One reason why the tree has
not lost more leaves could be
because of the warmer
temperatures that are not
characteristic of this time of
year.
Global warming effects
everything!!!

15. Where is the energy stored in the
different seasons?
This is how the tree lives through the winter; by using the energy it has
stored in its roots!
Photo courtesy of Google Images

16. Global Warming… :/
This is an interactive map with so much information on multiple global
warming effects. Click HERE to check it out.6

17. Before & After
October 14, 2012 November 19, 2012

18. Conclusion
 Phenology is the study of the response of living
organisms to seasonal & climatic changes to their
environment.
 A tulip poplar tree in my backyard endures DRASTIC
change in the course of only 6 weeks.
 Global warming effects everything, inlcuding phenology.
 Why do leaves change colors in the fall? Drop in amount
of sunlight, drop in temperature, drop in photosynthesis,
DROP IN CHLOROPLAST, which means more colors
can shine through.

19. Citations
1. The World Book Encyclopedia Vol 15 P. S.l.: S.n., 1988. Print.
2. Dickerson, John. "Tulip Poplar." Http://plants.usda.gov. USDA NRCS, 5 Feb. 2002.
Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_litu.pdf>.
3. "Autumn Leaves." BrainPOP. BrainPOP, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/autumnleaves/preview.weml>.
4. "NJDEP New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection." NJDEP New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection. Forest Research Eduation Center, n.d. Web. 18
Nov. 2012. <http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/fall_color.html>.
5. Rhoades, Jackie. "Plants With Spotted Leaves? Fungal Leaf Spot Treatments."
Gardening Know How RSS. Gardening Know How, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/plant-leaf-spots.htm>.
6. "Global Warming Effects Map." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
<http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-impacts-
interactive/>.