Scogin: Flowering Phenology in Selected Plant Communities of Grand Teton
FLOWERING PHENOLOGY IN SELECTED PLANT COMMUNITIES OF GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
RON SCOGIN + UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE LAVERNE+CA
+ INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS
In the course of data collection for studies The flowering status of species within each examining plant-animal species interactions within examined community was determined by direct ecological communities, many various and diverse observation while hiking a fixed path through each types of field data are collected. However, one such community at approximately 5-day intervals. The class of field data which are seldom systematically flowering status of each species was scored as: 1) collected and reported is that of the natural first flowers noted, 2) early flowering, 3) peak flowering phenology of a particular plant flowering, 4) late flowering, and 5) last flowers community. These flowering phenology data noted. The following communities were examined: describe the time sequence of flowering (initiation, duration, termination) for all of the plant species (1) A riparian canyonside: Paintbrush occurring in that community. The dearth of such canyon from Leigh Lake (6880') to the switchbacks data is suprising in light of its importance for the at 8560'. This area represented both Conifer Forest testing of models describing the factors influencing and Subalpine Meadow, timing of plant reproduction events within communities and for investigating the possible (2) Conifer Forest/Sagebrush Scrub evolutionary selection pressures which may have ecotone: the area surrounding the University of acted to modify plant phenologies. Limited sets of Wyoming/National Park Service Research Center flowering phenology data have been presented for (AMK Ranch), only a few scattered commnities, including tall-grass prairie (Anderson and Schelfhout, 1980); dry, (3) Sagebrush Scrub: Sagebrush flats along tropical forest (Frankie, Baker, and Opler, 1974); the road south of Signal Mountain (connecting with spring woodlands (Schemske et al., 1978); Canadian RKO Road). marshes/bogs (Pojar, 1974); and subalpine meadow (Holway and Ward, 1965). These reports have consisted of limited data sets collected for narrowly + RESULTS explicit studies. The present report summarizes the results of a flowering phenology survey of selected The results of the community flowering phenology communities within the Grand Teton National Park surveys are summarized in Tables 1-3. For each ecosystem for the first half of the flowering season date indicated, the flowering status of tabulated (June -July) of 1996. species is recorded as: 1-first flowers observed 2-early flowering
Published by Wyoming Scholars Repository, 1996 1 University of Wyoming National Park Service Research Center Annual Report, Vol. 20 [1996], Art. 16 92
3-peak flowering + LITERATURE CITED 4-late flowering 5-last flowers observed Anderson, R. C. and S. Schelfhout. 1980. Phenological patterns among tall grass prairie plants and their implications for + DISCUSSION pollinator competition. Amer. Midi. Nat. 104: 253-263. Before the data presented in this report can be critically and usefully analyzed, the Craighead, Frank, Jr. 1994. For Everything There corresponding community flowering phenology data Is a Season. Falcon Press, Helena, MT. for the remainder (second halt) of the flowering 206 pp. season (July-September) must be collected. Frankie, G. W. , H. G. Baker, and P. A. Opler. When compared with anecdotal flowering 1974. Comparative phenological studies of phenology reports for Grand Teton National Park trees in tropical wet and dry forest in the (Craighead, 1994), the present data suggest that the lowlands of Costa Rica. Jour. Ecol. 62: initiation of the1996 flowering season was delayed 881-919. by approximately 5 weeks. This was most likely due to an uncommonly high snowfall and late winter Holway, J. G. and R. T. Ward. 1965. Phenology of storms during the 1995-1996 season. However, by alpine plant in northern Colorado. Ecology mid-June, the flowering phenology was consistent 46: 73-83. with reported dates (Craighead, 1994). This observation suggests that an extended winter has the Pojar, J. 1974. Reproductive dynamics of four plant effect of "telescoping" the early flowering season communities of southwestern British timing into a shorted interval, rather than shifting Columbia. Can. Jour. Bot. 52: 1819-1834. the entire season to later flowering dates. By mid season (mid-June), physiological mechanisms have Schemske, D. W., M. F. Willson, M. N. "reset" flowering phenology back to a standard, Melampy, L. J. Miller, L. Verner, K. M. "normal" schedule. Schemske, and L. B. Best. 1978. Flowering ecology of some spring woodland herbs. Ecology 59: 351-366.
2 Scogin: Flowering Phenology in Selected Plant Communities of Grand Teton 93
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