Impact of Climate Change on Flowering and Fruiting Times of Nunavut Arctic Plants

Phenology is the timing of nature's seasonal events such as the arrival of migratory birds, the emergence of insects, and my particular research interest, the timing of flowering and fruiting (Rathcke and Lacey, 1985). Because these phenological events are seasonal, they are often influenced by temperature. This is certainly the case for many plant species in which the initiation of flowering occurs when cumulative daily temperatures reach a species-specific number of degree days above a threshold (Bernier and Perilleux, 2005; Kimball et al., 2014). Hence, with warmer temperatures, many plant species, including Arctic species, advance their flowering time and flower earlier. Long-term phenology monitoring and herbarium specimens (pressed plants) are two sources of historical flowering and fruiting phenology data that record the timing of flowering or fruiting at a specific location in a specific year and can be used to assess changes in flowering and fruiting times over the years.