Investigating a Change of Climate: Leaves of Change

Christine Lamanna '04 studies how climate change affects the ecosystem one leaf at a time. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maine, she spends her summers hiking and camping in the forests of Acadia National Park in Maine, measuring and collecting hundreds of leaves in the name of science.

Acadia was designated a national park almost 100 years ago and has been a destination for nature lovers since the 1800s. During the last century, however, 20 percent of its plant species have disappeared from the park, Lamanna says.

Climate change is a likely culprit, she says, as it's causing the seasons to shift. For example, the snow melts earlier and earlier, prompting plants to bloom sooner. But pollinators such as bees aren't following suit, resulting in a mismatch that may be eliminating many plant species.

Acadia has also seen an increase in invasive species, which may be pushing out native plants. Another possible cause of species loss was the Fire of 1947, which burned 17,188 acres—10,000 of which were in the park.

To find out what's really triggering the species loss, Lamanna and colleagues at the University of Maine, Boston College, and Acadia National Park are measuring the traits of plants—such as the size of leaves, shapes of flowers, and how well the plants convert sunlight to food via photosynthesis. By comparing these characteristics among the species that have disappeared, those that have remained, and those that have invaded, the scientists hope to find patterns that hint at possible mechanisms for species loss.

“The hope is that if we can identify these mechanisms, then we can more readily identify species in other places that may be really sensitive to climate change,” says Lamanna, who received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona, where her dissertation research looked at the effects of climate change on plant communities in the Colorado Rockies.

At Haverford, Lamanna was a part of the College's Committee for Environmental Responsibility, and spent her undergraduate career helping to write the College's environmental policy. Haverford and its Quaker ethos, she says, had a profound influence on her passion for the environment.“Trust, concern for your fellow people and the environment—it's really resonated with me, and it's something I've been trying to do in my work now.” —Marcus Y. Woo

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of Haverford magazine.