Integrating citizen science with experimental data uncovers how switchgrass adapts flowering by region

Integrating citizen science with experimental data uncovers how switchgrass adapts flowering by region

In its native habitat, switchgrass flowered earlier when growing farther north. In experiments with diverse genetic samples, it flowered earlier in the south.

Iowa State University: Integrating ‘citizen science’ with experimental data helps uncover how plants adapt

Iowa State University: Integrating ‘citizen science’ with experimental data helps uncover how plants adapt. “Led in part by Iowa State University agronomy professor Jianming Yu, the research team identified the genetic basis for adaptative responses that help explain the contradictory flowering-time trends. But the framework – wringing useful insight from ‘citizen science,’ in this case an online cache of photos mostly from iNaturalist – is as n…

Integrating ‘Citizen Science’ with Experimental Data Helps Uncover How Plants Adapt

A research team led in part by an Iowa State University agronomy professor combined public data with designed experiments to discover how different variants of switchgrass adapt to their environment, causing the plant to flower earlier in northern latitudes.