TER2: Multiscale Multimodal Embedded Sensing of Plant Phenology and Physiology

The goal of this integrated and cross-campus project is to sense the environment from the leaf to the landscape level. Aspects of the project include, but are not limited to: (1) NIMS and fixed-camera technologies that allow the real-time and automated observation of plant phenological events: leaf flushes, flowering, herbivore attack, and pollination and flower-visitation events. (2) Embedded micro-sensors that include light sensors sensitive to photosynthetic photon flux (PPF; 400-700 nm wavelength) installed on leaf surfaces indicate leaf- and plant-level responses to changes in light conditions, sap flow sensors that measure the velocity at which the transpiration stream flows by the dissipation of heat within a branch, and micrometeorological sensors that monitor conditions that change the driving force for transpiration and affect water balance on a plant- and landscape-level. (3) Minirhizotron tubes enable the direct measurement of root growth and allow for the estimations of microbial activity in the soil.