The Tipping Point

Moss campion is a hearty tundra plant that lives over a wide range of latitudes from New Mexico all the way up to Alaska. For more than twenty years, ecologists have been tracking the vital rates (survival, growth, and reproduction) of moss campion from four study sites. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze a long-term dataset (moss campion reproduction rates and July temperatures) to investigate the question, "How is moss campion reproduction affected by temperature?" Questions like this one can give scientists insight into how these plants might be impacted by climate change. Image credit: Tracy Feldman.