Welcome to the lab of richard b. primack at Boston university

Our lab conducts research in conservation biology, with a focus on how climate change affects the timing of seasonal biological events. Our lab's projects include:

• Using Henry David Thoreau's field notes and current observations of leaf-out and flowering in Concord, MA to measure the effects of warming temperatures on plants at iconic Walden Pond

• Conducting experiments on dormant twigs, and making field observations to understand the environmental drivers of spring leaf-out in temperate New England

• Collaborating with an international network of botanic gardens including the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, MA to monitor the timing of leaf-out, leaf senescence, and fruiting

• Using bird banding records to investigate changing migration times at Manomet banding station in Plymouth, MA

• Investigating the effects of climate change on butterfly flight times using observations from the Massachusetts Butterfly Club

• Examining patterns of species loss in Concord, MA and at Acadia National Park, ME

• Analyzing migratory bird fecal samples to link bird species to the fruits they consume in autumn

• Using citizen science records to investigate the effects of climate change and urbanization on songbirds

• Investigating patterns of noise pollution in the Boston area

• Exploring behaviors and biases in the scientific publication process