Tracking the movement of plants

Today, he is working below the Jatzhorn near Davos. There, at between 2,400 and 2,500 metres above sea level, lies one of the project’s 1,104 ‘flash squares’. This is what he calls the 100x100-metre survey plots which project staff check between one and three times to see which plant species are growing there. Rixen points to some green leaves on the ground and explains the procedure: “You go to a square and write down everything you find. To give you an example, here’s a spotted gentian.” ‘Write down’ isn’t quite the right way to describe it, though. In fact, Rixen and project coordinator Ingrid Jansen, who is accompanying him today, log the plants they find in a smartphone app. Biodiversity can vary considerably from one flash square to another, depending on the location and the number of different habitats. Here, on the mountain, grassy areas alternate with rock. In other parts of Graubünden, there may be scree, or a stream may wind its way through the landscape.

At 2,520 metres above sea level, Rixen stops. A small spruce has taken root this high up – only 10 to 20 centimetres tall, but still... “For spruce trees, elevations above 2,500 metres are unusual,” says Rixen. He had already been surprised to find three larches at 2,450 metres. The increasingly warm summers caused by climate change have seen the treeline rise by around 400 metres in elevation over the past 50 years, explains the scientist: “But the trees are lagging behind, which is why it’s interesting when we find individual specimens further up.”

Not everyone taking part in Flora Raetica has such in-depth knowledge. It is a typical citizen science project, where volunteer members of the public actively support researchers in their work. This means that anyone can take part, although some basic botanical knowledge is helpful. Citizen scientists don’t need to know every plant, however. The FloraApp from InfoFlora provides support and assistance with correctly identifying the plants. “Many people come along for a trial outing with us first, to see if they enjoy it,” says Rixen. Those who stay on become part of something bigger as Flora Raetica is part of InfoFlora, a project that looks at plant species across Switzerland.

Nor does everyone have to diligently survey the flash squares in their area. Besides the surveys of flash squares, there are other, less time-consuming tasks, which also make a vital contribution. All citizen scientists can choose for themselves how much effort they want to put into the project. “There are also individual missions, such as finding a rare species of strawberry on the Hohe Promenade in Davos,” says Rixen. Another task is searching for Red List species threatened with extinction.

By around 2.45 p.m., Rixen and Jansen have finished surveying their square. The botanist taps away on his smartphone: “We’re submitting our mission report now, and it’ll already be in the system tomorrow.” Last plant recorded: 2.42 p.m., Soldanella pusilla, the dwarf snowbell.