Welcome to the Vast Exploration and Research in Dry Forest Ecosystems (VERDE) repository, an integral part of the Environmental Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab (ESIIL). This repository is the central hub for our working group, encompassing our project overview, proposals, team member information, codebase, and more.
We aim to harness environmental data science to understand the evolutionary past, contemporary biogeography, and probable futures of a globally distributed and threatened biome — tropical dry forests. Specifically, we will examine the distribution of deciduousness across evolutionary time, across geographical gradients, and forecast the success of the deciduous trait under future climates by bringing together datasets spanning phylogenetic trees, functional traits, field-based phenology data, remote sensing imagery, and ecosystem modeling. Importantly, our working group will broaden the century-old and geographically biased ‘temperate phenology paradigm’ by identifying past, present, and future determinants of tropical phenological variation.
- Authorship spreadsheet template
- ESIIL Credit and Authorship Guidelines
- ESIIL Code of Conduct
- Hampton and Parker 2011 paper
Link to the detailed project proposal document.
| Name | Expertise | Affiliation (as you want it to appear on publications) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Hulshof | cmhulshof@vcu.edu | Community Ecology | School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA |
| German Vargas Gutiérrez | vargasgg@oregonstate.edu | Plant Ecophysiology | |
| Jennifer Powers | powers@umn.edu | Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Ecology | |
| Roy González Martínez | roygonzalezm@ut.edu.co | Forest Ecology | |
| Anna Trugmann | att@ucsb.edu | Global Change Ecology | |
| Loren Albert | loren.albert@oregonstate.edu | Plant Ecophysiology | |
| Horacio Paz | hpaz@cieco.unam.mx | Plant Ecophysiology | |
| Jin Wu | jinwu@hku.hk, geo.woo.jin@gmail.com | Ecosystem Ecology, Remote Sensing | |
| Toby Pennington | T.Pennington@exeter.ac.uk | Tropical Plant Diversity | |
| Will Weider | wwieder@ucar.edu | Terrestrial Science, Climate Modeling | |
| Xavier Haro-Carrion | xharocar@macalester.edu | Land System Science | |
| Adrián Bojorquez | jabojorquezv@gmail.com | Landscape Ecology | |
| Natalia Umaña | maumana@umich.edu | Forest community ecology | |
| Desirée M. Ramos | desibio@gmail.com | Plant ecology |
- Analysis Code: Scripts for data analysis, statistical modeling, etc.
- Data Processing: Scripts for cleaning, merging, and managing datasets.
- Visualization: Code for creating figures, charts, and interactive visualizations.
- Regular updates to keep all group members informed and engaged with the project's progress and direction.
- First virtual meet-and-greet August 25, 2025 Meeting Notes
- October 2025 Meetup
- December 2025 Meetup
- January 2026
- March 2026
| Deliverable | Lead | Target date | Kilometer marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funding: Simons Collaboration | Hulshof | Oct 2025 | Submitted - not funded |
| Funding: NSF | Hulshof | Oct 2026 | Submitted |
| Manuscript: Conceptual Framework | Submission August 2026 | ||
| Manuscript: Leaf habit database | Version 1.0 August 2026 | ||
| Manuscript: Mechanisms of phenology | End of 2026 |
- Contributions from all group members are welcome.
- Please adhere to these guidelines:
- Ensure commits have clear and concise messages.
- Document major changes in the meeting notes.
- Review and merge changes through pull requests for oversight.
- If you encounter any issues or have questions, please refer to the ESIIL Support Page or contact the repository maintainers directly.
The Travel and Participant Support Guide
Travel Expense Form
- Edit This Readme: Update with information specific to your project.
- Update Group Member Bios: Add detailed information about each group member's expertise and role.
- Organize Your Code: Use logical structure and clear naming conventions.
- Document Your Data: Include a data directory with README files for datasets.
- Outline Your Methods: Create a METHODS.md file for methodologies and tools.
- Set Up Project Management: Use 'Issues' and 'Projects' for task tracking.
- Add a License: Include an appropriate open-source license.
- Create Contribution Guidelines: Establish a CONTRIBUTING.md file.
- Review and Merge Workflow: Document your process for reviewing and merging changes.
- Establish Communication Channels: Set up channels like Slack or Discord for discussions.
Remember, the goal is to make your repository clear, accessible, and useful for all current and future members of your working group. Happy researching!