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Shahzad K, Zhu M, Cao L, Hao Y, Zhou Y, Liu W, Dai J. Phylogenetic conservation in plant phenological traits varies between temperate and subtropical climates in China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1367152. [PMID: 38660448 PMCID: PMC11039852 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1367152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Phenological traits, such as leaf and flowering dates, are proven to be phylogenetically conserved. The relationship between phylogenetic conservation, plant phenology, and climatic factors remains unknown. Here, we assessed phenological features among flowering plants as evidence for phylogenetic conservatism, the tendency for closely related species to share similar ecological and biological attributes. We use spring phenological traits data from 1968-2018 of 65 trees and 49 shrubs in Xi'an (temperate climate) and Guiyang (subtropical climate) to understand plant phenological traits' relationship with phylogeny. Molecular datasets are employed in evolutionary models to test the phylogenetic conservatism in spring phenological characteristics in response to climate-sensitive phenological features. Significant phylogenetic conservation was found in the Xi'an plant's phenological traits, while there was a non-significant conservation in the Guiyang plant species. Phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models correlate with phenological features significantly in Xi'an while non-significantly in Guiyang. Based on the findings of molecular dating, it was suggested that the Guiyang species split off from their relatives around 46.0 mya during the middle Eocene of the Tertiary Cenozoic Era, while Xi'an species showed a long evolutionary history and diverged from their relatives around 95 mya during the late Cretaceous Mesozoic Era. First leaf dates (FLD) indicative of spring phenology, show that Xi'an adjourned the case later than Guiyang. Unlike FLD, first flower dates (FFD) yield different results as Guiyang flowers appear later than Xi'an's. Our research revealed that various factors, including phylogeny, growth form, and functional features, influenced the diversity of flowering phenology within species in conjunction with local climate circumstances. These results are conducive to understanding evolutionary conservation mechanisms in plant phenology concerning evolutionary processes in different geographical and climate zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khurram Shahzad
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Mengyao Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Lijuan Cao
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Hao
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Junhu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Acadamy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Buonaiuto DM, Davies TJ, Collins SC, Wolkovich EM. Ecological drivers of flower-leaf sequences: aridity and proxies for pollinator attraction select for flowering-first in the American plums. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024. [PMID: 38561636 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Across temperate forests, many tree species produce flowers before their leaves emerge. This flower-leaf phenological sequence, known as hysteranthy, is generally described as an adaptation for wind pollination. However, this explanation does not address why hysteranthy is also common in biotically pollinated taxa. We quantified flower-leaf sequence variation in the American plums (Prunus, subg. Prunus sect. Prunocerasus), a clade of insect-pollinated trees, using herbaria specimens and Bayesian hierarchical modeling. We tested two common, but rarely interrogated hypotheses - that hysteranthy confers aridity tolerance and/or pollinator visibility - by modeling the associations between hysteranthy and related traits. To understand how these phenology-trait associations were sensitive to taxonomic scale and flower-leaf sequence classification, we then extended these analyses to all Prunus species in North America. Our findings across two taxonomic levels support the hypotheses that hysteranthy may help temporally partition hydraulic demand to reduce water stress and increase pollinator visibility - thereby reducing selective pressure on inflorescence size. Our results provide foundational insights into the evolution of flower-leaf sequences in the genus Prunus, with implications for understanding these patterns in biotically pollinated plants in general. Our approach suggests a path to advance these hypotheses to other clades, but teasing out drivers fully will require new experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Buonaiuto
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02131, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - T J Davies
- Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - S C Collins
- Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - E M Wolkovich
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02131, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Guo L, Liu X, Alatalo JM, Wang C, Xu J, Yu H, Chen J, Yu Q, Peng C, Dai J, Luedeling E. Climatic drivers and ecological implications of variation in the time interval between leaf-out and flowering. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3338-3349.e3. [PMID: 37490919 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Leaf-out and flowering in any given species have evolved to occur in a predetermined sequence, with the inter-stage time interval optimized to maximize plant fitness. Although warming-induced advances of both leaf-out and flowering are well documented, it remains unclear whether shifts in these phenological phases differ in magnitudes and whether changes have occurred in the length of the inter-stage intervals. Here, we present an extensive synthesis of warming effects on flower-leaf time intervals, using long-term (1963-2014) and in situ data consisting of 11,858 leaf-out and flowering records for 183 species across China. We found that the timing of both spring phenological events was generally advanced, indicating a dominant impact of forcing conditions compared with chilling. Stable time intervals between leaf-out and flowering prevailed for most of the time series despite increasing temperatures; however, some of the investigated cases featured significant changes in the time intervals. The latter could be explained by differences in the temperature sensitivity (ST) between leaf and flower phenology. Greater ST for flowering than for leaf-out caused flowering times to advance faster than leaf emergence. This shortened the inter-stage intervals in leaf-first species and lengthened them in flower-first species. Variation in the time intervals between leaf-out and flowering events may have far-reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences, with implications for species fitness, intra/inter-species interactions, and ecosystem structure, function, and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Xiaowei Liu
- College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Juha M Alatalo
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
| | - Chuanyao Wang
- College of Forestry (Academy of Forestry), Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Jianchu Xu
- Center for Mountain Ecosystem Studies, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China; World Agroforestry Center, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Haiying Yu
- College of A&F Engineering and Planning, Tongren University, Tongren, Guizhou 554300, China
| | - Ji Chen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Jutland 8830, Denmark
| | - Qiang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Changhui Peng
- School of Geographic Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China; Department of Biology Science, Institute of Environment Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada.
| | - Junhu Dai
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences-Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
| | - Eike Luedeling
- INRES-Horticultural Sciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen 53121, Germany
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Picornell A, Smith M, Rojo J. Climate change related phenological decoupling in species belonging to the Betulaceae family. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2023; 67:195-209. [PMID: 36308550 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-022-02398-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Betulaceae species are anemophilous, and allergens from their pollen are a major cause of respiratory allergies in temperate areas where they are widely distributed. It is expected that, due to the strong influence of temperature on Betulaceae phenology, global warming will impact both the distribution and phenology of these species during the coming decades. This study examines potential decoupling of flowering and leafing phenophases in Betulaceae species (i.e. Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula and Corylus avellana) over long-term (1951-2015) and as shorter (15-year) periods. Phenological phases for flowering and leaf unfolding of Betulaceae species from the Pan-European Phenology (PEP725) database were examined along with maximum and minimum daily temperature data for the periods September-October-November (SON), December-January-February (DJF) and March-April-May (MAM). Significant increases in temperature since 1951 have been recorded in the relevant chilling and forcing periods. Both flowering and leaf unfolding phenophases are advancing, but flowering is advancing faster than leaf unfolding. This is increasing the time between phenophases, although analysis of 15-year periods shows that the pattern of change was not constant. The results presented here represent the most comprehensive analysis of flowering and leaf unfolding phenophases of Betulaceae species using the PEP725 database to date. It is expected that these changes to Betulaceae phenology will continue and that global warming-related phenological decoupling will increase plant stress in Betulaceae populations in central Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Picornell
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos S/N. E-29071, Malaga, Spain.
| | - Matt Smith
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK
| | - Jesús Rojo
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Wang S, Wu Z, Gong Y, Wang S, Zhang W, Zhang S, De Boeck HJ, Fu YH. Climate warming shifts the time interval between flowering and leaf unfolding depending on the warming period. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:2316-2324. [PMID: 35474153 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The timing of flowering (FL) and leaf unfolding (LU) determine plants' reproduction and vegetative growth. Global warming has substantially advanced FL and LU of temperate and boreal plants, but their responses to warming differ, which may influence the time interval between FL and LU (∆LU-FL), thereby impacting plant fitness and intraspecific physiological processes. Based on twigs collected from two flowering-first tree species, Populus tomentosa and Amygdalus triloba, we conducted a manipulative experiment to investigate the effects of winter chilling, spring warming and photoperiod on the ∆LU-FL. We found that photoperiod did not affect the ∆LU-FL of Amygdalus triloba, but shortened ∆LU-FL by 5.1 d of Populus tomentosa. Interestingly, spring warming and winter chilling oppositely affected the ∆LU-FL of both species. Specifically, low chilling accumulation extended the ∆LU-FL by 3.8 and 9.4 d for Populus tomentosa and Amygdalus triloba, but spring warming shortened the ∆LU-FL by 4.1 and 0.2 d °C-1. Our results indicate that climate warming will decrease or increase the ∆LU-FL depending on the warming periods, i.e., spring or winter. The shifted time interval between flowering and leaf unfolding may have ecological effects including affecting pollen transfer efficiency and alter the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxin Wang
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Zhaofei Wu
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yufeng Gong
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100085, China
| | | | | | | | - Hans J De Boeck
- Plants and Ecosystems, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2000, Belgium
| | - Yongshuo H Fu
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100085, China.
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Kunakh OM, Ivanko IA, Holoborodko KK, Lisovets OI, Volkova AM, Zhukov OV. Urban park layers: Spatial variation in plant community structure. BIOSYSTEMS DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.15421/012230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal structure of natural plant communities attracted the attention of researchers for a long time, while the problem of horizontal structure of urban park plantations was not studied sufficiently. Species richness of different tiers of park plantation in the large industrial city of Dnipro (Ukraine) was revealed in this study. Also features of variation in the structure of plant communities at different spatial levels were revealed, the influence of park plantation canopy on the understory and herbaceous layer of the park. There were 30 plant species in the tree layer of the park plantation. The most common species were Robinia pseudoacacia L., Acer platanoides L., A. negundo L., Gleditsia triacanthos L., Aesculus hippocastanum L., Populus carolinensis Moench. The variance-to-mean ratio revealed that 13 tree species were randomly distributed throughout the park, and 14 species were aggregated. The number of occurrences of a given tree species per site and variance-to-mean ratio were positively correlated. The numerous tree species showed a tendency of aggregated distribution within the park. Sixteen plant species were found in the understory. Among them, the most abundant species were Acer platanoides L., A. negundo L., A. pseudoplatanus L., Sambucus nigra L., Robinia pseudoacacia L. Eight species were found to be randomly distributed over the park area, and eight species showed an aggregate distribution. The number of species encountered in the understory and variance-to-mean ratio were positively correlated. In the herbaceous stand, 99 plant species were found, of which Chelidonium majus L., Viola odorata L., Impatiens parviflora DC., Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., Geum urbanum L. predominated. The variance-to-mean ratio of all species was significantly less than unity, indicating regular spatial distribution. The values of alpha- and gamma-diversity of the plant community in separate layers are very different. The highest gamma diversity was found for the herbaceous stand, while the diversity of the tree stand and understory was significantly lower. Alpha biodiversity of the tree stand and the understory did not practically differ. Beta diversity values between the layers are very close, and beta diversity is practically equal for tree stand and herbaceous layer. Thus, we can assume that the mechanisms of species turnover for the plant communities of different layers are determined by the common causes. The spatial broad-scale component was able to explain 8.2% of community variation, the medium-scale component was able to explain 4.2% of community variation, and the fine-scale component was able to explain 0.7% of community variation. The understory is the most sensitive to the environmental factors, the herbaceous stand is somewhat less sensitive, and the tree stand is the least sensitive to the environmental factors. The environmental factors in this study are represented by a set of variables. The spatial variation of the stand is predominantly influenced by the factors of trophicity and moisture of the edaphotope. These same factors also act on the herbaceous stand and understory, but along with them are included the environmental variables, which are determined by the architectonics of the crown space and thus the light regime, which is regulated by the tree stand. It is important to note that the variation of the communities of the different layers of the park plantation is subject to spatial patterns. The herbaceous and understory variation is more spatially structured than the tree stand variation. The spatial patterns can arise as a result of the influence of spatially structured environmental factors and as a result of factors of a neutral nature. The latter aspect of variation is best described by the pure spatial component of community variation.
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Warren RJ, Vermette S. Laurentian Great Lakes warming threatens northern fruit belt refugia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2022; 66:669-677. [PMID: 34981199 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-021-02226-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate refugia are anomalous "pockets" of spatially or temporally disjunct environmental conditions that buffer distinct flora and fauna against prevailing climatic conditions. Physiographic landscape features, such as large water bodies, can create these micro-to-macro-scale terrestrial habitats, such as the prevailing westerly winds across the Laurentian Great Lakes that create relatively cooler leeward conditions in spring and relatively warmer leeward conditions in autumn. The leeward Great Lakes climate effects create refugia (popularly known as a "fruit belt") favorable for fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. These fruit belt refugia owe their existence to seasonal inversions whereby spring cooling prevents early flower budding that leaves fruit trees susceptible to late spring killing frosts, and autumn warming prevents early killing frosts. With global climate change, however, warmer summers and milder winters, and corresponding warmer waters, might erode the leeward delaying effect on spring flowering, creating a paradoxical situation in which warming increases the risk of frost damage to plants. We evaluated the success of regional agriculture in the Great Lakes fruit belt to test our hypothesis that warmer spring climate (and concomitant warmer lake waters) correspond with degraded fruit production. We also examined long-term trends in Great Lakes climate conditions. We found that the cold-sensitive fruit tree (apple, grape, peach, and cherry) refugia were destabilized by relatively warmer springs. Moreover, we found several indicators that lake waters are warming across the Great Lakes, which portends negative consequences for agricultural and natural plant communities in the Great Lakes region and in similar "fruit belt" refugia worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert James Warren
- Department of Biology, SUNY Buffalo State, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY, 14222, USA.
| | - Stephen Vermette
- Department of Geography and Planning, SUNY Buffalo State, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY, 14222, USA
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McMann N, Peichel A, Savage JA. Early spring flowers rely on xylem hydration but are not limited by stem xylem conductivity. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:838-850. [PMID: 34618926 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many woody plants produce large floral displays early in the spring when xylem transport can be variable and often reduced. To determine whether stem hydraulics impact floral water use, we quantified floral transpiration and tested whether it was correlated with stem xylem conductivity in five temperate woody species that flower before producing leaves. We measured inflorescence gas exchange, examined the relationship between diffusive conductance and inflorescence morphology, and estimated the amount of water supplied to an inflorescence by the phloem. We also tested for correlation between transpiration and native stem xylem conductivity for branches with leaves and branches with flowers. The flowers of our study species obtain most of their water from the xylem. Diffusive conductance was higher in small inflorescences, but water content and daily transpiration rates were greater for larger inflorescences. We found no correlation between floral transpiration per branch and stem xylem conductivity within species. The data suggest that inflorescence water loss during anthesis is not limited by the xylem in our study species. We highlight the impact of floral morphology on hydraulic traits and encourage exploration into temporal shifts in floral hydration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie McMann
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, 207 Swenson Science Building, 1035 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA
| | - Alexander Peichel
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, 207 Swenson Science Building, 1035 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA
| | - Jessica A Savage
- Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, 207 Swenson Science Building, 1035 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA
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Sandor ME, Aslan CE, Pejchar L, Bronstein JL. A Mechanistic Framework for Understanding the Effects of Climate Change on the Link Between Flowering and Fruiting Phenology. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.752110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenological shifts are a widely studied consequence of climate change. Little is known, however, about certain critical phenological events, nor about mechanistic links between shifts in different life-history stages of the same organism. Among angiosperms, flowering times have been observed to advance with climate change, but, whether fruiting times shift as a direct consequence of shifting flowering times, or respond differently or not at all to climate change, is poorly understood. Yet, shifts in fruiting could alter species interactions, including by disrupting seed dispersal mutualisms. In the absence of long-term data on fruiting phenology, but given extensive data on flowering, we argue that an understanding of whether flowering and fruiting are tightly linked or respond independently to environmental change can significantly advance our understanding of how fruiting phenologies will respond to warming climates. Through a case study of biotically and abiotically dispersed plants, we present evidence for a potential functional link between the timing of flowering and fruiting. We then propose general mechanisms for how flowering and fruiting life history stages could be functionally linked or independently driven by external factors, and we use our case study species and phenological responses to distinguish among proposed mechanisms in a real-world framework. Finally, we identify research directions that could elucidate which of these mechanisms drive the timing between subsequent life stages. Understanding how fruiting phenology is altered by climate change is essential for all plant species but is particularly critical to sustaining the large numbers of plant species that rely on animal-mediated dispersal, as well as the animals that rely on fruit for sustenance.
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Pathogen infection influences the relationship between spring and autumn phenology at the seedling and leaf level. Oecologia 2021; 197:447-457. [PMID: 34553245 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05044-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal life history events are often interdependent, but we know relatively little about how the relationship between different events is influenced by the abiotic and biotic environment. Such knowledge is important for predicting the immediate and evolutionary phenological response of populations to changing conditions. We manipulated germination timing and shade in a multi-factorial experiment to investigate the relationship between spring and autumn phenology in seedlings of the pedunculate oak, Quercus robur, and whether this relationship was mediated by natural colonization of leaves by specialist fungal pathogens (i.e., the oak powdery mildew complex). Each week delay in germination corresponded to about 2 days delay in autumn leaf senescence, and heavily shaded seedlings senesced 5-8 days later than seedlings in light shade or full sun. Within seedlings, leaves on primary-growth shoots senesced later than those on secondary-growth shoots in some treatments. Path analyses demonstrated that germination timing and shade affected autumn phenology both directly and indirectly via pathogen load, though the specific pattern differed among and within seedlings. Pathogen load increased with later germination and greater shade. Greater pathogen load was in turn associated with later senescence for seedlings, but with earlier senescence for individual leaves. Our findings show that relationships between seasonal events can be partly mediated by the biotic environment and suggest that these relationships may differ between the plant and leaf level. The influence of biotic interactions on phenological correlations across scales has implications for understanding phenotypic variation in phenology and for predicting how populations will respond to climatic perturbation.
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Primack RB, Ellwood ER, Gallinat AS, Miller-Rushing AJ. The growing and vital role of botanical gardens in climate change research. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 231:917-932. [PMID: 33890323 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Botanical gardens make unique contributions to climate change research, conservation, and public engagement. They host unique resources, including diverse collections of plant species growing in natural conditions, historical records, and expert staff, and attract large numbers of visitors and volunteers. Networks of botanical gardens spanning biomes and continents can expand the value of these resources. Over the past decade, research at botanical gardens has advanced our understanding of climate change impacts on plant phenology, physiology, anatomy, and conservation. For example, researchers have utilized botanical garden networks to assess anatomical and functional traits associated with phenological responses to climate change. New methods have enhanced the pace and impact of this research, including phylogenetic and comparative methods, and online databases of herbarium specimens and photographs that allow studies to expand geographically, temporally, and taxonomically in scope. Botanical gardens have grown their community and citizen science programs, informing the public about climate change and monitoring plants more intensively than is possible with garden staff alone. Despite these advances, botanical gardens are still underutilized in climate change research. To address this, we review recent progress and describe promising future directions for research and public engagement at botanical gardens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizabeth R Ellwood
- iDigBio, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 33430, USA
- La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90036, USA
| | - Amanda S Gallinat
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA
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Collins CG, Elmendorf SC, Hollister RD, Henry GHR, Clark K, Bjorkman AD, Myers-Smith IH, Prevéy JS, Ashton IW, Assmann JJ, Alatalo JM, Carbognani M, Chisholm C, Cooper EJ, Forrester C, Jónsdóttir IS, Klanderud K, Kopp CW, Livensperger C, Mauritz M, May JL, Molau U, Oberbauer SF, Ogburn E, Panchen ZA, Petraglia A, Post E, Rixen C, Rodenhizer H, Schuur EAG, Semenchuk P, Smith JG, Steltzer H, Totland Ø, Walker MD, Welker JM, Suding KN. Experimental warming differentially affects vegetative and reproductive phenology of tundra plants. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3442. [PMID: 34117253 PMCID: PMC8196023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23841-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid climate warming is altering Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystem structure and function, including shifts in plant phenology. While the advancement of green up and flowering are well-documented, it remains unclear whether all phenophases, particularly those later in the season, will shift in unison or respond divergently to warming. Here, we present the largest synthesis to our knowledge of experimental warming effects on tundra plant phenology from the International Tundra Experiment. We examine the effect of warming on a suite of season-wide plant phenophases. Results challenge the expectation that all phenophases will advance in unison to warming. Instead, we find that experimental warming caused: (1) larger phenological shifts in reproductive versus vegetative phenophases and (2) advanced reproductive phenophases and green up but delayed leaf senescence which translated to a lengthening of the growing season by approximately 3%. Patterns were consistent across sites, plant species and over time. The advancement of reproductive seasons and lengthening of growing seasons may have significant consequences for trophic interactions and ecosystem function across the tundra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney G Collins
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Sarah C Elmendorf
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Robert D Hollister
- Department of Biology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, USA
| | - Greg H R Henry
- Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Karin Clark
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Anne D Bjorkman
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Isabel W Ashton
- National Park Service, Inventory & Monitoring Division, Rapid City, SD, USA
| | | | - Juha M Alatalo
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Michele Carbognani
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Chelsea Chisholm
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Elisabeth J Cooper
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, The Arctic University of Norway UiT, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Chiara Forrester
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir
- Department of Life- and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
- The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
| | - Kari Klanderud
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Christopher W Kopp
- Biodiversity Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Marguerite Mauritz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Jeremy L May
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Steven F Oberbauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Emily Ogburn
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Zoe A Panchen
- Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alessandro Petraglia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Eric Post
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Christian Rixen
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Davos, Switzerland
| | - Heidi Rodenhizer
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Edward A G Schuur
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Philipp Semenchuk
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, The University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jane G Smith
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Heidi Steltzer
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO, USA
| | - Ørjan Totland
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Jeffrey M Welker
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, The University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Katharine N Suding
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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13
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Buonaiuto DM, Morales-Castilla I, Wolkovich EM. Reconciling competing hypotheses regarding flower-leaf sequences in temperate forests for fundamental and global change biology. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:1206-1214. [PMID: 32750742 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Phenology is a major component of an organism's fitness. While individual phenological events affect fitness, there is growing evidence to suggest that the relationship between events could be equally or more important. This could explain why temperate deciduous woody plants exhibit considerable variation in the order of reproductive and vegetative events, or flower-leaf sequences (FLSs). There is evidence to suggest that FLSs may be adaptive, with several competing hypotheses to explain their function. Here, we advance existing hypotheses with a new framework that accounts for quantitative FLS variation at multiple taxonomic scales using case studies from temperate forests. Our inquiry provides several major insights towards a better understanding of FLS variation. First, we show that support for FLS hypotheses is sensitive to how FLSs are defined, with quantitative definitions being the most useful for robust hypothesis testing. Second, we demonstrate that concurrent support for multiple hypotheses should be the starting point for future FLS analyses. Finally, we highlight how adopting a quantitative, intraspecific approach generates new avenues for evaluating fitness consequences of FLS variation and provides cascading benefits to improving predictions of how climate change will alter FLSs and thereby reshape plant communities and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Buonaiuto
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02131, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Ignacio Morales-Castilla
- Global Change Ecology and Evolution (GloCEE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Alcalà, Alcalà de Henares, 28805, Spain
| | - E M Wolkovich
- Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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