Higher temperature sensitivity of flowering than leaf-out alters the time between phenophases across temperate tree species

Aim

The aims of this study were to evaluate the changes in the length of the time period between leaf-out and flowering across temperate tree species, and associate these changes with potential physiological and environmental drivers to enhance mechanistic insight into these phenomena.

Location

Central Europe.

Time period

1980–2016.

Major taxa studied

Six temperate woody species.

Methods

Statistical analyses were carried out based on long-term ground observations of both spring leaf-out and flowering across temperate tree species during 1980–2016, a period characterized by rapid warming.

Results

The temperature sensitivity of flowering (−5.4 ± 0.04 days/℃, mean ± SE) was higher than that of leaf-out (−4.6 ± 0.04 days/℃) across all species, regardless of whether leaf-out occurred before or after flowering. This study postulates a hypothesis attributing the different temperature sensitivities to different thermal sensitivities, thermal requirements, and photoperiodic controls.

Main conclusions

The larger temperature sensitivity of flowering than leaf-out resulted in an extended time period between flowering and leaf-out in species that bloom before leafing out, but a shorter time period between these phenophases in species with the opposite strategy. We would like to emphasize the importance of changes in time period between different phenophases, and we recommend conducting experimental research to reveal the underlying mechanisms of plant phenology response to climate change, and to explore its potential ecological implications.