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Lorer E, Verheyen K, Blondeel H, De Pauw K, Sanczuk P, De Frenne P, Landuyt D. Forest understorey flowering phenology responses to experimental warming and illumination. New Phytol 2024; 241:1476-1491. [PMID: 38031641 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Species are altering their phenology to track warming temperatures. In forests, understorey plants experience tree canopy shading resulting in light and temperature conditions, which strongly deviate from open habitats. Yet, little is known about understorey phenology responses to forest microclimates. We recorded flowering onset, peak, end and duration of 10 temperate forest understorey plant species in two mesocosm experiments to understand how phenology is affected by sub-canopy warming and how this response is modulated by illumination, which is related to canopy change. Furthermore, we investigated whether phenological sensitivities can be explained by species' characteristics, such as thermal niche. We found a mean advance of flowering onset of 7.1 d per 1°C warming, more than previously reported in studies not accounting for microclimatic buffering. Warm-adapted species exhibited greater advances. Temperature sensitivity did not differ between early- and later-flowering species. Experimental illumination did not significantly affect species' phenological temperature sensitivities, but slightly delayed flowering phenology independent from warming. Our study suggests that integrating sub-canopy temperature and light availability will help us better understand future understorey phenology responses. Climate warming together with intensifying canopy disturbances will continue to drive phenological shifts and potentially disrupt understorey communities, thereby affecting forest biodiversity and functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Lorer
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Haben Blondeel
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Karen De Pauw
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Pieter Sanczuk
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Dries Landuyt
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE-9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
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Fogelström E, Zacchello G, Guasconi D, Dahlgren JP, Ehrlén J. Spring and autumn phenology in an understory herb are uncorrelated and driven by different factors. Am J Bot 2022; 109:226-236. [PMID: 34655472 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Climate warming has altered the start and end of growing seasons in temperate regions. Ultimately, these changes occur at the individual level, but little is known about how previous seasonal life-history events, temperature, and plant-resource state simultaneously influence the spring and autumn phenology of plant individuals. METHODS We studied the relationships between the timing of leaf-out and shoot senescence over 3 years in a natural population of the long-lived understory herb Lathyrus vernus and investigated the effects of spring temperature, plant size, reproductive status, and grazing on spring and autumn phenology. RESULTS The timing of leaf-out and senescence were consistent within individuals among years. Leaf-out and senescence were not correlated with each other within years. Larger plants leafed out and senesced later, and size had no effect on growing season length. Reproductive plants leafed out earlier and had longer growing seasons than nonreproductive plants. Grazing had no detectable effects on phenology. Colder spring temperatures delayed senescence in two of three study years. CONCLUSIONS The timing of seasonal events, such as leaf-out and senescence in plants can be expressed largely independently within and among seasons and are influenced by different factors. Growing season start and length can often be dependent on plant condition and reproductive status. Knowledge about the drivers of growing season length of individuals is essential to more accurately predict species and community responses to environmental variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Fogelström
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
| | - Giulia Zacchello
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 752 36, Sweden
| | - Daniela Guasconi
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
| | - Johan P Dahlgren
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DK-5230, Denmark
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DK-5230, Denmark
| | - Johan Ehrlén
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
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Wolkovich EM, Donahue MJ. How phenological tracking shapes species and communities in non-stationary environments. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2810-2827. [PMID: 34288337 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Climate change alters the environments of all species. Predicting species responses requires understanding how species track environmental change, and how such tracking shapes communities. Growing empirical evidence suggests that how species track phenologically - how an organism shifts the timing of major biological events in response to the environment - is linked to species performance and community structure. Such research tantalizingly suggests a potential framework to predict the winners and losers of climate change, and the future communities we can expect. But developing this framework requires far greater efforts to ground empirical studies of phenological tracking in relevant ecological theory. Here we review the concept of phenological tracking in empirical studies and through the lens of coexistence theory to show why a community-level perspective is critical to accurate predictions with climate change. While much current theory for tracking ignores the importance of a multi-species context, basic community assembly theory predicts that competition will drive variation in tracking and trade-offs with other traits. We highlight how existing community assembly theory can help understand tracking in stationary and non-stationary systems. But major advances in predicting the species- and community-level consequences of climate change will require advances in theoretical and empirical studies. We outline a path forward built on greater efforts to integrate priority effects into modern coexistence theory, improved empirical estimates of multivariate environmental change, and clearly defined estimates of phenological tracking and its underlying environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Wolkovich
- Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Megan J Donahue
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kān'eohe, HI, 96744, U.S.A
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Iwabe R, Koyama K, Komamura R. Shade Avoidance and Light Foraging of a Clonal Woody Species, Pachysandra terminalis. Plants (Basel) 2021; 10:plants10040809. [PMID: 33924069 PMCID: PMC8074284 DOI: 10.3390/plants10040809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: A central subject in clonal plant ecology is to elucidate the mechanism by which clones forage resources in heterogeneous environments. Compared with studies conducted in laboratories or experimental gardens, studies on light foraging of forest woody clonal plants in their natural habitats are limited. (2) Methods: We investigated wild populations of an evergreen clonal understory shrub, Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis Siebold & Zucc.), in two cool-temperate forests in Japan. (3) Results: Similar to the results of herbaceous clonal species, this species formed a dense stand in a relatively well-lit place, and a sparse stand in a shaded place. Higher specific rhizome length (i.e., length per unit mass) in shade resulted in lower ramet population density in shade. The individual leaf area, whole-ramet leaf area, or ramet height did not increase with increased light availability. The number of flower buds per flowering ramet increased as the canopy openness or population density increased. (4) Conclusions: Our results provide the first empirical evidence of shade avoidance and light foraging with morphological plasticity for a clonal woody species.
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Rice KE, Montgomery RA, Stefanski A, Rich RL, Reich PB. Experimental warming advances phenology of groundlayer plants at the boreal-temperate forest ecotone. Am J Bot 2018; 105:851-861. [PMID: 29874393 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Changes to plant phenology have been linked to warmer temperatures caused by climate change. Despite the importance of the groundlayer to community and forest dynamics, few warming experiments have focused on herbaceous plant and shrub phenology. METHODS Using a field study in Minnesota, United States, we investigated phenological responses of 16 species to warming over five growing seasons (2009-2013) at two sites, under two canopy covers, and in three levels of simultaneous above- and belowground warming: ambient temperature, ambient +1.7°C and ambient +3.4°C. We tested whether warming led to earlier phenology throughout the growing season and whether responses varied among species and years and depended on canopy cover. KEY RESULTS Warming extended the growing season between 11-30 days, primarily through earlier leaf unfolding. Leaf senescence was delayed for about half of the species. Warming advanced flowering across species, especially those flowering in August, with modest impacts on fruit maturation for two species. Importantly, warming caused more than half of the species to either converge or diverge phenologically in relation to each other, suggesting that future warmed climate conditions will alter phenological relationships of the groundlayer. Warm springs elicited a stronger advance of leaf unfolding compared to cool spring years. Several species advanced leaf unfolding (in response to warming) more in the closed canopy compared to the open. CONCLUSIONS Climate warming will extend the growing season of groundlayer species in the boreal-temperate forest ecotone and alter the synchrony of their phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Rice
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 North Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Rebecca A Montgomery
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 North Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Artur Stefanski
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 North Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Roy L Rich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 North Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 North Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
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Noh NJ, Kuribayashi M, Saitoh TM, Nakaji T, Nakamura M, Hiura T, Muraoka H. Responses of Soil, Heterotrophic, and Autotrophic Respiration to Experimental Open-Field Soil Warming in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest. Ecosystems 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-015-9948-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Jacques MH, Lapointe L, Rice K, Montgomery RA, Stefanski A, Reich PB. Responses of two understory herbs, Maianthemum canadense and Eurybia macrophylla, to experimental forest warming: early emergence is the key to enhanced reproductive output. Am J Bot 2015; 102:1610-24. [PMID: 26451035 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Understory herbs might be the most sensitive plant form to global warming in deciduous forests, yet they have been little studied in the context of climate change. METHODS A field experiment set up in Minnesota, United States simulated global warming in a forest setting and provided the opportunity to study the responses of Maianthemum canadense and Eurybia macrophylla in their natural environment in interaction with other components of the ecosystem. Effects of +1.7° and +3.4°C treatments on growth, reproduction, phenology, and gas exchange were evaluated along with treatment effects on light, water, and nutrient availability, potential drivers of herb responses. KEY RESULTS Overall, growth and gas exchanges of these two species were modestly affected by warming. They emerged up to 16 (E. macrophylla) to 17 d (M. canadense) earlier in the heated plots than in control plots, supporting early-season carbon gain under high light conditions before canopy closure. This additional carbon gain in spring likely supported reproduction. Eurybia macrophylla only flowered in the heated plots, and both species had some aspect of reproduction that was highest in the +1.7°C treatment. The reduced reproductive effort in the +3.4°C plots was likely due to reduced soil water availability, counteracting positive effects of warming. CONCLUSIONS Global warming might improve fitness of herbaceous species in deciduous forests, mainly by advancing their spring emergence. However, other impacts of global warming such as drier soils in the summer might partly reduce the carbon gain associated with early emergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Hélène Jacques
- Département de biologie and Centre d'étude de la forêt, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6
| | - Line Lapointe
- Département de biologie and Centre d'étude de la forêt, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6
| | - Karen Rice
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Rebecca A Montgomery
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Artur Stefanski
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 USA Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
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Schuerings J, Jentsch A, Walter J, Kreyling J. Winter warming pulses differently affect plant performance in temperate heathland and grassland communities. Ecol Res 2014; 29:561-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-014-1174-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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