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Rapid changes in flowering time in British plants.
1Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK. ahf1@york.ac.uk
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 1, 2002
Summary
British plant flowering times show a significant advance, with many species blooming earlier due to climate change. This trend highlights the impact of warming temperatures on plant phenology.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Phenology
- Climate Change Biology
Background:
- Plant phenology, particularly first flowering date, is a sensitive indicator of environmental changes.
- Previous studies have suggested shifts in flowering times, but long-term, large-scale data are crucial for robust conclusions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the advancement of first flowering dates in British plant species over recent decades.
- To quantify the extent of flowering time changes and identify factors influencing species-specific responses.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of first flowering dates for 385 British plant species over multiple decades.
- Statistical comparison of flowering times between the 1990s and previous four decades.
- Identification of species exhibiting significant earlier or later flowering trends.
Main Results:
- Average first flowering date advanced by 4.5 days in the past decade compared to the previous four.
- 16% of species flowered significantly earlier in the 1990s (average 15 days/decade advancement).
- 10 species (3%) exhibited significantly later flowering dates in the 1990s.
Conclusions:
- The observed advancement in flowering dates represents the strongest biological signal of climate change to date.
- Flowering time is highly sensitive to prior month's temperature, especially for spring-flowering species.
- Interspecific differences in flowering response to warming will impact plant community structure and gene flow.
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