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Flowering phenology in subalpine meadows: does climate variation influence community co-flowering patterns?
Jessica Forrest1, David W Inouye, James D Thomson
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada. jessica.forrest@utoronto.ca
Ecology
|April 16, 2010
Summary
Climate change impacts plant flowering times. Early snowmelt altered flowering overlap for some species, potentially changing competition and pollinator interactions in meadows.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Phenology
- Climate Change Biology
Background:
- Climate change is altering species co-occurrence patterns in space and time.
- Shifts in plant reproductive phenology can change floral assemblages and impact pollinator services.
- Temporal overlap in flowering (co-flowering) affects plant reproductive success through interspecific interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how interannual variation in snowmelt date affects co-flowering patterns in subalpine meadows.
- To determine if climate variation influences the temporal overlap of flowering plant species.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 33-year dataset on flowering phenology in Colorado subalpine meadows.
- Analyzed the relationship between snowmelt timing and the composition of co-flowering plant assemblages.
- Focused on species-specific responses to snowmelt date, including flowering time, duration, and intensity.
Main Results:
- Snowmelt timing significantly affected co-flowering patterns for two of four studied species.
- Early snowmelt led to reduced flowering overlap for Lathyrus lanszwertii var. leucanthus, particularly with Lupinus polyphyllus var. prunophilus.
- Observed changes in flowering overlap could not be predicted by parallel shifts in peak flowering dates alone.
Conclusions:
- Interannual climate variation, indicated by snowmelt date, measurably influences plant co-flowering patterns.
- Subtle differences in species' phenological responses to climate drive altered flowering overlap.
- Future climate change may lead to altered competitive environments for subalpine wildflower species.
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