Plant phenology and global climate change: Current progresses and challenges

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Climate Science
• Botany

Background:

• Plant phenology, the timing of seasonal plant development, is crucial for ecosystem functions and climate feedbacks.
• Temperature is a primary driver of plant phenology, making it sensitive to climate change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in understanding plant phenology in response to climate change.
• To highlight challenges and future directions in plant phenology research.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of recent progress in plant phenology research.
• Review of ground- and remote sensing-based phenology data.
• Synthesis of studies on leaf unfolding and leaf coloring trends.

Main Results:

• Increased availability of phenology data has advanced research.
• General agreement on advanced leaf unfolding and delayed leaf coloring due to climate change.
• Observed deceleration or reversal of phenological trends in recent years.

Conclusions:

• Mechanisms driving phenological responses to warming require further investigation.
• Interactions of multiple drivers complicate phenology modeling.
• Future research should focus on tropical phenology, process-based modeling, and landscape-level scaling.