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Method matters: pitfalls in analysing phenology from occurrence records.
Elise A Larsen1, Vaughn Shirey1
1Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Ecology Letters
|March 23, 2021
Summary
Large ecological datasets can be misleading. Our reanalysis of 22 species reveals distinct macroscale phenological patterns, often showing later seasonal timing at higher latitudes.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biodiversity science
- Macroecology
Background:
- Large occurrence datasets are valuable for ecological research but require careful curation and statistical analysis.
- Previous phenological analyses (Fric et al., 2020) were found to be misleading due to data quality and methodological issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate macroscale phenological patterns using a curated dataset.
- To identify accurate seasonal timing shifts in univoltine species across different latitudes.
Main Methods:
- Selection of 22 univoltine species with sufficient data for independent analysis.
- Reanalysis of phenological data, focusing on improved data curation and statistical methods.
- Comparison of phenological patterns across different latitudes.
Main Results:
- Substantively different macroscale phenological patterns were identified compared to previous studies.
- A trend of later phenological onset at higher latitudes was observed for the majority of the studied species.
- The findings highlight the impact of data quality on ecological conclusions.
Conclusions:
- Accurate data curation and appropriate statistical methods are crucial for reliable ecological analyses, especially for phenological studies.
- Latitudinal gradients significantly influence phenological timing in univoltine species.
- This study provides a more robust understanding of macroscale phenological patterns.
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