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Complex spatiotemporal phenological shifts as a response to rainfall changes
Josep Peñuelas1, Iolanda Filella1, Xiaoyang Zhang2
1Unitat Ecofisiologia CSIC-CEAB-CREAF, CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
The New Phytologist
|April 20, 2021
Summary
Climate change alters plant life cycles. This study shows rainfall changes significantly impact plant phenology, affecting ecosystems and vegetation timing, especially in the Iberian Peninsula.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Plant Sciences
Background:
- Climatic warming causes gradual shifts in life-cycle timing.
- Rainfall pattern changes are a critical, yet less studied, driver of phenological alterations.
- Mediterranean ecosystems are particularly sensitive to water availability variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phenological effects of altered rainfall patterns on plant life-cycle events.
- To assess the species-specific and spatio-temporal variability of these effects.
- To understand the role of water availability as a driver of climate change impacts on vegetation.
Main Methods:
- Ecosystem field experiments with partial rain and runoff exclusion in Mediterranean forest and shrubland.
- Analysis of 50-year time-series data on leaf unfolding, flowering, and fruiting in Catalonia.
- Satellite monitoring of greenup onset across the Iberian Peninsula.
Main Results:
- Experimental, historical, and geographical rainfall changes induced significant, complex, and species-specific phenological effects.
- In the Iberian Peninsula, greenup onset shifts from spring- (temperature-driven) in the north to autumn- (rainfall-driven) in the south.
- Rainfall, not temperature, had a stronger influence on fruiting phenology in mesic Mediterranean Catalonia.
Conclusions:
- Changes in rainfall and water availability drive complex phenological shifts with broad ecosystem consequences.
- The seasonal shift in greenup onset in the Iberian Peninsula highlights the critical role of rainfall.
- Vegetation may exhibit abrupt temporal and spatial changes in response to climate change, beyond gradual shifts.
Keywords:
Iberian peninsulafloweringfruitinggreenup onsetleaf-unfoldingphenological shiftspotential evapotranspirationrainfall changesMore Related Videos
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