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Forests
Special Issues
Woody Plant Phenology in a Changing Climate
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Woody Plant Phenology in a Changing Climate

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Meteorology and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 August 2024 | Viewed by 3791

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yanjun Du

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: forest phenology; biogeography; community ecology
Prof. Dr. Miaogen Shen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: plant phenology; climate change ecology; vegetation remote sensing; alpine ecosystem
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant phenology underpins a variety of aspects of ecosystem function and is a vital determinant of species distribution. A growing body of literature suggests that spring phenology has advanced significantly in the northern hemisphere as a response to climate change. However, phenological responses to warming across species, time and space still need to be tested because of the unclear mechanisms underlying the phenological processes, such as the interactions between temperature and other environmental cues, the nonlinear effects of temperature, high variation in temperature sensitivity among species, and impacts of biotic factors. This Special Issue intends to integrate cutting-edge research into our understanding of climate-driven changes in woody plant phenology in various ecosystems, including temperate, subtropical, tropical, arctic and alpine regions, and responses of vegetation phenology to climate change.

The issue aims to provide a platform for researchers working on woody plant phenology to publish their recent studies related to the effects of plant phenology and vegetation phenology in a changing climate. We will accept high-quality original research papers, full reviews and short communications.

We welcome submissions related, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Relationships between woody plants phenology and climate factors or other drivers;
  • Responses of vegetation phenology to climate change;
  • Phenological mismatches between plant phenology and pollinators/seed dispersers;
  • Influences of woody plants phenological changes on ecosystem structure and functions;
  • Relationships between woody plants phenology and human society (agricultural activities, diseases and health issues (such as pollen allergies), tourism, etc.).

Prof. Dr. Yanjun Du
Prof. Dr. Miaogen Shen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest phenology
  • woody species
  • remote sensing
  • vegetation
  • climate change

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7359 KiB  
Article
Large Differences in Bud Burst and Senescence between Low- and High-Altitude European Beech Populations along an Altitudinal Transect in the South-Eastern Carpathians
by Mihnea Ioan Cezar Ciocîrlan, Elena Ciocîrlan, Dănuț Chira, Gheorghe Raul Radu, Victor Dan Păcurar, Emanuel Beșliu, Ourania Grigoriadou Zormpa, Oliver Gailing and Alexandru Lucian Curtu
Forests 2024, 15(3), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15030468 - 02 Mar 2024
Viewed by 711
Abstract
Phenology is considered an indicator of environmental changes, with direct implications in the length of the growing season; therefore, it offers essential information for a better understanding of the tree–environment relationships that could lead to the right decisions for forests’ sustainable use and [...] Read more.
Phenology is considered an indicator of environmental changes, with direct implications in the length of the growing season; therefore, it offers essential information for a better understanding of the tree–environment relationships that could lead to the right decisions for forests’ sustainable use and conservation. A better understanding of how European beech (Fagus sylvatica) phenology responds to predicted climate change effects is important for forest management. This study aimed to assess bud burst and senescence among and within beech populations located along a steep elevational gradient. Phenological observations were carried out on 150 beech individuals along an altitudinal transect in the south-eastern Carpathian Mountains, from 550 to 1450 m, in five study sites in two consecutive years. The start of the bud burst, of senescence, and the duration of the growing season varied inversely proportionally to the elevational gradient in both monitored years. Individuals located at the highest altitude need 28 more days to start the growing season than those at the lowest altitude. There is an average difference of 14 days at the start of the growing season in the same beech populations between the two consecutive years. The first stage of senescence (yellowing of leaves) lasted longer in 2021 (21–32 days) than in 2022 (18–25 days), with a difference of 16%–28%, proportional to the increase in altitude. The association of field phenological data with meteorological data indicates that the start of the growing season occurs when the thermal threshold of 10 °C is exceeded, with an accumulation of a least 60 GDD (growing degree days) with a threshold of 0 °C in the last 7 days as a complementary condition. The appearance of the first stage of senescence, the yellowing of the leaves, was also influenced by the temperature and the accumulation of at least 72 SDD (senescence degree days) with a threshold of 0 °C in the last 7 days. Our results confirm that the temperature is the triggering meteorological factor for the onset of bud burst and leaf senescence in European beech. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Plant Phenology in a Changing Climate)
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20 pages, 10522 KiB  
Article
Phenology of Vegetation in Arid Northwest China Based on Sun-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence
by Zhizhong Chen, Mei Zan, Jingjing Kong, Shunfa Yang and Cong Xue
Forests 2023, 14(12), 2310; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14122310 - 24 Nov 2023
Viewed by 831
Abstract
The accurate monitoring of vegetation phenology is critical for carbon sequestration and sink enhancement. Vegetation phenology in arid zones is more sensitive to climate responses; therefore, it is important to conduct research on phenology in arid zones in response to global climate change. [...] Read more.
The accurate monitoring of vegetation phenology is critical for carbon sequestration and sink enhancement. Vegetation phenology in arid zones is more sensitive to climate responses; therefore, it is important to conduct research on phenology in arid zones in response to global climate change. This study compared the applicability of the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), which is superior in arid zones, and global solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (GOSIF), which has a high spatial resolution, in extracting vegetation phenology in arid zones, and explored the mechanism of the differences in the effects of environmental factors on the phenology of different vegetation types. Therefore, this study employed a global solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (GOSIF) dataset to determine the start and end of the vegetation growth season (SOSSIF and EOSSIF, respectively) in the arid zone of Northwest China from 2001 to 2019. The results were compared with those from the EVI-based MODIS climate product MCD12Q2 (SOSEVI and EOSEVI). Variations in the sensitivity of these climatic datasets concerning temperature, precipitation, and standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) were assessed through partial correlation analysis. Results: Compared to the MCD12Q2 climatic products, SOSSIF and EOSSIF closely matched the observed climate data in the study area. Spring onset was delayed at higher altitudes and latitudes, and the end of the growing season occurred earlier in these areas. Both SOSSIF and EOSSIF significantly advanced from 2001 to 2019 (trend degrees −0.22 and −0.48, respectively). Spring vegetation phenology was chiefly influenced by precipitation while autumn vegetation phenology was driven by both precipitation and SPEI. GOSIF-based climate data provides a more accurate representation of vegetation phenology compared to traditional vegetation indices. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential ability of EVI and SIF to reveal the influence of vegetation phenology on the carbon cycle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Plant Phenology in a Changing Climate)
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12 pages, 1093 KiB  
Article
Effects of Temperature, Precipitation, and CO2 on Plant Phenology in China: A Circular Regression Approach
by Yi Tang, Wenhao Zhou and Yi Du
Forests 2023, 14(9), 1844; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091844 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 942
Abstract
Leveraging circular regression, this study analyzed phenological data from China spanning the period 2003 to 2015, meticulously examining the effects of temperature, precipitation, and CO2 concentrations on the phenological patterns of woody and herbaceous plants. For woody plants, the results showed that [...] Read more.
Leveraging circular regression, this study analyzed phenological data from China spanning the period 2003 to 2015, meticulously examining the effects of temperature, precipitation, and CO2 concentrations on the phenological patterns of woody and herbaceous plants. For woody plants, the results showed that rising temperatures and increased precipitation notably advanced early growth phases, such as budburst, leaf unfolding, and first flowering (p < 0.001). Specifically, CO2 concentrations had a pronounced impact on the leaf unfolding phase (p < 0.001). In contrast, autumnal events, particularly fruit maturity, autumn coloring, and leaf fall, were delayed by warmer temperatures and higher precipitation (p < 0.001), Of these events, only fruit maturity demonstrated sensitivity to CO2 concentration variations. In the realm of herbaceous plants, elevated temperatures and precipitation collectively hastened the budburst phase (p < 0.001), which is an effect further accentuated by high CO2 levels (p < 0.001). Moreover, rising temperatures and augmented precipitation were instrumental in advancing the flowering phase (p < 0.001). Conversely, warmer conditions slowed down the fruiting process (p < 0.001), with this delay somewhat mitigated by the effects of increased precipitation. Interestingly, while CO2 concentrations had negligible influence on the flowering and fruiting stages, they noticeably delayed seed dispersal and the initiation of senescence (p < 0.001). Overall, the prevailing trend suggests that plants, whether woody or herbaceous in nature, tend to prolong their growth season under warmer and more humid conditions. The influence of CO2 concentration, however, is contingent upon the specific phenological phase and plant type. Our findings emphasize the nuanced and stage-specific responses of plant phenology to temperature, precipitation, and CO2, highlighting the value of using circular regression in ecological studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Plant Phenology in a Changing Climate)
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12 pages, 2414 KiB  
Article
Reproductive Phenology and Climatic Drivers of Plant Species Used as Food by the Hainan Gibbon, Nomascus hainanus (Primates: Hylobatidae)
by Qianhuai Xue, Xiu Zeng, Yanjun Du and Wenxing Long
Forests 2023, 14(9), 1732; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091732 - 27 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 826
Abstract
The timing of flowering and fruiting plays a critical role in the reproduction, population size, and range of fruit-eating animals. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China, hosts one of the world’s most endangered primate species, the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus). [...] Read more.
The timing of flowering and fruiting plays a critical role in the reproduction, population size, and range of fruit-eating animals. The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China, hosts one of the world’s most endangered primate species, the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus). Understanding the phenological patterns of the principal food sources of the Hainan gibbon is crucial for the effective management of their habitats and the conservation of this threatened population. To that end, we conducted a regression analysis to better understand how climate may impact the timing and availability of fruits known to support the Hainan gibbon. We observed significant seasonal and inter-annual variations in the reproductive phenology of these fruiting species, with most species flowering from March to June and fruiting from August to December. Importantly, we found that Hainan gibbons face severe food scarcity between January and April. We show that sunshine exerts a significant effect on the flowering time, while fruiting phenology is most sensitive to temperature. We suggest that the restoration of the Hainan gibbon habitat should include planting more tree species which that produce fruit in the time of low food availability between January-April, including the species Memecylon ligustrifolium, Wrightia pubescens, Sarcosperma laurinum, Eurya ciliata, and Pouteria annamensis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Plant Phenology in a Changing Climate)
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