Divergence of reproductive phenology under climate warming

Because the flowering and fruiting phenology of plants is sensitive to environmental cues such as temperature and moisture, climate change is likely to alter community-level patterns of reproductive phenology. Here we report a previously unreported phenomenon: experimental warming advanced flowering...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2007-01, Vol.104 (1), p.198-202
Main Authors: Sherry, Rebecca A, Zhou, Xuhui, Gu, Shiliang, Arnone, John A. III, Schimel, David S, Verburg, Paul S, Wallace, Linda L, Luo, Yiqi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
annuals
Biological Sciences
Botany
C3 plants
C4 plants
Climate
Climate change
Flower buds
Flowering
Flowers - growth & development
forbs
Fruit - growth & development
Fruiting
Global warming
grasses
Greenhouse Effect
Growing seasons
Phenology
Plant Physiological Phenomena
Plant reproduction
Plants
prairies
Precipitation
Reproduction
simulated climate change
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Summary:Because the flowering and fruiting phenology of plants is sensitive to environmental cues such as temperature and moisture, climate change is likely to alter community-level patterns of reproductive phenology. Here we report a previously unreported phenomenon: experimental warming advanced flowering and fruiting phenology for species that began to flower before the peak of summer heat but delayed reproduction in species that started flowering after the peak temperature in a tallgrass prairie in North America. The warming-induced divergence of flowering and fruiting toward the two ends of the growing season resulted in a gap in the staggered progression of flowering and fruiting in the community during the middle of the season. A double precipitation treatment did not significantly affect flowering and fruiting phenology. Variation among species in the direction and magnitude of their response to warming caused compression and expansion of the reproductive periods of different species, changed the amount of overlap between the reproductive phases, and created possibilities for an altered selective environment to reshape communities in a future warmed world.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0605642104