Effects of climate changes on plant phenology at high-latitude and alpine regions

doi:10.7523/j.issn.2095-6134.2017.04.012

Abstract

Abstract: Phenology studies the timing of periodic phenomena of biological events, which is affected by biotic and abiotic factors. We review the main influences of climatic factors (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and timing of snowmelt) and species on plant phenology at high-latitude and alpine regions. Most previous studies indicated that warming and earlier snowmelt advanced green-up and first flowering but delayed senescence of individuals and community. The effects of precipitation on plant phenology were inconsistent. There were few studies on root phenology, and no general conclusions were obtained. Root phenology was affected by changes in soil temperature, moisture, and nutrient availability. The divergent responses found in magnitude and direction were mainly due to different measurements, sites, species, and ecosystems. Therefore, long-term ground observations of individuals and community phenological sequences are needed in order to deeply understand the processes and mechanisms of the effects of biotic and abiotic factors in the future. Ground observations of community phenology are particularly needed at high-latitude and alpine areas to match with remote sensing methods and scale from local site to large landscape. Furthermore, root phenology and biological mechanisms of phenological responses to climate changes should be studied.

Key words: environmental factors, species, community, above- and below-ground phenology

CLC Number:

Q948

MENG Fandong, ZHOU Yang, CUI Shujuan, WANG Qi, TSECHOE Dorji, WANG Shiping. Effects of climate changes on plant phenology at high-latitude and alpine regions[J]. , 2017, 34(4): 498-507.

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