Wildflower phenological escape differs by continent and spring temperature

Benjamin R. Lee (), Tara K. Miller, Christoph Rosche, Yong Yang, J. Mason Heberling, Sara E. Kuebbing and Richard B. Primack
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Benjamin R. Lee: Section of Botany, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Tara K. Miller: Boston University
Christoph Rosche: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
Yong Yang: Nanjing Forestry University
J. Mason Heberling: Section of Botany, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Sara E. Kuebbing: University of Pittsburgh
Richard B. Primack: Boston University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Temperate understory plant species are at risk from climate change and anthropogenic threats that include increased deer herbivory, habitat loss, pollinator declines and mismatch, and nutrient pollution. Recent work suggests that spring ephemeral wildflowers may be at additional risk due to phenological mismatch with deciduous canopy trees. The study of this dynamic, commonly referred to as “phenological escape”, and its sensitivity to spring temperature is limited to eastern North America. Here, we use herbarium specimens to show that phenological sensitivity to spring temperature is remarkably conserved for understory wildflowers across North America, Europe, and Asia, but that canopy trees in North America are significantly more sensitive to spring temperature compared to in Asia and Europe. We predict that advancing tree phenology will lead to decreasing spring light windows in North America while spring light windows will be maintained or even increase in Asia and Europe in response to projected climate warming.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34936-9

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