Responses of sequential and hierarchical phenological events to warming and cooling in alpine meadows

Xine Li, Lili Jiang, Fandong Meng, Shiping Wang (), Haishan Niu, Amy M. Iler, Jichuan Duan, Zhenhua Zhang, Caiyun Luo, Shujuan Cui, Lirong Zhang, Yaoming Li, Qi Wang, Yang Zhou, Xiaoying Bao, Tsechoe Dorji, Yingnian Li, Josep Peñuelas, Mingyuan Du, Xinquan Zhao, Liang Zhao and Guojie Wang
Additional contact information
Xine Li: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lili Jiang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fandong Meng: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shiping Wang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haishan Niu: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Amy M. Iler: Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University
Jichuan Duan: Binhai Research Institute in Tianjin
Zhenhua Zhang: Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Caiyun Luo: Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shujuan Cui: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lirong Zhang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yaoming Li: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qi Wang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang Zhou: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiaoying Bao: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tsechoe Dorji: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yingnian Li: Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Josep Peñuelas: CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès
Mingyuan Du: Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
Xinquan Zhao: Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liang Zhao: Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guojie Wang: Oregon State University Agriculture and Natural Resource Program at Eastern Oregon University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Organisms’ life cycles consist of hierarchical stages, from a single phenological stage (for example, flowering within a season), to vegetative and reproductive phases, to the total lifespan of the individual. Yet phenological events are typically studied in isolation, limiting our understanding of life history responses to climate change. Here, we reciprocally transfer plant communities along an elevation gradient to investigate plastic changes in the duration of sequential phenological events for six alpine species. We show that prolonged flowering leads to longer reproductive phases and activity periods when plants are moved to warmer locations. In contrast, shorter post-fruiting leaf and flowering stages led to shorter vegetative and reproductive phases, respectively, which resulted in shorter activity periods when plants were moved to cooler conditions. Therefore, phenological responses to warming and cooling do not simply mirror one another in the opposite direction, and low temperature may limit reproductive allocation in the alpine region.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12489

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