Temperature sensitivity thresholds to warming and cooling in phenophases of alpine plants

Fandong Meng, Yang Zhou, Shiping Wang (), Jichuang Duan, Zhenhua Zhang, Haishan Niu, Lili Jiang, Shujuan Cui, Xin’e Li, Caiyun Luo, Lrirong Zhang, Qi Wang, Xiaoying Bao, Tsechoe Dorji, Yingnian Li, Mingyuan Du, Xinquan Zhao, Liang Zhao, Guojie Wang and David W. Inouye
Additional contact information
Fandong Meng: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Yang Zhou: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Shiping Wang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Jichuang Duan: Binhai Research Institute in Tianjin
Zhenhua Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haishan Niu: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lili Jiang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Shujuan Cui: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Xin’e Li: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Caiyun Luo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lrirong Zhang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Qi Wang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Xiaoying Bao: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tsechoe Dorji: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Yingnian Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mingyuan Du: National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
Xinquan Zhao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liang Zhao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guojie Wang: Oregon State University Agriculture and Natural Resource Program at Eastern Oregon University
David W. Inouye: University of Maryland

Climatic Change, 2016, vol. 139, issue 3, No 17, 579-590

Abstract: Abstract The assumption of a linear relationship between temperature and phenophases may be misleading. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of the changes in temperature sensitivity of phenophases to changes in temperature strongly limits our ability to predict phenological change in response to climate change. We investigated the timing of seven phenophases of six alpine plant species to test the hypothesis of nonlinear responses in their temperature sensitivities to warming and cooling, using a reciprocal transplant experiment along a 3200–3800 m mountain slope gradient. Our results supported our hypothesis and showed that there were different thresholds in temperature sensitivity of phenophases to warming and cooling. Moreover, linear temperature sensitivity models significantly underestimated advances and delays of phenophases within the thresholds of temperature change. The nonlinear temperature sensitivity of phenophases is best explained by plastic and adaptive responses of phenophases to temperature change gradients. Therefore, our results suggest that the thresholds of temperature sensitivity for different species should be determined and that nonlinear models of temperature sensitivity may be essential to predict accurately phenological responses to climate change.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1802-2

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