Publication
Title
Sensitivity of leaf unfolding to experimental warming in three temperate tree species
Author
Abstract
Phenological events are sensitive to climate change, and a clear advancement of spring leaf phenology has been well documented. However, the observed phenological trends cannot be directly used to forecast future changes because the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We conducted a two-year experimental warming experiment using one-meter-high saplings of birch (Betula pendula L), oak (Quercus robur L) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The main objective of this study was to quantify the temperature sensitivity of leaf unfolding to six different warming levels. The results suggested that leaf unfolding dates were significantly advanced with warming for all species in both experimental years. However, different warming treatments elicited different leaf unfolding responses. At low and moderate warming (<+4 degrees C), the sensitivity of leaf unfolding to temperature (changes in days per degrees C) increased with warming in all three studied species. For birch, the temperature sensitivity continued to increase with additional warming. For oak and beech, in contrast, the temperature sensitivity dramatically decreased when warming exceeded +4 degrees C. Our findings confirm that continued and intense warming may not result in further advances of leaf unfolding in the late successional species oak and beech, if the warming exceeds a certain threshold leading to insufficient chilling temperatures for dormancy release. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Agricultural and forest meteorology. - Amsterdam
Publication
Amsterdam : 2013
ISSN
0168-1923
DOI
10.1016/J.AGRFORMET.2013.07.016
Volume/pages
181 (2013) , p. 125-132
ISI
000325242500010
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Greenhouse gas management in European Land use systems (GHG-Europe).
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.11.2013
Last edited 09.10.2023
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