Phenological changes of woody plants in the southern and northern
regions of Nanling mountains and their relationship with climatic
factors: A study based on long-term observations
Abstract
In response to the implications of climate change, comprehending the
phenological variations of woody plants has emerged as a crucial area of
research. This study focuses on the phenological changes of woody plants
and their associations with climatic factors in the southern and
northern regions of Nanling Mountains, which serve as the boundary
between the North Subtropical Climate Zone and the South Subtropical
Climate Zone in South China. The data in question was accumulated
through long-term manual observations in four plant phenology
observations (Ganxian, Foshan, Guilin, and Changsha), spanning from 1963
to 2008. The study examined four widely distributed woody plant species
in the research area, namely Castanea mollissima Bl., Paulowinia
fortunei(seem.) Hemsl., Melia azedarace L., and Magnolia grandiflora
Linn.. The analytical methods employed encompass linear trend estimation
and Pearson correlation coefficient analyses. The key findings are: 1,
during the past 46 years, the phenological stages of woody plants on the
southern region consistently preceded those on the northern region; 2,
an advancing trend was observed in the phenological stages of all woody
plants on the southern region; 3, in the same geographic region, varied
species showed varying sensitivities to climatic factors, with Melia
azedarace L. demonstrating a particularly high sensitivity to climate
variations in relation to phenological stages; 4, different climatic
factors had diverse effects on individual plant species. Notably,
temperature emerged as the primary driver of phenological changes,
supported by a significant negative correlation between the phenological
stages of the studied plants and spring temperature. This study augments
our comprehension of the ramifications of climate change on plant
phenology and affords valuable insights that can inform ecological
conservation and management strategies within the region.