title: Shifting plant phenology in response to global change.
abstract: Plants are finely tuned to the seasonality of their environment, and shifts in the timing of plant activity (i.e. phenology) provide some of the most compelling evidence that species and ecosystems are being influenced by global environmental change. Researchers across disciplines have observed shifting phenology at multiple scales, including earlier spring flowering in individual plants and an earlier spring green-up' of the land surface revealed in satellite images. Experimental and modeling approaches have sought to identify the mechanisms causing these shifts, as well as to make predictions regarding the consequences. Here, we discuss recent advances in several fields that have enabled scaling between species responses to recent climatic changes and shifts in ecosystem productivity, with implications for global carbon cycling.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State Street Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA. cleland@nceas.ucsb.edu
authors.forename: Elsa E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chuine
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menzel
authors.forename: Harold A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D010944:Plants
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide