title: Reply to communications by Fu et al. international journal of biometeorology.
abstract: Temperature sensitivity of plant phenology (ST) is a determining factor of as to what degree climate change impacts on plant species. Fu et al . (Int J Biometeorol 60:1611-1613, 2016) claimed that long long-term linear trends mask phenological shifts. However, the decreased and increased STwas both found in warming scenarios. The conceptual scheme telling the nonlinear relationship between spring temperature and leaf unfolding date proposed by Fu et al . (Int J Biometeorol 60:1611-1613, 2016) cannot be supported by observation data across Europe. Therefore, linking declined STto climate warming is misleading, and future STchanges are more uncertain than they suggested.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Huanjiong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) and Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: This
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rutishauser
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zexing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shuying
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. geqs@igsnrr.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Quansheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. daijh@igsnrr.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Junhu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D005060:Europe; D055904:Meteorology; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Phenology; Spring leaf unfolding; Temperature sensitivity