EGU22-7063
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-7063
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Towards a new autumn phenology model integrating seasonal productivity, climate, and day length

Constantin M. Zohner1, Leila Mirzagholi1, Raymo Bucher1, Susanne S. Renner2, Lidong Mo1, Daniel Palouš1,3, Yann Vitasse4, and Thomas W. Crowther1
Constantin M. Zohner et al.
  • 1ETH Zurich, Integrative Biology, Zurich, Switzerland (constantin.zohner@t-online.de)
  • 2Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, United States
  • 3Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 5, CZ 128 44, Czech Republic
  • 4WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

Predicting the timing of autumn leaf senescence in northern trees remains challenging because the seasonal interplay in the effects of day length, climate, and plant productivity is not well understood. This severely limits our ability to forecast vegetation activity and carbon uptake in temperate and boreal ecosystems. Here we present a new framework for predicting autumn senescence dates based on the idea that day length mediates the effects of climate on autumn phenology, with early-season (pre-solstice) growth and late-season temperatures constituting antagonistic forces. To test these predictions, we used a combination of satellite-derived vegetation productivity across Northern Hemisphere forests, ground-sourced European phenology observations of four widespread tree species, and a climate-manipulation experiment on European beech. Our results reveal important constraints on the late-season carbon uptake potential of northern trees, improving our understanding of vegetation dynamics in response to climate change.

How to cite: Zohner, C. M., Mirzagholi, L., Bucher, R., Renner, S. S., Mo, L., Palouš, D., Vitasse, Y., and Crowther, T. W.: Towards a new autumn phenology model integrating seasonal productivity, climate, and day length, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-7063, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-7063, 2022.