Phenology

21 important questions on Phenology

What is meant by growing degree days

The numbers of days with temperatures over a defined threshold

What happens with the Pied Flycatchers

- Declined in abundancy, because prey availability (caterpillar) is starting earlier with warming and chick hatching has not shifted earlier

What happens in birds and butterflies?

- Spring migrants are arriving earlier
- Date of first flight for species is diapause is advancing
- Birds are nesting and laying eggs ealier
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

What happens with ice in the fresh water systems?

- Ice breaks up earlier in lakes and rivers
- This determines the growth and stratification conditions that affect the entire freshwater food web
- Algae bloom earlier
- Stratification changes in more temperate lakes affect growing season + competitive relationships for species

Why are changes in SH harder to detect?

- Because of limited land at temperature latitudes in the South

What is meant with the Sawtooth in Mauna Loa?

- More CO2 is taken up in NH vegetation each year
- The NH dominates the sawtooth response because of the large landmasses at temperature latitutes

What happens when NH plants enter spring earlier?

Uptake of carbon -> less carbon in the atmosphere

How is the phenology in tropical forests dominated?

By rainfall related events
- Because there is little temperature seasonality

By what is flowering/fruiting governed?

Drought or rainfall intensity
- Common pattern: trees flower during annual drought periods, with fruit appearing later, when rains have returned

Why is bloomed at same time important for animals?

- If a lot of trees synchronize, there is more food for animals
- If dry season is wet, flowering and fruiting fails -> less food for animals

What happens with heavy deforestation?

Less forest area available for animals to forage -> reducing ability of seed or fruit eating species to buffer shortages by moving

How do phenological changes happen in marine systems?

- Water warms earlier and ice breaks up earlier

What happens with the phytoplankton in marine systems?

They are blooming earlier -> Zooplankton (feed on phytoplankton) undergoes changes in timing of peak abundance

By what is the timing that plankton blooms determined?

By temperature or photoperiod

What happens with a change in temperature?

- Species responding to thermal cues undergo changes
- Species responding to photoperiod or diapause not

What happens with insect herbivores?

Insect herbivores have complex life histories that may be accelerated by warming

What means multivoltine and why is this important?

- They can complete their life-cycle in one growing season
- Large increase in abundance -> pests

What happens with insect herbivores in milder winters?

- Wilder winters may result in increased winter survival + summer population growth in univoltine species
- Increase -> pest -> death of host plants

How is the phenology of insect life cycles?

- May be linked to phenology of their food plants
- Butterflies and other insect may be dependent on specific plants to complete their larval stage

When does time mismatching between species occur?

Different species respond to warming at different rates, leading to possible mismatches in timing between species
- Species interactions may be more sensitive when they involve changes in multiple climate cues

What reacts more quickly to climate change?

- Physiological responses
- Photoperiod cued responses require evolutionary change to adjust

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo