TY - JOUR

T1 - Cryptic phenology in plants: Case studies, implications, and recommendations

AU - Albert, Loren P.

AU - Restrepo-Coupe, Natalia

AU - Smith, Marielle

AU - Wu, Jin

AU - Chavana-Bryant, Cecilia

AU - Martins, Giordane A.

AU - Ciais, Philippe

AU - Mao, Jiafu

AU - Arain, M. Altaf

AU - Li, Wei

AU - Shi, Xiaoying

AU - Ricciuto, Daniel M.

AU - Huxman, Travis E.

AU - McMahon, Sean M.

AU - Saleska, Scott R.

PY - 2019/11/1

Y1 - 2019/11/1

N2 - Plant phenology—the timing of cyclic or recurrent biological events in plants—offers insight into the ecology, evolution, and seasonality of plant-mediated ecosystem processes. Traditionally studied phenologies are readily apparent, such as flowering events, germination timing, and season-initiating budbreak. However, a broad range of phenologies that are fundamental to the ecology and evolution of plants, and to global biogeochemical cycles and climate change predictions, have been neglected because they are “cryptic”—that is, hidden from view (e.g., root production) or difficult to distinguish and interpret based on common measurements at typical scales of examination (e.g., leaf turnover in evergreen forests). We illustrate how capturing cryptic phenology can advance scientific understanding with two case studies: wood phenology in a deciduous forest of the northeastern USA and leaf phenology in tropical evergreen forests of Amazonia. Drawing on these case studies and other literature, we argue that conceptualizing and characterizing cryptic plant phenology is needed for understanding and accurate prediction at many scales from organisms to ecosystems. We recommend avenues of empirical and modeling research to accelerate discovery of cryptic phenological patterns, to understand their causes and consequences, and to represent these processes in terrestrial biosphere models.

AB - Plant phenology—the timing of cyclic or recurrent biological events in plants—offers insight into the ecology, evolution, and seasonality of plant-mediated ecosystem processes. Traditionally studied phenologies are readily apparent, such as flowering events, germination timing, and season-initiating budbreak. However, a broad range of phenologies that are fundamental to the ecology and evolution of plants, and to global biogeochemical cycles and climate change predictions, have been neglected because they are “cryptic”—that is, hidden from view (e.g., root production) or difficult to distinguish and interpret based on common measurements at typical scales of examination (e.g., leaf turnover in evergreen forests). We illustrate how capturing cryptic phenology can advance scientific understanding with two case studies: wood phenology in a deciduous forest of the northeastern USA and leaf phenology in tropical evergreen forests of Amazonia. Drawing on these case studies and other literature, we argue that conceptualizing and characterizing cryptic plant phenology is needed for understanding and accurate prediction at many scales from organisms to ecosystems. We recommend avenues of empirical and modeling research to accelerate discovery of cryptic phenological patterns, to understand their causes and consequences, and to represent these processes in terrestrial biosphere models.

U2 - 10.1111/gcb.14759

DO - 10.1111/gcb.14759

M3 - Article

VL - 25

SP - 3591

EP - 3608

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

SN - 1365-2486

IS - 11

ER -