Broadleaf trees show reduced sensitivity to global warming
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - 13:30
in Earth & Climate
The sensitivity of leaf unfolding phenology to climate warming has significantly declined since 1980s, according to a study recently published in the journal Nature by an international collaboration of scientists. Earlier spring leaf unfolding is a frequently observed response of plants to climate warming. Many deciduous tree species require cold temperatures, in other words 'chilling', for dormancy release, and the warming-related reductions in chilling may counteract the advance of leaf unfolding in response to warming. Empirical evidence for this, however, was very limited.