Work

Ecosystem Phenology: Integrating Traits and Processes Beyond Observable Events

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Phenology-the study of seasonal biological events shaped by climate variability-has long offered critical insights into the impact of climate change on ecosystems. Traditionally, phenological research has focused on discrete and observable events such as budburst, leaf-out, flowering, and migration. Yet ecosystems are not driven by isolated events alone, but by continuous shifts in functional traits and biogeochemical processes. The event-based phenology framework often overlooks this dynamic variability in traits and processes. To completely understand the temporal change in ecosystem functioning, we propose an expanded concept-ecosystem phenology-which integrates functional traits and biochemical processes beyond visible events. By capturing the full temporal spectrum of ecosystem dynamics, the ecosystem phenology framework provides a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem responses to climate change, with significant implications for forecasting ecosystem function and informing climate policy.

Source: Global Change Biology

DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70480

Authors: Lei Chen, Josep Peñuelas

Institutions: Sichuan University, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB

Language: English

Topic: Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Life on land

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China