Experts study climate-crisis effect on plants
The timing of when plants burst into flower and drop their leaves is being closely studied by experts in Scotland to build a picture of their ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The annual life cycles of more than 150 species of plants are being monitored at four Scottish sites belonging to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), Benmore in Argyll, Dawyck in the Scottish Borders andloganindumfriesandgallowaytodeterminehowwarming temperatures and shifting seasons are affecting the way plants behave and their chances of survival.
With the help of a team of dedicated volunteers, the latest work is logging the dates and duration of flowering and leaf developmentforawiderangeof specimens. Over time, this data will increase understanding of how plants respond to growing conditions, what parameters theyaresensitivetoandwhether climate change leads to alterations in their annual life cycle.
The current work has been going on for the past 20 years but the science, known as phenology, has a much longer history at RBGE – dating to 1850. Sporadic historical flowering records from the early 20th century also exist and are held in the RBGE'S archives.
Phenology projects at RBGE also contribute to a Europewide network of gardens which undertake standardised recording of selected tree and shrub species. The plants are all clones and planted in relatively similar surroundings to ensuremaximumcomparability across the large-scale study.
"Changes in the annual life cycle of plants can have profound consequences for ecological processes, forestry, agriculture, food security and the global economy,” said Dr Antje Ahrends, head of genetics and conservation at RBGE. “I am very grateful to our dedicated
team of volunteers who have undertaken weekly phenology recording over many years. Long-term data collected by the same observers is invaluable for understanding theimpactofclimatechangeon vegetation.''
Exceptionally high temperatures and a super-dry summer followed by torrential rains this year upset the life cycles of manyspecies,includingplants, insects and birds, raising concernsthatinterdependentwildlife could move out of sync with each other as a result of the warming climate.
Christine Thompson, a phenologyvolunteeratrbge,said: “We have observed that springflowering rhododendrons are fully sensitive to temperature changes. At the Inverleith Gardentheychangetheirflowering
date by almost 10 days for every degree change in average temperature in the month before flowering."
Speaking just days before the United Nations summit on biodiversity starts in Canada, Scottish biodiversity minister Lorna Slater highlighted the importance of the research. “The nature and climate crises are interlinked and must be tackled together,” she said.
“Understanding how plants respond to our changing climate is now more important than ever in helping us restore and protect our natural environment for the future.”