This change in
phenological shift can be attributed to increase in temperature in 2010 as compared to that reported for 2009 (Table 1).
Previous studies demonstrated that, across many taxa, phenology is shifting to earlier dates in response to climate change, but we did not know whether such
phenological shifts are adaptive, whether they correspond to fitness benefits.
Phenological shifts conserve thermal niches in North American birds and reshape expectations for climate-driven range shifts.
(2014) documented that both tree species advanced their seed ripening dates by more than 8 to 9 days during 1976-2010 (
phenological shifts: -0.24 day per year in beech and -0.27 day per year in oak).
Such
phenological shifts can influence many properties of terrestrial ecosystems [4, 9].
Results of phenological studies suggest that although flowering time in a plant shows the potential to adapt to a changing climate,
phenological shifts may be associated with reduced plant fitness possibly hindering evolutionary change (Burgess 2007).
Complex spatiotemporal
phenological shifts as a response to rainfall changes.
SEA CHANGES Although ocean temperatures vary less from year to year and from season to season than air temperatures do, seabirds nevertheless can suffer from
phenological shifts in the availability of prey.
And, such
phenological shifts might further affect plant communities by altering the relative fitnesses of species with different strategies of growth and reproduction.