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URBANIZATION

Phenology and the city

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 3, pages 1618–1619 (2019)Cite this article

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Temperature differences between cities and the countryside have been regarded as useful surrogates for ecological responses to climate warming. However, research reveals mismatch between the phenological responses to spatial and temporal temperature gradients as well as complex interactions between urbanization and climate.

How do urban environments affect the timing of spring leaf-out, flowering and autumn senescence in temperate plants, and can we use urban areas as a proxy for ecosystem responses to future climate warming? These questions are addressed in two independent contributions published in Nature Ecology & Evolution1,2. Using different approaches, Wohlfahrt et al.1 and Li et al.2 reveal that the effect of urbanization on plant phenology depends on the local climate and that spatial urbanization gradients cannot be used as a surrogate for temporal variation in plant phenology, suggesting that in addition to the urban heat island effect in which cities experience warmer temperatures than their surrounding countryside3, unknown factors drive phenological differences between urban areas and the countryside.

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Fig. 1: The effect of urbanization on plant phenology.

References

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  1. Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland

    Constantin M. Zohner

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  1. Constantin M. Zohner
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Correspondence to Constantin M. Zohner.

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Zohner, C.M. Phenology and the city. Nat Ecol Evol 3, 1618–1619 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1043-7

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