Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of climate warming on phenological characteristics of urban forest in Shenyang City, China

  • Published:
Chinese Geographical Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Change in plant phenology is one of the most sensitive ecological responses to climate warming. Little information is known about the effects of climate warming on phenology of urban tree species in the northern forest of China. In this study, we investigated the phenological characteristics of the main tree species in the urban forest of Shengyang City in China and the correlation between phenology and atmospheric temperature from the discontinuous data during past 42 years over three time periods (from 1962 to 1965, 1977 to 1978, and 2000 to 2005). The results showed that the annual average temperature in Shenyang City showed an increasing trend and increased by 0.96°C from 1962 to 2005 due to climate warming. The germination phenology of the urban trees was negatively correlated with the temperature in winter and early spring. The leafing phenology was mainly influenced by the temperature in spring before leafing. Influenced by climate warming, the germination, leafing, and flowering phenologies of this urban forest in 2005 were 14, 13, and 10 days earlier than those in 1962, respectively. We inferred that further warming in winter might prolong the growing season of urban trees in the northern forest of China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bradley N L, Leopold C L, Ross J, 1999. Phenological changes reflect climate change in Wisconsin. PNAS, 96(17): 9701–9704. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.17.9701

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown M E, Beurs K M, Marshall M, 2012. Global phenological response to climate change in crop areas using satellite remote sensing of vegetation, humidity and temperature over 26 years. Remote Sensing of Environment, 126(16): 174–183. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2012.08.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Xiao Qiu, Zhang Fu Chun, 2001. Spring phenological change in Beijing in the last 50 years and its response to climatic changes. Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology, 22(1): 1–5. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chmielewski F M, Roetzer T, 2001. Response of tree phenology to climate change across Europe. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 108(2): 101–112. doi: 10.1016/s0168-1923(01)00233-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chuine I, Kramer K, Hanninen H, 2003. Plant development models. In: Schwartz M D. (ed). Phenology: An Integrative Environmental Science. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers: 217–235.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fang Xiuqi, Yu Weihong, 2002. A review of phenology responses to global climate warming. Advance in Earth Sciences, 17(5): 714–717. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo L, Dai J, Wang M et al., 2015. Responses of spring phenology in temperate zone trees to climate warming: a case study of apricot flowering in China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 201(15): 1–7. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2014.10.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo L, Dai J, Ranjitkar S et al., 2013. Response of chestnut phenology in China to climate variation and change. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 180: 164–172. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2013.06.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han Chao, Zheng Jingyun, Ge Quansheng, 2007. Phenological Changes in spring in Last 40 Years in North China. Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology, 28(2): 113–117. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannien H, 1995. Effects of climatic change on trees from cool and temperate regions: an eco-physiological approach to modeling of bud burst phenology. Canadian Journal of Botany, 73(2): 183–199. doi: 10.1139/b95-022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He Xingyuan, Chen Wei, Xu Wenduo et al., 2003. Community ecology in a typical near natural urban forest. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 22(6): 162–168. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu Jianbo, Xu Wenduo, Chen Wei et al., 2006. Phenological analysis of main tree species in Shenyang urban forest. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 25(12): 1455–1459. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (Intergovernamental Panel on Climate Change), 2007. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of working groups I, II and III to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. In: Pachauri R K, Reisinger A (eds.) IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Yundi, Ye Duzheng, Dong Wenjie, 2004. Regional climate change from the point of view of seasonality in China. Climate Change Communication, 3(2): 8–9. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kum G, Çelik M A, 2014. Impacts of global climate change on the Mediterranean Region: adana as a case study. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 120: 600–608. doi: 10.1016/jsbspro.2014.02.140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Rongping, Zhou Guangsheng, Zhang Huiling, 2006. Research advances in plant phenology. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 17(3): 541–54. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu Peiling, Yu Qiang, He Qingtang, 2006. Responses of plant phenology to climate change. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 26(3): 923–929. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Manciocco A, Calamandrei G, Alleva E, 2014. Global warming and environmental contaminants in aquatic organisms: the need of the etho-toxicology approach. Chemosphere, 100: 1–7. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.12.072

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menzel A, Fabian P, 1999. Growing season extended in Europe. Nature, 397(6721): 659. doi: 10.1038/17709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pasgaard M, Strange N, 2013. A quantitative analysis of the causes of the global climate change research distribution. Global Environmental Change, 23(6): 1684–1693. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penuelas J, Filella L, 2001. Phenology: responses to a warming world. Science, 294(5543): 793–795. doi: 10.1126/science.1066860

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Picard G, Quegan S, Delbart N et al., 2005. Bud-burst modeling in Siberia and its impact on quantifying the carbon budget. Global Change Biology, 11(12): 2164–2176. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.01055

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Primack RB, Ibáñez I, Higuchi H et al., 2009. Spatial and interspecific variability in phenological responses to warming temperatures. Biological Conservation, 142(11): 2569–2577. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.06.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schleip C, Rais A, Menzel A, 2009. Bayesian analysis of temperature sensitivity of plant phenology in Germany. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 149(10): 1699–1708. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2009.05.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen M, Zhang G, Cong N et al, 2014. Increasing altitudinal gradient of spring vegetation phenology during the last decade on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 189: 71–80. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2014.01.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sparks T H, Jeffree E P, Jeffree C E, 2000. An examination of the relationship between flowering times and temperature at the national scale using long-term phenological records from the UK. International Journal of Biometeorology, 44(2): 82–87. doi: 10.1007/s004840000049

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sparks T, Menzel A, 2013. Plant Phenology Changes and Climate Change. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (Second Edition), 103–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitasse Y, Delzon S, Dufrêne E et al., 2009. Leaf phenology sensitivity to temperature in European trees: do within-species populations exhibit similar responses? Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 149(5): 735–744. doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.10.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walkovszky A, 1998. Changes in phenology of the locust tree (Rovinia pseudoacaia L.) in Hungary. International Journal of Biometeorology, 41(4): 155–160. doi: 10.1007/s004840050069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wan Minwei, Liu Xiuzhen, 1979. Method of Phenology Observation in China. Beijing: Science Press, 136. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Cao R, Chen J et al., 2015. Temperature sensitivity of spring vegetation phenology correlates to within-spring warming speed over the Northern Hemisphere. Ecological Indicators, 50: 62–68. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.11.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xia Chuandong, Zhou Lihong, 2002. Analysis of temperature change in Shenyang of recent 50 years. Liaoning Meteorological Quarterly, 3: 15–16. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu S, He X Y, Chen W et al., 2014. Elevated CO2 ameliorated the adverse effect of elevated O3 in previous-year and current- year needles of Pinus tabulaeformis in urban area. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 92: 733–737. doi: 10.1007/s00128-014-1246-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Wenduo, He Xingyuan, Chen Wei et al., 2008. Relationships between spring phenology of Shenyang urban forest and global climate warming in last 40 years. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 27(9): 1461–1468. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Wenduo, He Xingyuan, Chen Wei et al., 2006. Responses of Shenyang urban tree phenology to climate warming. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 17(10): 1777–1781. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Wenduo, 1983. The relation between distribution of edificatory and companion in zonal vegetation and water-temperature condition in Northeast China. Acta Botanica Sinica, 25(3): 264–274. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Wenduo, 1986. The relation between the zonal distribution of vegetation types and the climate in northeast China. Acta Phytoecologica Geobotany Sinica, 10(4): 254–262. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Yuqing, Lu Peiling, Yu Qiang, 2004. Review and prospect in the researches of influence of climate change on plant phenology. Resources Science, 26(1): 129–136. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Yuqing, Lu Peiling, Yu Qiang, 2005. Response of tree phenology to climate change for recent 50 years in Beijing. Geographical Research, 24(3): 412–420. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yaacoubi A E, Malagi G, Oukabli A et al., 2014. Global warming impact on floral phenology of fruit trees species in Mediterranean region. Scientia Horticulturae, 180: 243–253. doi: 10.1016/j.scienta.2014.10.041

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Fuchun, 1995. Effects of global warming on plant phenological events in China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 50(5): 402–410.(in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Tao F, 2013. Modeling the response of rice phenology to climate change and variability in different climate zones: comparisons of five models. European Journal of Agronomy, 45: 165–176. doi: 10.1016/j.eja.2012.10.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Xuexia, Ge Quqnsheng, Zheng Jingyun et al., 2005. Responses of spring phenology to climate changes in Beijing in last 150 years. Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology, 26(3): 263–267. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou L M, Tucker C J, Kaufmann R K et al., 2001. Variations in northern vegetation activity inferred from satellite data of vegetation index during 1981 to 1999. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106(D17): 20069–20083. doi: 10.1029/2000JD000115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Xubin, Liu Yamei, Sun Shucun, 2005. Leaf expansion of the dominant woody species of three deciduous oak forests in Nanjing, East China. Acta Phytoecologia Sinica, 29(1): 128–136. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Xingyuan He, Sheng Xu, Wenduo Xu, Wei Chen, Yanqing Huang & Hua Wen

  2. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102, China

    Xingyuan He

Authors
  1. Xingyuan He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sheng Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wenduo Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wei Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yanqing Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hua Wen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheng Xu.

Additional information

Foundation item: Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31270518, 31170573), National Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2012ZX07202-008), National Science and Technology Support Program (No. 2012BAC05B00)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

He, X., Xu, S., Xu, W. et al. Effects of climate warming on phenological characteristics of urban forest in Shenyang City, China. Chin. Geogr. Sci. 26, 1–9 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-015-0782-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-015-0782-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation