Photoperiod controls vegetation phenology across Africa
Photoperiod controls vegetation phenology across Africa
Vegetation phenology is driven by environmental factors such as photoperiod, precipitation, temperature, insolation, and nutrient availability. However, across Africa, there’s ambiguity about these drivers, which can lead to uncertainty in the predictions of global warming impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and their representation in dynamic vegetation models. Using satellite data, we undertook a systematic analysis of the relationship between phenological parameters and these drivers. The analysis across different regions consistently revealed photoperiod as the dominant factor controlling the onset and end of vegetation growing season. Moreover, the results suggest that not one, but a combination of drivers control phenological events. Consequently, to enhance our predictions of climate change impacts, the role of photoperiod should be incorporated into vegetation-climate and ecosystem modelling. Furthermore, it is necessary to define clearly the responses of vegetation to interactions between a consistent photoperiod cue and inter-annual variation in other drivers, especially under a changing climate.
Adole, Tracy
b99999c7-9a7f-4130-95b5-42e624edf993
Dash, Jadunandan
51468afb-3d56-4d3a-aace-736b63e9fac8
Rodriguez-Galiano, Victor
88495556-2795-456d-b972-31ca79fe4a71
Atkinson, Peter M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Adole, Tracy
b99999c7-9a7f-4130-95b5-42e624edf993
Dash, Jadunandan
51468afb-3d56-4d3a-aace-736b63e9fac8
Rodriguez-Galiano, Victor
88495556-2795-456d-b972-31ca79fe4a71
Atkinson, Peter M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Adole, Tracy, Dash, Jadunandan, Rodriguez-Galiano, Victor and Atkinson, Peter M.
(2019)
Photoperiod controls vegetation phenology across Africa.
Communications Biology, 2 (1), [391].
(doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0636-7).
Abstract
Vegetation phenology is driven by environmental factors such as photoperiod, precipitation, temperature, insolation, and nutrient availability. However, across Africa, there’s ambiguity about these drivers, which can lead to uncertainty in the predictions of global warming impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and their representation in dynamic vegetation models. Using satellite data, we undertook a systematic analysis of the relationship between phenological parameters and these drivers. The analysis across different regions consistently revealed photoperiod as the dominant factor controlling the onset and end of vegetation growing season. Moreover, the results suggest that not one, but a combination of drivers control phenological events. Consequently, to enhance our predictions of climate change impacts, the role of photoperiod should be incorporated into vegetation-climate and ecosystem modelling. Furthermore, it is necessary to define clearly the responses of vegetation to interactions between a consistent photoperiod cue and inter-annual variation in other drivers, especially under a changing climate.
Text
s42003-019-0636-7
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 23 September 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 25 October 2019
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 437307
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/437307
ISSN: 2399-3642
PURE UUID: b1bf0ad2-16e7-4203-a419-fcac2b265abc
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 24 Jan 2020 17:30
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 01:41
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Tracy Adole
Author:
Victor Rodriguez-Galiano
Author:
Peter M. Atkinson
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics