The phenology of growth and reproduction in plants

doi:10.1078/1433-8319-00053

Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

Volume 1, Issue 1, 1998, Pages 78-91

https://doi.org/10.1078/1433-8319-00053 Get rights and content

Abstract

The study of phenological aspects of plants involves the observation, recording and interpretation of the timing of their life history events. This review considers the phenology of leafing, flowering and fruit production in a range of species and communities. The selective forces (both abiotic and biotic) that influence the timing of these events are discussed. Within the limits imposed by phylogenetic constraints, the phenological patterns (timing, frequency, duration, degree of synchrony, etc.) of each phase are probably the result of a compromise between a variety of selective pressures, such as seasonal climatic changes, resource availability, and the presence of pollinators, predators and seed dispersers. Many studies on flowering times stress the role of interactions between plant species which share pollinators or predators. The timing of fruiting plays a key role in controlling the abundance and variety of obligate frugivores in many tropical communities. The importance of long-term recording is stressed, particularly in species which fruit irregularly. An understanding of the phenology of plants is crucial to the understanding of community function and diversity.

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The phenology of growth and reproduction in plants

Abstract

Biological Conservation

Journal of Arid Environments

Synchronous leaf production and herbivory in juveniles of Gustavia superba.

Oecologia

Dry season leaf production: An escape from herbivory

Biotropica

Patterns of leaf development and herbivory in a tropical understory community

Ecology

Genecological studies of Rumex crispus L. Garden experiments using transplanted material

New Phytologist

Annual seedfall variation in Nothofagus solandri (Fagaceae), Canterbury, New Zealand

Oikos

A quantitative analysis of shoot phenology and dominance in herbaceous vegetation

Journal of Ecology

The cost of floral longevity in Clarkia tembloriensis: an experimental investigation

Evolutionary Ecology

Staggered flowering in the Dipterocarpaceae: new insights into floral induction and the evolution of mast fruiting in the aseasonal tropics

American Naturalist

Reproductive synchrony of a tropical shrub: Experimental studies on effects of pollinators and seed predators on Hybanthus prunifolius (Violaceae)

Ecology

Seasonality and phenology of kwongan species

The Physiology of Flowering

Soil and stem water storage determine phenology and distribution of tropical dry forest trees

Ecology

Effects of pollinators, herbivores, and seed predators on flowering phenology

Ecology

Seasonal patterns of leaf growth and loss, flowering and fruiting on a subtropical central Pacific island

Biotropica

Phenology of canopy trees of a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico

Biotropica

Plant-pollinator interactions in Hawaii: pollination energetics of Metrosideros collina (Myrtaceae)

Ecology

Phenology and nutrition of Miombo woodland trees in Zambia

Trees — Structure and Function

Overlap, regularity, and flowering phenologies

American Naturalist

Seasonal flowering and fruiting patterns in tropical semiarid vegetation of north-eastern Venezuela

Biotropica

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Ecology

Relationship between flowering phenology of perennial herbs and meteorological data in deciduous forests of Sweden

Canadian Journal of Botany

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American Journal of Botany

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Evolutionary Ecology

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Oecologia

Asynchronous flowering reduces seed predation in the perennial forest herb Actaea spicata.

Acta Oecologica

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Botanical Gazette

Timing of reproduction in a prairie legume: seasonal impacts of insects consuming flowers and seeds

Oecologia

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Journal of the East African Natural History Society & National Museum of Kenya

Seed Ecology

Irregular seed crops in forest trees

Quarterly Journal of Forestry

Comparative phenological studies of trees in tropical wet and dry forests in the lowlands of Costa Rica

Journal of Ecology

Phenology of fleshy fruits in a wet sclerophyll forest in southeastern Australia: Are birds an important influence?

Oecologia

What induces central Australian arid zone trees and shrubs to flower and fruit?

Australian Journal of Botany

Interspecific pollen transfer as a mechanism for competition: consequences of foreign pollen contamination for seed set in an alpine wildflower, Polemonium viscosum.

Oecologia

Consequences of emergence phenology for reproductive success in Ranunculus adoneus (Ranunculaceae)

American Journal of Botany

Seed germination in a seasonal tropical forest in Panama: A community study

Ecological Monographs

Character displacement in flowering phenologies

Oecologia

Variation in genome size — an ecological interpretation

Nature

Nuclear DNA contents, shoot phenology and species co-existence in a limestone grassland community

New Phytologist

Flowering records of some subalpine trees and shrubs at Arthur's Pass, New Zealand