AI Article Synopsis
- High interannual variation in seed production in perennial plants, like European beech, can significantly impact ecosystems across large areas.
- Researchers found that this masting synchrony is influenced by weather conditions that affect distant populations simultaneously, a concept called the Moran effect.
- The summer solstice acts as a celestial cue that triggers these trees to respond to temperature changes at the same time, leading to synchronized ecological events across Europe.
Article Abstract
High interannual variation in seed production in perennial plants can be synchronized at subcontinental scales with wide consequences for ecosystem functioning, but how such synchrony is generated is unclear. We investigated the factors contributing to masting synchrony in European beech (Fagus sylvatica), which extends to a geographic range of 2,000 km. Maximizing masting synchrony via spatial weather coordination, known as the Moran effect, requires a simultaneous response to weather conditions across distant populations. A celestial cue that occurs simultaneously across the entire hemisphere is the longest day (the summer solstice). We show that European beech abruptly opens its temperature-sensing window on the solstice, and hence widely separated populations all start responding to weather signals in the same week. This celestial 'starting gun' generates ecological events with high spatial synchrony across the continent.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01651-w | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!