How is climate change causing phenological reshuffling, and how does this influence species interactions and coexistence?

Changes in phenology (the timing of life cycle events such as bud burst, insect emergence, bird migration, etc.) have been important early indicators of climate change. The effects of shifting phenology may cascade through ecological levels, from altered physiology and performance of individuals, to population dynamics, to community interactions and ecosystem processes. We are using a combination of field studies, common garden experiments, and historical databases to ask how phenological changes influence species interactions, population dynamics, and species coexistence.

Warming and species coexistence

Led by Sarah Erskine, we’ve been using experimental warming open-top warming chambers (OTCs) to test how climate warming may influence species’ phenologies, their interactions, and ultimately coexistence of species within communities.

Germination timing trade-offs

In many ecosystems, there can be a lot of variation among species in the timing of phenology. In the northwest prairies of the Willamette Valley, there is a remarkable amount of variation in their germination times both among species and even within species. We have been interested in quantifying this variation and experimenting to see what the consequences are for species’ demography, species interactions, and ultimately species coexistence.

Phenological differences and coexistence

We’ve been conducting a series of experiments aimed at understanding how the timing of germination affects species interactions and coexistence

Key publications

  • Diez, J., Schlauch, J., DuCharme, E., Collings, J., & Erskine, S. (2024). Germination phenology alters species coexistence outcomes. Journal of Ecology, 00, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14382
  • stay tuned in 2025… 🙂