Biology Department, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 USA;
Am J Bot. 2004 Aug;91(8):1260-4. doi: 10.3732/ajb.91.8.1260.
Museum specimens collected in the past may be a valuable source of information on the response of species to climate change. This idea was tested by comparing the flowering times during the year 2003 of 229 living plants growing at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with 372 records of flowering times from 1885 to 2002 using herbarium specimens of the same individual plants. During this period, Boston experienced a 1.5°C increase in mean annual temperature. Flowering times became progressively earlier; plants flowered 8 d earlier from 1980 to 2002 than they did from 1900 to 1920. Most of this shift toward earlier flowering times is explained by the influence of temperature, especially temperatures in the months of February, March, April, and May, on flowering time. Plants with a long flowering duration appear to be as useful for detecting responses to changing temperatures as plants with a short flowering duration. Additional studies using herbarium specimens to detect responses to climate change could examine specimens from specific, intensively collected localities, such as mountain peaks, islands, and unique habitats.
过去采集的博物馆标本可能是了解物种对气候变化反应的宝贵信息来源。为了验证这一想法，研究人员比较了美国马萨诸塞州波士顿阿诺德植物园（Arnold Arboretum）229 株活体植物在 2003 年的开花时间，以及使用同一株植物的标本馆标本记录的 1885 年至 2002 年的 372 个开花时间记录。在此期间，波士顿的年平均气温上升了 1.5°C。开花时间逐渐提前；与 1900 年至 1920 年相比，1980 年至 2002 年植物的开花时间提前了 8 天。这种向更早开花时间的转变主要归因于温度的影响，尤其是 2 月、3 月、4 月和 5 月的温度对开花时间的影响。开花时间较长的植物在检测对气候变化的响应方面似乎与开花时间较短的植物一样有用。使用标本馆标本检测对气候变化的响应的进一步研究可以检查来自特定、密集采集地点的标本，如山顶、岛屿和独特的栖息地。
