Bogdziewicz Michał, Hacket-Pain Andrew, Kelly Dave, Thomas Peter A, Lageard Jonathan, Tanentzap Andrew J
Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Glob Chang Biol. 2021 May;27(9):1952-1961. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15560. Epub 2021 Mar 4.
Climate change is altering patterns of seed production worldwide with consequences for population recruitment and migration potential. For the many species that regenerate through synchronized, quasiperiodic reproductive events termed masting, these changes include decreases in the synchrony and interannual variation in seed production. This breakdown in the occurrence of masting features harms reproduction by decreasing the efficiency of pollination and increasing seed predation. Changes in masting are often paralleled by warming temperatures, but the underlying proximate mechanisms are unknown. We used a unique 39-year study of 139 European beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees that experienced masting breakdown to track the seed developmental cycle and pinpoint phases where weather effects on seed production have changed over time. A cold followed by warm summer led to large coordinated flowering efforts among plants. However, trees failed to respond to the weather signal as summers warmed and the frequency of reproductive cues changed fivefold. Less synchronous flowering resulted in less efficient pollination that further decreased the synchrony of seed maturation. As global temperatures are expected to increase this century, perennial plants that fine-tune their reproductive schedules based on temperature cues may suffer regeneration failures.
气候变化正在改变全球种子生产模式，对种群补充和迁徙潜力产生影响。对于许多通过被称为大年结实的同步、准周期性繁殖事件进行更新的物种而言，这些变化包括种子生产同步性的降低和年际变化。大年结实特征的这种破坏会降低授粉效率并增加种子捕食，从而损害繁殖。大年结实的变化通常与气温升高同时出现，但其潜在的直接机制尚不清楚。我们对139棵经历了大年结实破坏的欧洲山毛榉（欧洲水青冈）树进行了一项为期39年的独特研究，以追踪种子发育周期，并确定随着时间推移天气对种子生产产生影响的阶段。先是寒冷随后温暖夏季导致植物之间出现大规模协调一致的开花行为。然而，随着夏季变暖以及繁殖信号频率变化了五倍，树木未能对天气信号做出反应。开花同步性降低导致授粉效率降低，进而进一步降低了种子成熟的同步性。由于预计本世纪全球气温将上升，那些根据温度信号微调其繁殖时间表的多年生植物可能会遭遇更新失败。
