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Forests
Special Issues
Forest Phenology Dynamics and Response to Climate Change
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Forest Phenology Dynamics and Response to Climate Change

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 June 2025 | Viewed by 1137

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jie Gao

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Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, China
Interests: climate change; plant functional traits
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Weiwei Huang

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Guest Editor
Bamboo Research Institute, College of Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: climate change; plant growth
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Peijian Shi

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Guest Editor
Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: phenological prediction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ülo Niinemets

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Guest Editor
Chair of Crop Science and Plant Biology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
Interests: plant physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of climate change, phenology has become a significant hotspot in biology and geography. Climate warming advances or delays forest phenology in spring, leaving complex ecological imprints on plant strategies. These impacts are observed in the effects of rising temperatures on chilling unit accumulation and forcing temperatures, alterations in plant functional traits, and shifts in plant competition, especially after extreme climate events such as forest fires and floods, which disrupt plant communities. In this Special Issue, we aim to explore methods that are currently used to predict tree phenology under changing climatic conditions. This includes mechanistic models, statistical approaches, and machine learning techniques that address the dynamics of phenological shifts. More importantly, we seek to identify and address open research needs in this field. Specific challenges include understanding how climate-driven changes in phenology affect interspecies interactions, ecosystem services, and long-term forest sustainability. We call for contributions that not only advance our understanding of these phenomena but also propose innovative solutions and frameworks for predicting and mitigating phenological disruptions in forest ecosystems. By focusing on these pressing questions, this Special Issue strives to fill critical gaps in the field and foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers in biology, geography, and environmental sciences.

We would like to invite you to contribute to solving the following scientific issues (not limited to the following topics):

  • To develop new phenological prediction methods or compare the available approaches of phenological prediction, particularly the spring phenological prediction of plants.
  • To exhibit which has more largely influenced the occurrence times of phenological events, the reduction in chilling accumulation or the increase in forcing temperatures.
  • To explore how forest disturbances such as wildfires, windstorms, and pest outbreaks influence phenological changes and their cascading effects on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation.
  • To explore how forest disturbances such as wildfires, windstorms, and pest outbreaks influence phenological changes and their cascading effects on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation.
  • The influences of climate change on tree growth, forest succession, and the allocation of biomass to different plant functional traits.

This Special Issue aims to collect articles associated with the above topics. Original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jie Gao
Dr. Weiwei Huang
Dr. Peijian Shi
Prof. Dr. Ülo Niinemets
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest phenology
  • climate change
  • functional traits
  • vegetation dynamics
  • phenological responses
  • ecosystem functioning
  • carbon sequestration
  • temperature sensitivity
  • plant–climate interaction
  • biodiversity conservation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2163 KiB  
Article
Intra-Plant Variation in Leaf Dry Mass per Area (LMA): Effects of Leaf–Shoot Orientation and Vertical Position on Dry Mass and Area Scaling
by Xuchen Guo, Yiwen Zheng, Yuanmiao Chen, Zhidong Zhou and Jianhui Xue
Forests 2025, 16(5), 724; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050724 - 24 Apr 2025
Viewed by 187
Abstract
The intra-plant plasticity of leaves plays a vital role in enabling plants to adapt to changing climatic conditions. However, limited research has investigated the extent of intra-plant leaf trait variation and leaf biomass allocation strategies in herbaceous plants. To address this gap, we [...] Read more.
The intra-plant plasticity of leaves plays a vital role in enabling plants to adapt to changing climatic conditions. However, limited research has investigated the extent of intra-plant leaf trait variation and leaf biomass allocation strategies in herbaceous plants. To address this gap, we collected a total of 1746 leaves from 217 Lamium barbatum Siebold and Zucc. plants and measured their leaf dry mass (M) and leaf area (A). Leaves were categorized by vertical position (upper vs. lower canopy layer) and leaf–shoot orientation (east, south, west, north). ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD test was used to compare differences in M, A, and leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA). Reduced major axis regression was employed to evaluate the scaling relationship between M and A, and the bootstrap percentile method was used to determine differences in scaling exponents. The data indicated that: (i) M, A, LMA, and the scaling exponents of M versus A did not differ significantly among leaf–shoot orientations, and (ii) lower layer leaves exhibited significantly greater M, A, and LMA than upper layer leaves, but their scaling exponents were significantly smaller. These findings highlight that plant vertical growth brings significant intra-plant plasticity in leaf traits and their scaling relationships in herbaceous plants. This plasticity differs from that observed in trees, but is also critical for balancing weight load and optimizing light-use efficiency, potentially enhancing stress resilience in herbaceous plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Phenology Dynamics and Response to Climate Change)
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16 pages, 4803 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of the Impact of Latitude on the Root-Shoot Ratio of Natural and Planted Forests
by Jianxiao Su, Mengyao Yu, Xueting Zhang, Jiali Xu and Jie Gao
Forests 2025, 16(3), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16030381 - 20 Feb 2025
Viewed by 523
Abstract
The forest root-shoot ratio (R/S) is an important indicator of the structure and function of forest ecosystems. It reflects the adaptive strategies of plants to environmental changes, and its pattern of change along the latitudinal gradient is of great significance for understanding the [...] Read more.
The forest root-shoot ratio (R/S) is an important indicator of the structure and function of forest ecosystems. It reflects the adaptive strategies of plants to environmental changes, and its pattern of change along the latitudinal gradient is of great significance for understanding the response of forest ecosystems to environmental changes. Although numerous studies have addressed the relationship between climate, soil conditions, and the ratio of below-ground biomass to above-ground biomass (R/S) at the local scale, the pattern of R/S variations along the latitudinal gradient in different types of forests, as well as the dominant factors, remain unclear. This study, based on field surveys and literature collected from 2005 to 2020 on 384 planted forests and 541 natural forests in China, investigates the patterns of forest root-shoot ratio variation along latitudinal gradients in planted and natural forests. The study demonstrated a positive correlation between forest R/S ratio and increasing latitudinal gradients across different forest types, including planted and natural forests (p < 0.001). The results demonstrated a negative correlation between R/S in both planted and natural forests and mean annual temperature, annual precipitation and soil phosphorus content. Conversely, a positive correlation was observed between R/S and soil nitrogen content and soil pH. It can be observed that plantation forests are more susceptible to alterations in forest factors than natural forests. Latitudinal patterns can not only directly affect the R/S of planted and natural forests, but also affect forest R/S by influencing climate and forest factors and the interactions of the factors together. Our study distinguishes the pattern of R/S changes along the latitudinal gradient in planted and natural forests and its influencing factors. These findings are important for understanding the pattern changes in different forest ecosystems and provide a theoretical basis for efficiently guiding forest management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Phenology Dynamics and Response to Climate Change)
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10 pages, 3575 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Fluctuation of Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Different Organs of Four Tree Species in Subtropical Forests
by Minggang Guo, Guoqin Liang, Feng Lu, Biyun Yu, Yangyang Chen, Diego Ismael Rodríguez-Hernández, Xiao Suo and Xiali Guo
Forests 2025, 16(2), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020356 - 17 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 413
Abstract
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are important carbon pools in trees, and previous studies have mainly focused on the concentration of NSC in tree organs such as leaves, branches, trunk, and root, separately. However, the seasonality of the concentration of NSC in different organs among [...] Read more.
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are important carbon pools in trees, and previous studies have mainly focused on the concentration of NSC in tree organs such as leaves, branches, trunk, and root, separately. However, the seasonality of the concentration of NSC in different organs among tree species in the subtropical forests is less known. In this study, we measured the seasonal dynamics of the concentration of NSC in four tree species (Nothotsuga longibracteata W. C. Cheng, Pinus kwangtungensis Chun ex Tsiang, Schima superba Gardn. et Champ, and Betula alnoides Buch.-Ham. Ex D.Don) in subtropical forests at organ levels including canopy, trunk, and root. The results showed that the concentration of NSC in conifer species was higher than that in broadleaf species. Also, the average concentration and range of the concentration of NSC were higher in the canopy than in other organs. The concentration of NSC decreased at the beginning of the growing season and increased at the end of the growing season for all species. Specifically, the concentration of NSC in tree species was significantly higher in the dry season than that in the wet season. Our results revealed the seasonal dynamics of NSC in different organs, which is beneficial to a better understanding of the growth strategies of different tree species in subtropical regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Phenology Dynamics and Response to Climate Change)
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