Majority of Flowers in Doñana National Park in Spain Begins to Bloom Weeks Earlier Than Usual [Study]

Flowering began earlier in Doñana National Park at the southwestern extreme of Spain. The park's plants have reportedly started blooming weeks earlier than they did decades ago.

Early Flowering in Spain Due To Climate Change

Environmental cues such as temperature changes and increases in nutrients and water cause flowers to bloom, which is why spring is named in the first place. We see blossoms bursting through melting snow.

According to a new study, these days, the perfect flowering circumstances arrive a few weeks early in the southwestern Spanish park of Doñana. The park's flora believes it is the first week of May when, in fact, it is still mid-April due to minimum temperatures that are 2°C higher than average temperatures that have increased by only one degree Celsius (or about 1.8 °F).

The park is home to over 875 native plant species. Gardeners will recognize lavender, rosemary, thyme, carnation, oleander, spurge, juniper, and blackberries.

Researchers from the University of Seville in Spain and São Paulo State University in Brazil, with access to 35 years of flowering data for 51 species of shrubs, bushes, and trees, were able to track the community's peak flowering time, arriving earlier each year: it now peaks 22 days earlier than first recorded in the 1980s.

According to the research, many plants in Doñana National Park have altered their biological cycles, which are examined as part of the scientific discipline known as "phenology" due to climate change.

This study found that 80% of the flower species started blossoming earlier in the season, and 68% finished flowering sooner.

Of all the species under study, rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) has had the greatest shift in flowering, currently blooming 92 days earlier.

Not all species are experiencing the same transition; many flowers have been around for longer than formerly, resulting in overlapping new combinations of flowering times. If more than half of the study's insect-pollinated species suddenly vie for attention, there may be severe overcrowding.

However, over 40% of species pollinated by insects unintentionally moved their blossoming away from possible rivals by creating new openings.

Therefore, the flowers spread their petals earlier, and the optimal flowering circumstances arrived sooner. However, nearly every species in this study depends on insect pollination to grow, and insects depend on flowers for food.

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What Is Phenology?

Phenology is the examination of events or phenomena. The word "Pheno" is derived from a Greek word that means "to show, to bring to light, to make appear."

Phenology records and analyzes the dates of recurring natural events (such as a plant blooming or a migrant bird making its first or last appearance) in connection with seasonal climate variations. Thus, phenology integrates weather and ecology.

In temperate settings, temperature is usually invariably the meteorological element that has the most significant impact on repeated events; in tropical regions, it could be humidity, rainfall, or some other aspect.

The average date of natural events is typically determined by variations in the length of the day, which is not consistent from year to year but varies throughout the year in a particular area on the same date every year. When it comes to resident species, these local occurrences are impacted by past weather patterns in the region. However, migratory animals are affected by the weather before, during, and after migrations.

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