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By analyzing almost four decades of archival footage of the Tour of Flanders, researchers from the University of Ghent were able to detect the impacts of climate change on trees. Their results were published today in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution .
Focusing on the trees and shrubs that develop around recognizable climbs and other "landmarks" along this great annual cycling race in Belgium, the team watched video sequences from 1981 to 2016 obtained by the Flemish broadcaster VRT. They visually estimated how many leaves and flowers were present on the day of the course (usually in early April) and linked their scores to climate data.
Ecologists have found that trees have advanced the timing of flowering in response to recent temperature changes. Before 1990, almost no trees had sprouted at the time of the spring race. After this year, more and more trees visible in the television images – especially magnolia, hawthorn, charm and birch – were already in full leaf.
These changes were most strongly related to warmer average temperatures in the region. "Early leaf trees can be good news for some species because they grow faster and produce more wood," explains Professor Pieter De Frenne from the University of Ghent, lead author of this study. "However, their leaves also cast shadows and when trees rinse earlier in the year, they darken longer, affecting other animals and plants, or even whole ecosystems." [19659005] "Some flowers grow under these trees Insects can therefore do without nectar and may have trouble finding enough places to tan," he adds.
Phenology – the study of natural phenomena that recur periodically, such as leafing. and flowering – is mainly based on long-term observations and repeated photographs, with data often biased towards common species or geographical areas. In this study, archival images allowed researchers to use previously untapped records of twelve tree species in the Flemish region to construct long-term phenological data sets.
"Our method could also be used to collect data on other aspects important for ecological or evolutionary research, such as tree health, water levels in rivers and lakes, and the spread of invasive species.It is only by compiling past data that we can predict the future effects of climate change on species and ecosystems.Television images of cycling races lend themselves well to research because they have relatively fixed routes and are organized around the globe, which allows us to study a diverse range of species and places that are currently little studied. [19659005] De Frenne does note that researchers could also take advantage of video material from other annual sporting events such as marathons, golf tournaments and rally races, or even the coverage of new lles featuring outdoor concerts or emblematic monuments surrounded by trees.
Learn more:
New study could improve tropical tree monitoring for climate change
More information:
Pieter De Frenne, Lisa Van Langenhove, Alain Vandriessche, Cédric Bertrand, Kris Verheyen and Pieter Vangansbeke (2018) "Using Archived Video Television Sequences to Quantify Phenological Responses to Climate Change" Methods in Ecology and Evolution ( 2018)). DOI: 10.1111 / 2041-210X.13024
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