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Historical tree phenology data reveal the seasonal rhythms of the Congo Basin rainforest

Elizabeth Kearsley (UGent) , Hans Verbeeck (UGent) , Piet Stoffelen, Steven Janssens, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu (UGent) , Margaret Kosmala, Tom De Mil (UGent) , Marijn Bauters (UGent) , Elasi Ramanzani Kitima, José Mbifo Ndiapo, et al.
(2024) PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS. 5(2). p.1-15
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Abstract
Tropical forest phenology directly affects regional carbon cycles, but the relation between species‐specific and whole‐canopy phenology remains largely uncharacterized. We present a unique analysis of historical tropical tree phenology collected in the central Congo Basin, before large‐scale impacts of human‐induced climate change. Ground‐based long‐term (1937–1956) phenological observations of 140 tropical tree species are recovered, species‐specific phenological patterns analyzed and related to historical meteorological records, and scaled to characterize stand‐level canopy dynamics. High phenological variability within and across species and in climate–phenology relationships is observed. The onset of leaf phenophases in deciduous species was triggered by drought and light availability for a subset of species and showed a species‐specific decoupling in time along a bi‐modal seasonality. The majority of the species remain evergreen, although central African forests experience relatively low rainfall. Annually a maximum of 1.5% of the canopy is in leaf senescence or leaf turnover, with overall phenological variability dominated by a few deciduous species, while substantial variability is attributed to asynchronous events of large and/or abundant trees. Our results underscore the importance of accounting for constituent signals in canopy‐wide scaling and the interpretation of remotely sensed phenology signals.
Keywords
leaf senescence, leaf turnover, phenology, scaling, tropical forest, q-forestlab, CBCE

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MLA
Kearsley, Elizabeth, et al. “Historical Tree Phenology Data Reveal the Seasonal Rhythms of the Congo Basin Rainforest.” PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, vol. 5, no. 2, 2024, pp. 1–15, doi:10.1002/pei3.10136.
APA
Kearsley, E., Verbeeck, H., Stoffelen, P., Janssens, S., Kasongo Yakusu, E., Kosmala, M., … Hufkens, K. (2024). Historical tree phenology data reveal the seasonal rhythms of the Congo Basin rainforest. PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, 5(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10136
Chicago author-date
Kearsley, Elizabeth, Hans Verbeeck, Piet Stoffelen, Steven Janssens, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu, Margaret Kosmala, Tom De Mil, et al. 2024. “Historical Tree Phenology Data Reveal the Seasonal Rhythms of the Congo Basin Rainforest.” PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS 5 (2): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10136.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Kearsley, Elizabeth, Hans Verbeeck, Piet Stoffelen, Steven Janssens, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu, Margaret Kosmala, Tom De Mil, Marijn Bauters, Elasi Ramanzani Kitima, José Mbifo Ndiapo, Adelard Lonema Chuda, Andrew D. Richardson, Lisa Wingate, Bhely Angoboy Ilondea, Hans Beeckman, Jan Van den Bulcke, Pascal Boeckx, and Koen Hufkens. 2024. “Historical Tree Phenology Data Reveal the Seasonal Rhythms of the Congo Basin Rainforest.” PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS 5 (2): 1–15. doi:10.1002/pei3.10136.
Vancouver
1.
Kearsley E, Verbeeck H, Stoffelen P, Janssens S, Kasongo Yakusu E, Kosmala M, et al. Historical tree phenology data reveal the seasonal rhythms of the Congo Basin rainforest. PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS. 2024;5(2):1–15.
IEEE
[1]
E. Kearsley et al., “Historical tree phenology data reveal the seasonal rhythms of the Congo Basin rainforest,” PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1–15, 2024.
@article{01HV6PD6NYHTA03QAX8ST1B2XV,
  abstract     = {{Tropical forest phenology directly affects regional carbon cycles, but the relation between species‐specific and whole‐canopy phenology remains largely uncharacterized. We present a unique analysis of historical tropical tree phenology collected in the central Congo Basin, before large‐scale impacts of human‐induced climate change. Ground‐based long‐term (1937–1956) phenological observations of 140 tropical tree species are recovered, species‐specific phenological patterns analyzed and related to historical meteorological records, and scaled to characterize stand‐level canopy dynamics. High phenological variability within and across species and in climate–phenology relationships is observed. The onset of leaf phenophases in deciduous species was triggered by drought and light availability for a subset of species and showed a species‐specific decoupling in time along a bi‐modal seasonality. The majority of the species remain evergreen, although central African forests experience relatively low rainfall. Annually a maximum of 1.5% of the canopy is in leaf senescence or leaf turnover, with overall phenological variability dominated by a few deciduous species, while substantial variability is attributed to asynchronous events of large and/or abundant trees. Our results underscore the importance of accounting for constituent signals in canopy‐wide scaling and the interpretation of remotely sensed phenology signals.}},
  articleno    = {{e10136}},
  author       = {{Kearsley, Elizabeth and Verbeeck, Hans and Stoffelen, Piet and Janssens, Steven and Kasongo Yakusu, Emmanuel and Kosmala, Margaret and De Mil, Tom and Bauters, Marijn and Kitima, Elasi Ramanzani and Ndiapo, José Mbifo and Chuda, Adelard Lonema and Richardson, Andrew D. and Wingate, Lisa and Angoboy Ilondea, Bhely and Beeckman, Hans and Van den Bulcke, Jan and Boeckx, Pascal and Hufkens, Koen}},
  issn         = {{2575-6265}},
  journal      = {{PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS}},
  keywords     = {{leaf senescence,leaf turnover,phenology,scaling,tropical forest,q-forestlab,CBCE}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{e10136:1--e10136:15}},
  title        = {{Historical tree phenology data reveal the seasonal rhythms of the Congo Basin rainforest}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10136}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}
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