Publications

Zhu, WB; Lu, Y (2025). Spatio-temporal patterns and climatic drivers of spring phenology in eight forest communities across the north-south transitional zone of China. JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES, 35(1), 17-38.

Abstract
The Qinba Mountains are climatically and ecologically recognized as the north-south transitional zone of China. Analysis of its phenology is critical for comprehending the response of vegetation to climatic change. We retrieved the start of spring phenology (SOS) of eight forest communities from the MODIS products and adopted it as an indicator for spring phenology. Trend analysis, partial correlation analysis, and GeoDetector were employed to reveal the spatio-temporal patterns and climatic drivers of SOS. The results indicated that the SOS presented an advance trend from 2001 to 2020, with a mean rate of -0.473 d yr-1. The SOS of most forests correlated negatively with air temperature (TEMP) and positively with precipitation (PRE), suggesting that rising TEMP and increasing PRE in spring would forward and delay SOS, respectively. The dominant factors influencing the sensitivity of SOS to climatic variables were altitude, forest type, and latitude, while the effects of slope and aspect were relatively minor. The response of SOS to climatic factors varied significantly in space and among forest communities, partly due to the influence of altitude, slope, and aspect.

DOI:
10.1007/s11442-024-2304-1

ISSN:
1861-9568