Spatial and temporal changes in leaf coloring date of Acer palmatum and Ginkgo biloba in response to temperature increases in South Korea

Chang-Kyun Park; Chang-Hoi Ho; Su-Jong Jeong; Eun Ju Lee; Jinwon Kim

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174390

Spatial and temporal changes in leaf coloring date of Acer palmatum and Ginkgo biloba in response to temperature increases in South Korea

PLoS One. 2017 Mar 27;12(3):e0174390. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174390. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Chang-Kyun Park¹, Chang-Hoi Ho¹, Su-Jong Jeong², Eun Ju Lee³, Jinwon Kim⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² School of Environmental Science and Engineering, South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen, China.
³ School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Abstract

Understanding shifts in autumn phenology associated with climate changes is critical for preserving forest ecosystems. This study examines the changes in the leaf coloring date (LCD) of two temperate deciduous tree species, Acer palmatum (Acer) and Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo), in response to surface air temperature (Ts) changes at 54 stations of South Korea for the period 1989-2007. The variations of Acer and Ginkgo in South Korea are very similar: they show the same mean LCD of 295th day of the year and delays of about 0.45 days year-1 during the observation period. The delaying trend is closely correlated (correlation coefficient > 0.77) with increases in Ts in mid-autumn by 2.8 days °C-1. It is noted that the LCD delaying and temperature sensitivity (days °C-1) for both tree species show negligible dependences on latitudes and elevations. Given the significant LCD-Ts relation, we project LCD changes for 2016-35 and 2046-65 using a process-based model forced by temperature from climate model simulation. The projections indicate that the mean LCD would be further delayed by 3.2 (3.7) days in 2016-35 (2046-65) due to mid-autumn Ts increases. This study suggests that the mid-autumn warming is largely responsible for the observed LCD changes in South Korea and will intensify the delaying trends in the future.

MeSH terms

Acer / physiology*
Climate Change
Color*
Ecosystem
Ginkgo biloba / physiology*
Models, Theoretical
Plant Leaves / physiology*
Republic of Korea
Seasons*
Temperature*

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) as part of the Climate Change Correspondence Program. The work by JK and CKP were partially supported by salaries from the MOE under the Climate Change Correspondence Program. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. No additional external funding was received for this study.