Testing Hopkins' Bioclimatic Law with PhenoCam data.

ABSTRACT:

Premise of the study

We investigated the spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation phenology with phenometrics derived from PhenoCam imagery. Specifically, we evaluated the Bioclimatic Law proposed by Hopkins, which relates phenological transitions to latitude, longitude, and elevation.

Methods

"Green-up" and "green-down" dates-representing the start and end of the annual cycles of vegetation activity-were estimated from measures of canopy greenness calculated from digital repeat photography. We used data from 65 deciduous broadleaf (DB) forest sites, 18 evergreen needleleaf (EN) forest sites, and 21 grassland (GR) sites.

Results

DB green-up dates were well correlated with mean annual temperature and varied along spatial gradients consistent with the Bioclimatic Law

SUBMITTER: Richardson AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6426166 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature