Warming and shifting phenology accelerate an invasive plant life cycle.

ABSTRACT: Numerous studies have documented changes in the seasonal timing of organisms' growth and reproduction in response to climate warming. These changes correlate with documented changes in species' abundance, but mechanisms linking these trends remain elusive. We investigated the joint demographic effects of advanced reproductive phenology and warming on a globally invasive plant (Carduus nutans) in a field experiment, documenting a substantial shift toward completion of the life cycle at younger ages. Demographic modeling projected 71% of warmed individuals flower as annuals, compared to 61% under current conditions. As this species only reproduces once, this represents a major acceleration of the life cycle. We project a 15% increase in this invader's population growth rate. We show that ris

SUBMITTER: Keller JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7816242 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature