Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Dynamics of arrival timing of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) in area of Kyiv since the middle of XIXth century

<strong>Dynamics of arrival timing of the White Stork (<em>Ciconia ciconia</em>) in area of Kyiv since the middle of XIXth century. - V.N. Grishchenko. - Berkut. 25 (1). 2016.</strong> - On the base of literature sources, own observations and other data, I have compiled the almost continuous series of arrival dates since 1895. There were also observations for 1843–1852. Appearance of first storks in the area was registered (not necessarily in nests). During the whole study period, the arrival timing changed and these changes were non-linear. In general, the dynamics of dates can be described by the linear trend but the polynomial makes it more exactly. There were two periods of significant changes of timing in XXth century: at the end of its first half, arrival dates delayed and during the last decades they advanced. These periods differed not only by directions of changes but also by the duration. The first period was very brief and did not affect the overall picture. The second one was much longer and determinant the general tendency. It continued also in first decades of XXIth century. In total, since the end of XIXth century or beginning of XXth century, the speed of changes by the linear trend made about 1 day in 10 years. Results of analysis of shorter time series (significance and values of coefficient of linear regression) depended on chosen period. The arrival of the White Stork correlated with the air temperatures in Kyiv: with mean temperatures of March ((r = –0,46; p < 0,001) and the whole year (r = –0,52; p < 0,001). This relation was more expressed for the warming period since last decades of XXth century. Fluctuations of arrival dates were sizeable. The mean absolute value of deviations from the long-term average date made 5,4 ± 0,4 days (range: 1–17). The amplitude of fluctuations was not equal during the whole study period. It raised in decades with considerable changes of timing and moreover directions of deviations were synchronized. [Russian]

b_stork2003.pdf

<div>Data on Black Stork migration was collected from 1973 till 2000 for the spring passage and from 1964 till 2000 for the autumn migration. They were grouped based on administrative regions of the country. In spring, Black Storks arrive generally during the second half of March and the first half of April. In West Ukraine, the migration begins earlier. The course of migration is similar to that of White Stork. Periods of autumn migration are more extended and more variable. Normal autumn migration occurs in August and September. The last birds are observed from the end of August till October.</div

Synthesis and structural characterization of a liquid polyisoprene bearing amidoxime end groups

International audienc

Differences in spatial versus temporal reaction norms for spring and autumn phenological events

For species to stay temporally tuned to their environment, they use cues such as the accumulation of degree-days. The relationships between the timing of a phenological event in a population and its environmental cue can be described by a population-level reaction norm. Variation in reaction norms along environmental gradients may either intensify the environmental effects on timing (cogradient variation) or attenuate the effects (countergradient variation). To resolve spatial and seasonal variation in species' response, we use a unique dataset of 91 taxa and 178 phenological events observed across a network of 472 monitoring sites, spread across the nations of the former Soviet Union. We show that compared to local rates of advancement of phenological events with the advancement of temperature-related cues (i.e., variation within site over years), spatial variation in reaction norms tend to accentuate responses in spring (cogradient variation) and attenuate them in autumn (countergradient variation). As a result, among-population variation in the timing of events is greater in spring and less in autumn than if all populations followed the same reaction norm regardless of location. Despite such signs of local adaptation, overall phenotypic plasticity was not sufficient for phenological events to keep exact pace with their cues-the earlier the year, the more did the timing of the phenological event lag behind the timing of the cue. Overall, these patterns suggest that differences in the spatial versus temporal reaction norms will affect species' response to climate change in opposite ways in spring and autumn