An international group of researchers, spearheaded by Professor Michał Bogdziewicz from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, found that numerous long-lived plants are adjusting their seed production in response to shifting climatic patterns by leveraging meteorological events.
Their findings, published in the esteemed Nature Plants journal, indicate that plants are capable of coordinating their reproductive periods across extensive distances, covering thousands of kilometers. The study showed that during years with plentiful seeds following times of scarcity, these seeds become accessible to various species across whole continents. This widespread synchronization significantly influences food webs, impacting populations of rodents, animal migrations, and the prevalence of wildlife-borne diseases.
According to the research, climatic conditions, particularly summer temperatures, are the primary drivers of this synchronized seed production. Plants like the European beech use the temperatures of June and July as cues to initiate reproduction. Remarkably, despite differing local climates, beeches throughout Europe follow a similar reproductive pattern, a finding that defies expectations considering the regional temperature variances.
Project associates Dr. Valentin Journé and Dr. Jakub Szymkowiak, also from Adam Mickiewicz University, pinpointed the summer solstice as a pivotal moment for beeches to start reacting to temperature cues. This is the day when daylight reaches its peak duration and the rate of change in day length is at its lowest. Despite the subtle nature of these changes, trees are able to detect them and enter their “window of sensitivity.”
This research highlights that astronomical signals, particularly the summer solstice, play an essential role in enabling regional seed-bearing synchronization among plants. Such astronomical influences allow the European beech and other plant species to produce ecological events that are highly synchronized over vast geographic areas.
