Abstract

The seasonality of Mediterranean-climate shrublands in California is reflected in the progression of physiological and phenological characteristics of the dominant shrub species. The progression of phenological stages and plant water stress was followed for 2 yr in three dominant chaparral shrubs, Adenostoma fasciculatum, Ceanothus cuneatus, and Arctostaphylos viscida, in the foothills of Sequoia National Park. Ceanothus has a simultaneous progression of phenological stages; branch elongation, leaf initiation, and flowering occur together. In Adenostoma, vegetative and reproductive growth are sequential. Arctostaphylos has a protracted sequence of reproductive development with flower buds forming in late spring of the season before flowering. Physiological plant functions also have seasonal cycles in which some stages are more vulnerable to environmental perturbations than others.

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