Seasonal aridity regulates drivers and temporal variability of wood phenology: A meta-analysis of dendrometer monitoring data across the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract

The secondary growth phenology of trees, also known as wood phenology, plays a vital role in assessing the timing of carbon sequestration in forests. However, its spatio-temporal variability and determinants in the Northern Hemisphere remain debated. Here, we presented a meta-analysis using secondary growth phenology data based on dendrometer monitoring of 59 tree species and 84 sites to explore the drivers and temporal connections of phenology across seasonal arid and humid regions in the Northern Hemisphere. We found spring temperatures and precipitation co-regulated the start of secondary growth (SOG) in spring arid regions, and SOG advanced with the increase in spring temperatures and precipitation. However, SOG was only influenced by spring temperatures in spring humid regions. The end of secondary growth (EOG) indicated strong correlations with autumn temperatures only in autumn arid regions but not in humid regions. Interestingly, the earlier SOG promoted advancement of the time of maximum secondary growth rate (MOG) and EOG both in seasonal humid and arid regions, while the end of secondary growth in the previous year (prEOG) negatively affected SOG only in seasonal arid regions. The legacy effects of previous phenological events on subsequent ones should be integrated into phenological prediction models to help accurately assess global carbon, water, and energy cycles.