Format: ORAL

Andros Solakis Tena, Federico Casimiro-Soriguer Solanas Noelia Hidalgo Triana

Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain

Plant phenology is linked to environmental variables. However, in the last century, the global temperature (T) has increased by 1.1 C, which has caused severe climatic changes that have affected the phenology of Mediterranean plants. In our study, conducted across the western Mediterranean area of the Baetic Range, we used data from herbariums to assess the phenological trends of 98 dominant species from Habitats of Community Interest (Group 4, 5, and 9), along with endemic plants and the overall phenology of the bioclimatic thermotypes present in the area, all over the past 200 years. Significant changes and trends in the day of year (DOY) were detected in the studied phenophases of 71 species, whereas 27 showed no changes. In response to the time variable, seven species displayed significant shifts in the preflowering (FBF), 17 in the flowering (F), one in the fruiting (FS), and 10 in the growth (DVG) phenophase. In response to long-term climatic variables, 16 species showed no changes in FBF, whereas 22 did so in at least one. In F, 23 showed no changes whereas 49 did; in FS, 7 did not, whereas 13 did; and in DVG, 21 did not, whereas 29 did. Regarding overall phenology DOY with time, the thermo-Mediterranean (TM) thermotype showed no changes in the FBF and FS phenophases, whereas advances appeared in F and DVG. In the meso-supra-Mediterranean (MSM) and oro-cryoro-Mediterranean (OCM) thermotypes, all phenophases showed advancing trends. The DOY against climatic variables in the TM thermotypes showed advances in FBF and F, while FS showed no changes, and DVG advanced when P decreased. In the MSM and OCM thermotypes, all phenophases showed trends of advance.  Tendencies were stronger in the orophilic than thermophilic group. Those results show the influence of climate change in the phenology of western Mediterranean flora.