By Janitssa Rodoli
This photo displays a variety of phenological anomalies; i.e., plants blooming in their off season. Photo Credit: Living things are showing increasing anomalies in their seasonal activity, which could disrupt the dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems
Global warming and climate change are topics often spoken about with a sense of urgency, and for good reason. It has been made clear that the past decade, circa 2015, has increasingly become hotter temperature-wise. The article discusses the sudden abnormal shift in the blooming of flowers and other vegetation in their respective ecosystems, and the greater consequences this could bring. Ecosystems are made up of more than just plants, containing other living inhabitants including humans, animals, and insects. Early blooms of flowers in the Fall, for example, could spell trouble for certain crops that grow perennially and require specific pollinators to produce. Researchers observed flowers and plants blooming later than expected during the Winter season, and deduced they would be more vulnerable to pathogen and herbivore attacks as they would be weaker structurally. The desynchronization affects humans in the aspects of health, agriculture, and ecotourism as well. The way we tolerate pollen, the food we consume, and the economic tourism drawn in from cherry blossom viewing become just a few aspects of life that could change if these conditions continue to occur. Researchers are still unsure as to how long this change could last, but call for more monitoring and analysis of ecosystems in order to gain more of an understanding of this phenomena.
Original Article: Chuine, I., Garcia de Cortazar-Atauri, I., Jean, F. et al. Living things are showing increasing anomalies in their seasonal activity, which could disrupt the dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems. Sci Rep 15, 32860 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16585-2
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