Reproductive phenology as a dimension of the phenotypic space in 139 plant species from the Mediterranean

Abstract

Phenology, the study of seasonal timing of events in nature, plays a key role in the matching between organisms and their environment. Yet, it has been poorly integrated in trait-based descriptions of the plant phenotype. Here, we focus on three phases of reproductive phenology – time of flowering, time of seed dispersal and duration of seed maturation – to test how these traits relate to other recognized dimensions of plant functioning. Traits describing reproductive phenology, together with reproductive plant height, seed mass, area of a leaf, and traits involved in leaf economics, were compiled for 139 species growing under Mediterranean climate conditions. Across all species, flowering time was positively related to reproductive height, while the duration of seed maturation was related to leaf economics. Relationships differed among growth forms, however: flowering time and reproductive height were related both in annuals and in herbaceous perennials, whereas the duration of seed maturation was related to seed mass only in annuals; no correlations were found for woody species. Phenology relates to other dimensions of plant functioning in a complex manner, suggesting that it should be considered as an independent dimension in the context of plant strategies.