Phenology in winter-deciduous relict mediterranean forests as a tool to understand their adaptation to climatic seasonal cycles
Data files
May 09, 2025 version files 37.66 KB
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CLIMATE_DATA.csv.zip
2.38 KB
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INDEXES_AND_PHENOLOGICAL_CHARACTERS.csv.zip
10.35 KB
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PHENOLOGICAL_DATA_MATRIXES.csv.zip
4.66 KB
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README.md
8.62 KB
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Species_phenocalendars.csv.zip
11.64 KB
Abstract
This dataset contains observations and results of the phenological behaviour of deciduous forests in Mediterranean climates and in southern latitudes such as Sierra Nevada National Park (Granada-Spain) during the period of March 2019- February 2020. It provides data and results of annual sequencing of phenophases (phenocalendars), phenophase indexes, and determines the phenological functional groups (FG) of the eighteen selected species of this plant ecosystem. In addition, phenological patterns have been determined taking into account the winter functional reduction of most species, in contrast to the typically Mediterranean species better adapted to the prevailing macroclimate of the area and functionally active during most of their annual cycle. Data from these observations allowed the identification of four functional groups: FG1 -early and prolonged foliation and fruiting; FG2 -very short foliation and fruiting; FG3 -very prolonged foliation and fruiting; and FG4 -prolonged fruiting. Data on climatic variables and results of bioclimatic indexes corresponding to the study area are also provided for analysis in terms of possible incidence at the phenological level.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg47
Description of the data and file structure
The dataset presented here contains the numerical information necessary to reproduce the analyses obtained by Pavón-Núñez, Hidalgo-Triana, and Pérez-Latorre to demonstrate the functional and phenological behaviour of a winter deciduous forest sheltered in the Cuenca Alta del río Alhama de Lugros on the northern slopes of Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain), living in a typical Mediterranean climate and in extremely southern latitudes of the European continent.
Field data were recorded month by month, in the middle days of each month, and during a complete year (March 2019 to February 2020), corresponding to an annual cycle. Eighteen representative species of the forest were selected for data collection, mostly arboreal but also shrubby. All of them were deciduous species corresponding to the genera Prunus, Fraxinus, Acer, Rosa, Sorbus, Quercus, Salix, or Berberis. Only one evergreen species, Taxus baccata, was included among the selected species.
Data on the presence or absence of phenophases and subphenophases are available in eighteen phenological calendars, which also provide numerical data on the percentages of key phenophases such as flowering, fruit growth, fruit color change, fruit ripening, presence of young or adult leaves, and leaves fallen on the ground. Numerical data are also provided on the dispersal phenophase in terms of the number of fruits per unit area and the vegetative growth phenophase in centimeters for each species studied.
The analysis of the phenological data concluded that most of the studied taxa showed their highest phenophase activity concentrated in spring, whereas winter was generally a season without phenophase activity. This pattern functionally aligns this ecosystem more closely with Central European rather than Mediterranean forests.
From the phenological calendars, data measured on a temporal scale in months were obtained. The analysis resulted in a total of 18 indices and phenological characters for the species studied, from which it was deduced that the reproductive phenophases predominate over the vegetative ones.
Presence-absence data matrices are also provided for the phenophases measured on a daily time scale. The analysis of these matrices yielded reproducible results for the estimated start and end dates of each phenophase, the number of days per year with phenophase activity, and the intensity of the phenological event in percentage.
The statistical analysis of these matrices allowed for the identification of four functional groups:
FG1: Early and prolonged foliation and dispersal (e.g., Fraxinus)
FG2: Very short dispersal and fructification (e.g., Salix)
FG3: Very long-lasting foliation and fruiting (e.g., Taxus)
FG4: Long foliation – other genera studied, such as Prunus, Malus, Acer, Betula, or Sorbus
Additionally, numerical data are provided on climatic variables. The analysis of these variables led to the calculation of bioclimatic indices and the creation of unpublished ombrothermal diagrams. This analysis made it possible to determine the climatic characteristics of the territory and their impact on the phenological behaviour of the species studied.
Files and variables
File: Species_Phenocalendars.xlsx
Description: This file contains the phenological calendars for each of the 18 species studied. Phenophases and subphenophases (column A) have been measured over a time scale in months of the year (Row 1). Active phenophases are indicated by coloured cells and by adding the word ‘presence’ when no numerical data are added, only presence. In other phenophases, numerical data on percentages (%) or number of fruits per unit area and vegetative growth in centimetres have also been added. Inactive phenophases are represented with NA and without colour.
Variables
FBF: (Flower bud formation), F: (% Flowering), FS: (Fruiting), FS: Fruit growth (%), FS: Colour change (%), FS: Ripe fruit (%), SD: (Fruits/m2), DVG: Dolichoblast Vegetative Growth (cm), BVG: Brachyblast Vegetative Growth (cm), LA: (Leaf Activity), LA: Young leaves (%), LA: Adult green leaves (%), LS: (% Leaf senescence), FLG: (% Fallen leaves on ground), FLG: (% Accumulated)
File: INDEXES_AND_PHENOLOGICAL_CHARACTERS.xlsx
Description: This file contains the analysis and results of the data from the phenological calendars from the previous file (Species_Phenocalendars.xlsx), measured in months of the year with active phenophases for each species. The result yielded 18 reproducible phenological indexes and traits from the equations of each index.
Variables
APS: Species Phenophase Activity, VA=DVG: Dolichoblast Vegetative Growth, F: Flowering, FS: fruit setting, RA: Index of reproductive Activity of the Species, RVA: Index of reproductive/vegetative Activity of the Species, PSI: Phenophase Sequence Index, Max.F(%): month(s) of the annual cycle with the highest flowering percentage, t(FS): period of time in months with the presence of fruiting phenophase, t(SD): period of time in months with presence of dispersal phenophase, Max.DVG(cm): month of the annual cycle with the maximum DVG in cm, LF=FLG: Fallen leaves on ground percentage, LS: Leaf senescence percentage, LF/LS: ratio between fallen and senescent leaves, PPTb: Basic phenophase pattern of species
File: PHENOLOGICAL_DATA_MATRIXES.xlsx
Description: This file contains the phenological data matrices for analysis and reproducible phenological results for each of the species studied. The ‘Species-Pheno index Matrix’ corresponds to the results of the analysis for the phenological indexes; the calculations are made on a time scale in months of the year. The ‘Typed species matrix’ contains numerical data of phenophases measured on a time scale in days of the year, typed, and the mean and variance are added. The ‘Day initiation matrix’ contains numerical data of the day of the year of initiation of important phenophases (DiLA: Day of initiation of Leaf Activity, DiF: Day of initiation of Flowering, and DiLS: Day of initiation of Leaf Senescence). The ‘Monthly Pheno-Index matrix’ provides average numerical data in months and in % of phenological indices for all 18 species studied. The ‘Simplified typified sps. matrix’ is the same matrix as the ‘Typified species matrix’, with only the phenophases with the highest variance.
Variables
FBF: (Flower bud formation), F: (% Flowering), FS: (Fruiting), FS: Fruit growth (%), FS: Colour change (%), FS: Ripe fruit (%), SD: (Fruits/m2), DVG: Dolichoblast Vegetative Growth (cm), BVG: Brachyblast Vegetative Growth (cm), LA: (Leaf Activity ), LA: Young leaves (%), LA: Adult green leaves (%), LS: (% Leaf senescence), FLG: (% Fallen leaves on ground), FLG: (% Accumulated).
FS: fruit setting, FSc: fruit colour change, SD: Seed dispersal (Nºfrut/m2), VG % bud formation, VG % formed stable buds, DVG elongation (cm), LF % young leaves
DiLA: Day of initiation of Leaf Activity, DiF: Day of initiation of Flowering, and DiLS: Day of initiation of Leaf Senescence
File: CLIMATE_DATA.xlsx
Description: The file ‘CLIMATE DATA’ contains reproducible results of climate variables and indices resulting from the analysis of data from the two meteorological Stations present in the study area provided by the Environmental Agency of the Junta de Andalucía (Andalusia Government).
Variables
T: Annual Average Temperature (C); Tp: Annual Positive Temperature; Ts: Summer temperature; P: Annual precipitation; Pp: Annual Positive Precipitation; Itc: Compensated Thermicity Index; Ic: Continentality Index; Io: Ombrothermic Index; Io6 (June); Io7 (July); Io8 (August): Monthly Ombrothermic Index; Submediterraneity Index (Isbm)
Isbm = sum of the submediterraneity values of the summer monthly ombrothermic indexes Ios1, Ios2, Ios3, and Ios4.
Code/software
The free software used in the analysis of our data is PAST software (version 4.09, Hammer et al. 2022).
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- There are no other publicly accessible locations of the data.
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Bioclimatic data from the two meteorological stations located in the study area were provided by the Environmental Delegation of the Andalusian Regional Government in Granada.