Seed bank patterns of Festuca pallescens in semiarid Patagonia (Argentina): a possible limit to bunch reestablishment

The pre- and postdispersal spatial patterns of the germinable seed bank of Festuca pallescens were evaluated in semiarid grasslands of Patagonia disturbed by sheep grazing. Before dispersal, the seed bank showed spatial heterogeneity and was significantly smaller than the postdispersal seed bank. The postdispersal seed bank was uniformly distributed in patches of bare soil. The size of the germinable seed bank varied with the topographic condition of sites. On slopes, bunches exhibited more panicles and the germinable seed bank was larger after dispersal and smaller before dispersal as compared with upland sites. Losses of the germinable seed bank during autumn and spring are partially accounted for by germination rates. Predominant westerly winds influenced the patterns of seed dispersal, but other agents such as predation or sheet wash may also be active, especially on slopes. The low persistence of the seed bank of F. pallescens, particularly at canopy gaps, indicates that this may constitute a primary control of the regeneration of this species in semiarid grasslands of Patagonia. Management of these grasslands for restoration should accordingly include practices oriented to an adequate replenishment of the germinable seed bank at these places.     

Effects of experimental warming on plant reproductive phenology in Xizang alpine meadow

Aims Climate warming strongly influences reproductive phenology of plants in alpine and arctic ecosystems. Here we focus on phenological shifts caused by warming in a typical alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Our objective was to explore phenological responses of alpine plant species to experimental warming. Methods Passive warming was achieved using open-top chambers (OTCs). The treatments included control (C), and four levels of warming (T1, T2, T3, T4). We selected Kobresia pygmaea, Potentilla saundersiana, Potentilla cuneata, Stipa purpurea, Festuca coelestis and Youngia simulatrix as the focal species. Plant phenology was scored every 3-5 days in the growing season. The reproductive phenology phases of each species were estimated through fitting the phenological scores to the Richards function. Important findings Under soil water stress caused by warming, most plants in the alpine meadow advanced or delayed their reproductive events. As a result, warming significantly delayed phenological development of K. pygmaea. Warming significantly advanced reproductive phenology of P. saundersiana, S. purpurea and F. coelestis, but not of P. cuneata and Y. simulatrix. In addition, warming significantly shortened the average flowering duration of alpine plant species. The potentially warmer and drier growing seasons under climate change may shift the reproductive phenology of the alpine systems in similar pattern.     

实验增温对藏北高寒草甸植物繁殖物候的影响

全球气候变暖对高寒和极地地区的植物物候产生强烈的影响。该研究主要关注增温条件下藏北高寒草甸不同功能型植物繁殖时间(生殖物候)的改变。实验采用开顶箱式增温方法, 对3个主要功能群浅根-早花、浅根-中花和深根-晚花植物的现蕾、开花、结实时间进行观测。研究结果表明: (1)增温导致了土壤水分胁迫, 显著推迟了浅根-早花植物高山嵩草(Kobresia pygmaea)的繁殖时间; (2)增温显著提前了浅根-中花植物钉柱委陵菜(Potentilla saundersiana)和深根晚花植物紫花针茅(Stipa purpurea)和矮羊茅(Festuca coelestis)的繁殖时间; (3)增温没有显著影响浅根-中花植物楔叶委陵菜(Potentilla cuneata)和深根-晚花植物无茎黄鹌菜(Youngia simulatrix)的繁殖时间; (4)增温缩短了3种类型植物的开花持续时间。这些结果显示增温改变了藏北高寒草甸群落中多数物种的繁殖时间, 这预示着在未来更热更干的生长季, 青藏高原高寒草甸系统的植物物候格局可能会被重塑。     

Effects of experimental warming on plant reproductive phenology in Xizang alpine meadow北大核心CSCD

Aims: Climate warming strongly influences reproductive phenology of plants in alpine and arctic ecosystems. Here we focus on phenological shifts caused by warming in a typical alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Our objective was to explore phenological responses of alpine plant species to experimental warming. Methods: Passive warming was achieved using open-top chambers (OTCs). The treatments included control (C), and four levels of warming (T1, T2, T3, T4). We selected Kobresia pygmaea, Potentilla saundersiana, Potentilla cuneata, Stipa purpurea, Festuca coelestis and Youngia simulatrix as the focal species. Plant phenology was scored every 3-5 days in the growing season. The reproductive phenology phases of each species were estimated through fitting the phenological scores to the Richards function. Important findings: Under soil water stress caused by warming, most plants in the alpine meadow advanced or delayed their reproductive events. As a result, warming significantly delayed phenological development of K. pygmaea. Warming significantly advanced reproductive phenology of P. saundersiana, S. purpurea and F. coelestis, but not of P. cuneata and Y. simulatrix. In addition, warming significantly shortened the average flowering duration of alpine plant species. The potentially warmer and drier growing seasons under climate change may shift the reproductive phenology of the alpine systems in similar pattern.     

Phylogenetic relationships and intraspecific diversity of a North Patagonian Fescue: evidence of differentiation and interspecific introgression at peripheral populations

Peripheral sites usually offer suboptimal conditions for species with wide distributions, where expression of phenotypic variability and potential interspecific hybridization might be enhanced. The Patagonian steppe, the largest and southernmost dryland ecosystem in South America, is characterized by natural rangelands dominated by grasses. Festuca pallescens is a keystone species with a wide distribution in Patagonia over diverse environments reaching the extreme arid zones in the Somuncura plateau, a biogeographical island. Our aim is to study the phylogenetic relationships among Festuca pallescens populations as well as between this species and the sympatric F. argentina in North Patagonia. We analysed fourteen populations along a west-east transect of about 500 km in North Patagonia with three types of molecular markers: ITS, chloroplast trnL-F and eight nuclear microsatellites. Bayesian inferences, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses with trnL-F and ITS showed that F. pallescens is related to the Patagonian clade within the Festuca phylogeny. However, the easternmost populations of F. pallescens at Somuncura plateau were highly differentiated from the other populations and clustered with F. argentina (a sympatric species of the Asian-American clade). Principal coordinates analyses and Bayesian clustering performed with nuclear microsatellites as well as morphoanatomical traits, showed an intermediate position of one of these easternmost populations with respect to the two species, suggesting admixture. The high genetic variability observed in these peripheral populations highlight their relevance for conservation and might be indicating the existence of evolutionary processes triggering events of speciation in the Patagonian fescues.     

Simulating phenological characteristics of two dominant grass species in a semi-arid steppe ecosystem

Vegetation phenology has a strong effect on terrestrial carbon cycles, local weather, and global radiation partitioning between sensible and latent heat fluxes. Based on phenological data that were collected from a typical steppe ecosystem at Xilingol Grazing and Meteorological Station from 1985 to 2003, we studied the phenological characteristics of Leymus chinensis and Stipa krylovii. We found that the dates for budburst of L. chinensis and S. krylovii were delayed with increasing temperature during winter and spring seasons; these results differed from existing research in which earlier spring events were attributed to the changes in increasing air temperature in winter and spring. The results also suggested that water availability was an important controlling factor for phenology in addition to temperature in grassland plants. The classical cumulative temperature model simulated the phenology well in wet years, but not in the beginning of growing season in all years from 1985 to 2003. The disparity between the simulation and the observation appeared to be related to soil water. Based on our research findings, a water-heat-based phenological model was developed for simulating the beginning of growing season for these two grass species. The simulated results of the new model showed a significant correlation with the observation of beginning date of the growing season, and both mean values of the absolute error were less than 6 days.     

Phenological responses to nitrogen and water addition are linked to plant growth patterns in a desert herbaceous community

Increases in nitrogen (N) deposition and variation in precipitation have been occurring in temperate deserts; however, little information is available regarding plant phenological responses to environmental cues and their relationships with plant growth pattern in desert ecosystems. In this study, plant phenology and growth of six annuals in response to N and water addition were monitored throughout two consecutive growing seasons in 2011 and 2012 in a temperate desert in northwestern China. The effects of N and water addition on reproductive phenology differed among plant species. N and water addition consistently advanced the flowering onset time and fruiting time of four spring ephemerals; however, their effects on two spring‐summer annuals were inconsistent, with advances being noted in one species and delays in another. N and water addition alone increased plant height, relative growth rate, leaf number, flower number, and individual biomass, while their combinative effects on plant growth and reproductive phenology were dependent on species. Multiple regression analysis showed that flowering onset time was negatively correlated with relative growth rate of two species, and negatively correlated with maximum plant height of the other four species. Our study demonstrates that phenological responses to increasing precipitation and N deposition varied in annuals with different life histories, whereby the effects of climate change on plant growth rate were related to reproductive phenology. Desert annuals that were able to accelerate growth rate under increasing soil resource availability tended to advance their flowering onset time to escape drought later in the growing season. This study promotes our understanding of the responses of temperate desert annuals to increasing precipitation and N deposition in this desert.     

Vegetation disturbance by fire affects plant reproductive phenology in a shrubland community in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

Reproductive phenology is likely to vary spatially with environmental conditions that alter microclimate, in particular temperature. We hypothesized that within the same plant community type, environmental changes produced by recent burning would alter plant phenological patterns and temporal structure of the plant community. Specifically, we predicted accelerated flowering and fruiting dates in the burned, open environment compared with the unburned, intact community. We tested this hypothesis in a post-fire tall shrubland (matorral) in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. During the reproductive season, phenological stages of seven vascular plant species were monitored weekly. Temperature, humidity, soil nutrients and photosynthetically-active radiation were also recorded. At the burned site, flowering began earlier in all species and the success rate of fruiting was higher. These patterns correlated with significant environmental differences, including higher mean temperatures at the burned site.     

Extension of the growing season due to delayed autumn over mid and high latitudes in North America during 1982–2006

Aim We intend to characterize and understand the spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation phenology shifts in North America during the period 1982–2006. Location North America. Methods A piecewise logistic model is used to extract phenological metrics from a time‐series data set of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). An extensive comparison between satellite‐derived phenological metrics and ground‐based phenology observations for 14,179 records of 73 plant species at 802 sites across North America is made to evaluate the information about phenology shifts obtained in this study. Results The spatial pattern of vegetation phenology shows a strong dependence on latitude but a substantial variation along the longitudinal gradient. A delayed dormancy onset date (0.551 days year^?1, P= 0.013) and an extended growing season length (0.683 days year^?1, P= 0.011) are found over the mid and high latitudes in North America during 1982–2006, while no significant trends in greenup onset are observed. The delayed dormancy onset date and extended growing season length are mainly found in the shrubland biome. An extensive validation indicates a strong robustness of the satellite‐derived phenology information. Main conclusions It is the delayed dormancy onset date, rather than an advanced greenup onset date, that has contributed to the prolonged length of the growing season over the mid and high latitudes in North America during recent decades. Shrublands contribute the most to the delayed dormancy onset date and the extended growing season length. This shift of vegetation phenology implies that vegetation activity in North America has been altered by climatic change, which may further affect ecosystem structure and function in the continent.     

Balance of Competitive and Facilitative Effects of Exotic Trees on a Native Patagonian Grass

The balance between facilitation and competition in plants changes with species characteristics and environmental conditions. Facilitative effects are common in natural ecosystems, particularly in stressful environments or years. Contrarily, in artificial associations of plants, such as agroforestry systems, some authors have suggested that even when facilitative effects may occur, net balance of tree effects on grasses is usually negative, particularly in dry environments. The aim of this study was to determine the net effect of the exotic ponderosa pine on the native grass Festuca pallescens (St. Ives) Parodi in agroforestry systems in Patagonia. Soil water content, plant water status, and relative growth were measured in the grass growing in different treatments (determined by tree cover level) during two growing seasons with contrasting climatic conditions. Facilitative effects of trees over grass water status were recorded only when water availability was high. A net negative effect was detected on dates when soil water content was very low and evaporative demand was high. The strength of these negative effects depended on tree density and climatic conditions, being higher in treatments with lower tree canopy cover. These results indicate that the positive effect of trees could only be expected under relatively low stress conditions. However, relative growth of grasses was always similar in plants growing in forested plots than in open grassland. Differences in biomass allocation for grasses growing in shade and open habitats may reconcile these contrary results. Our results highlight the importance of the physiology of a species (relative drought and shade tolerance) in determining the response of a plant to a particular interacting species.     

Phenological mapping in a topographically complex landscape by combining field survey with an irradiation model

Abstract. A phenological map has been prepared for the Podyjí/Thayatal National Park, located on the border between the Czech Republic and Austria. The area is characterized by V-shaped river valleys deeply incised into a gently undulating landscape. Five stages of phenological development were defined, based upon phenological spectra of plant communities in late April; 96 sites, more or less regularly spaced over the area, were assigned to one of these stages using field observations of these spectra. Potential direct solar irradiation was calculated from a digital elevation model for a 25 m x 25 m grid extending over the study area. A method was developed for interpolation of phenological observations by weighted regression of phenology on the irradiation model. This interpolation enables the prediction of the local stage of phenological development across the study area without levelling out phenological patterns dependent upon small-scale topographic variation. Spring phenological events appear to be more advanced in the valleys (except for steep north-facing slopes) than in the adjacent landscape. Possible climatic processes underlying this pattern are discussed with emphasis on temperature inversions in the river valleys. Cold-air-drainage inversions reported from the valleys are probably too infrequent and of too short duration to delay plant phenology. The combined effects of advanced phenology and the increased risk of spring frost injury due to these inversions in the valleys may be an explanation for local distributional patterns of flora and vegetation.     

Ecotypic differences in the phenology of the tundra species Eriophorum vaginatum reflect sites of origin

Eriophorum vaginatum is a tussock‐forming sedge that contributes significantly to the structure and primary productivity of moist acidic tussock tundra. Locally adapted populations (ecotypes) have been identified across the geographical distribution of E. vaginatum; however, little is known about how their growth and phenology differ over the course of a growing season. The growing season is short in the Arctic and therefore exerts a strong selection pressure on tundra species. This raises the hypothesis that the phenology of arctic species may be poorly adapted if the timing and length of the growing season change. Mature E. vaginatum tussocks from across a latitudinal gradient (65–70°N) were transplanted into a common garden at a central location (Toolik Lake, 68°38′N, 149°36′W) where half were warmed using open‐top chambers. Over two growing seasons (2015 and 2016), leaf length was measured weekly to track growth rates, timing of senescence, and biomass accumulation. Growth rates were similar across ecotypes and between years and were not affected by warming. However, southern populations accumulated significantly more biomass, largely because they started to senesce later. In 2016, peak biomass and senescence of most populations occurred later than in 2015, probably induced by colder weather at the beginning of the growing season in 2016, which caused a delayed start to growth. The finish was delayed as well. Differences in phenology between populations were largely retained between years, suggesting that the amount of time that these ecotypes grow has been selected by the length of the growing seasons at their respective home sites. As potential growing seasons lengthen, E. vaginatum may be unable to respond appropriately as a result of genetic control and may have reduced fitness in the rapidly warming Arctic tundra.     

西安4种落叶乔木物候期对气候变化的响应

以西安1979—2018年的气候资料和植物物候观测资料为基础,采用分段回归和趋势倾向率等方法,分析了毛白杨(Populus tomentosa)、杜梨(Pyrus betulifolia)、七叶树(Aesculus chinensis)和灯台树(Bothrocaryum controversum)4种落叶乔木展叶盛期和叶全变色期的生长趋势,使用偏相关分析探讨了气温、降水和日照时数与物候期的关系并通过偏最小二乘回归(Partial Least Squares, PLS)判断气候变量对物候期的综合影响。结果表明：(1)1979—2018年,4种乔木的生长季长度延长,整体表现为春季物候期提前,秋季物候期推迟;(2)展叶盛期物候指标与叶全变色期物候指标,转折均发生在1982年;转折后,物候特征变化显著,春季物候的提前速率和秋季物候的推迟速率加快,展叶盛期平均提前3.8d/10a,叶全变色期平均推迟4.7d/10a;(3)展叶盛期与春季气温表现为极显著负相关,叶变色期与秋季气温表现为显著正相关;降水对植物物候的影响不显著;春季物候与日照时数呈现极显著负相关关系,秋季物候期与日照时数呈不显著正相关...     

Latitudinal patterns in the phenological responses of leaf colouring and leaf fall to climate change in Japan

Aim  To estimate the potential effect of global climate change on the phenological responses of plants it is necessary to estimate spatial variations at larger scales. However, previous studies have not estimated latitudinal patterns in the phenological response directly. We hypothesized that the phenological response of plants varies with latitude, and estimated the phenological response to long-term climate change using autumn phenological events that have been delayed by recent climate change.
Location  Japan.
Methods  We used a 53-year data set to document the latitudinal patterns in the climate responses of the timing of autumn leaf colouring and fall for two tree species over a wide range of latitudes in Japan (31 to 44° N). We calculated single regression slopes for leaf phenological timing and air temperature across Japan and tested their latitudinal patterns using regression models. The effects of latitude, time and their interaction on the responses of the phenological timings were also estimated using generalized linear mixed models.
Results  Our results showed that single regression slopes of leaf phenological timing and air temperature in autumn were positive at most stations. Higher temperatures can delay the timing of leaf phenology. Negative relationships were found between the phenological response of leaves to temperature and latitude. Single regression slopes of the phenological responses at lower latitudes were larger than those at higher latitudes.
Main conclusions  We found negative relationships between leaf phenological responsiveness and latitude. These findings will be important for predicting phenological timing with global climate change.     

Effects of topography and crown-exposure on olive tree phenology

The importance of the olive tree phenology from agricultural and ecological point of view justifies the need to carry out phenological studies at local and regional scales. Furthermore, flowering phenology in the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is an important indicator of climatic change in the Mediterranean region. In this paper, we study the effects of altitude and the exposure of crown-flowering branches on the flowering phenology of the olive tree. The study was carried out from 2009 to 2012 at eight sites of Cornicabra olive cultivar in central Spain (Toledo province, Castilla-La Mancha region), at altitudes between 440 and 875 m above sea level, since most olive groves in central Spain are to be found in this altitude range. Flowering phenology was also compared in two olive groves located at the same site and elevation; one in a flat area and the other on a north-facing hillside. Results revealed a significant correlation between altitude and flowering start-date: for each 100 m increase in altitude, flowering started 2.5 days later. Analysis of individual flowering branches of the same tree showed that preflowering and flowering started several days later on north-facing compared to south-facing branches. Olive trees growing on a north-facing hillside started the preflowering stage with some delay with respect to those growing in flat areas. Finally, taking onset of flowering as the variable, a hierarchical cluster analysis enabled olive-groves to be classified by flowering sequence across an altitudinal gradient.     

High-Andean vegetation and environmental gradients in northwestern Patagonia,Argentina

Abstract. We analysed the heterogeneity of high-elevation vegetation on three mountains along a west-east transect at 41 °S lat. in the Andes of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. In this area, high-Andean vegetation occurs as islands on mountain tops above Nothofagus pumilio forests ? with the timberline at ca. 1700 m a.s.l. We recorded floristic, topographic and substrate data in 166 sites stratified according to longitude, altitude, slope and aspect. Vegetation data were classified with TWINSPAN and ordinated with Detrended Correspondence Analysis. The relationship between environmental and floristic variation was analysed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis. In order of importance, geographical longitude, altitude and aspect were the major determinants of vegetation variation, whereas substrate texture and slope appeared less important. The combination of these factors resulted in two main vegetation gradients. The first gradient is related to a moisture availability gradient, primarily determined by longitude and secondarily to variation in wind exposure (east vs. west aspect). The second vegetation gradient is related to variation in temperature, primarily determined by altitude, and secondarily by variation in insolation related to the contrast between north and south aspects. The four communities obtained with TWINSPAN are therefore associated with four characteristic habitat types: moist-cold, moist-warm, dry-cold and dry-warm. The community of warm and dry environments is the richest and has elements in common with dry steppe communities situated at lower elevations to the east, while the vegetation of the cold-moist habitat type has unique elements that are typical of the southern Andes. Although current climatic factors appear to be the major determinants of high-Andean vegetation gradients, historical events of Pleistocene times probably also affected the vegetation patterns we see today.     

Caterpillar biomass depends on temperature and precipitation,but does not affect bird reproduction

Complex changes in phenological events appear as temperatures are increasing: In deciduous forests bud burst, hatching of herbivorous caterpillars, egg laying and nestling time of birds when feeding chicks on caterpillars, may differentially shift into early season and alter synchronization. If timing of bird reproduction has to match with short periods of food availability, phenological mismatch could negatively affect reproductive success. Using a unique empirical approach along an altitudinal temperature gradient, we firstly asked whether besides temperature, also precipitation and leaf phenology interplay and affect caterpillar biomass, since impacts of rainfall on caterpillars have been largely neglected so far. Secondly, we asked whether abundance of caterpillars and thereby body mass of great tit nestlings, which are mainly fed with caterpillars, vary along the altitudinal temperature gradient. We demonstrated that next to temperature also precipitation and leaf phenology affected caterpillar biomass. In our beech forest, even along altitudes, caterpillars were available throughout the great tit breeding season but in highly variable amounts. Our findings revealed that although timing of leaf phenology and great tit breeding season were delayed with decreasing temperature, caterpillars occurred synchronously and were not delayed according to altitude. However, altitude negatively affected caterpillar biomass, but body mass of fledglings at high altitude sites was not affected by lower amounts of caterpillar biomass. This might be partially outweighed by larger territory sizes in great tits.     

Functional differences between summer and winter season rain assessed with MODIS‐derived phenology in a semi‐arid region

Questions: We asked several linked questions about phenology and precipitation relationships at local, landscape, and regional spatial scales within individual seasons, between seasons, and between year temporal scales. (1) How do winter and summer phenological patterns vary in response to total seasonal rainfall? (2) How are phenological rates affected by the previous season rainfall? (3) How does phenological variability differ at landscape and regional spatial scales and at season and inter‐annual temporal scales? Location: Southern Arizona, USA. Methods: We compared satellite‐derived phenological variation between 38 distinct 625‐km² landscapes distributed in the northern Sonoran Desert region from 2000 to 2007. Regression analyses were used to identify relationships between landscape phenology dynamics in response to precipitation variability across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Results: While both summer and winter seasons show increases of peak greenness and peak growth with more precipitation, the timing of peak growth was advanced with more precipitation in winter, while the timing of peak greenness was advanced with more precipitation in summer. Surprisingly, summer maximum growth was negatively affected by winter precipitation. The spatial variations between summer and winter phenology were similar in magnitude and response. Larger‐scale spatial and temporal variation showed strong differences in precipitation patterns; however the magnitudes of phenological spatial variability in these two seasons were similar. Conclusions: Vegetation patterns were clearly coupled to precipitation variability, with distinct responses at alternative spatial and temporal scales. Disaggregating vegetation into phenological variation, spanning value, timing, and integrated components revealed substantial complexity in precipitation‐phenological relationships.     

Physiological and growth responses of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in native stands under passive air temperature manipulation

In the central Great Plains of North America, climate change predictions include increases in mean annual temperature of 1.5–5.5 °C by 2100. Ecosystem responses to increased temperatures are likely to be regulated by dominant plant species, such as the potential biofuel species Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) in the tallgrass prairie. To describe the potential physiological and whole‐plant responses of this species to future changes in air temperatures, we used louvered open‐sided chambers (louvered OSC; 1 × 1 m, adjustable height) to passively alter canopy temperature in native stands of P. virgatum growing in tallgrass prairie at varying topographic positions (upland/lowland). The altered temperature treatment decreased daily mean temperatures by 1 °C and maximum temperatures by 4 °C in May and June, lowered daytime stomatal conductance and transpiration, decreased tiller density, increased specific leaf area, and delayed flowering. Among topographic contrasts, aboveground biomass, flowering tiller density, and tiller weight were greater in lowland sites compared to upland sites, with no temperature treatment interactions. Differences in biomass production responded more to topography than the altered temperature treatment, as soil water status varied considerably between topographic positions. These results indicate that while water availability as a function of topography was a strong driver of plant biomass, many leaf‐level physiological processes were responsive to the small decreases in daily mean and maximum temperature, irrespective of landscape position. The varying responses of leaf‐level gas exchange and whole‐plant growth of P. virgatum in native stands to altered air temperature or topographic position illustrate that accurately forecasting yields for P. virgatum in mixed communities will require greater integration of physiological responses to simulated climate change (increased temperature) and resource availability over natural environmental gradients (soil moisture).     

The shifting phenological landscape: Within‐ and between‐species variation in leaf emergence in a mixed‐deciduous woodland

Many organisms rely on synchronizing the timing of their life‐history events with those of other trophic levels—known as phenological matching—for survival or successful reproduction. In temperate deciduous forests, the extent of matching with the budburst date of key tree species is of particular relevance for many herbivorous insects and, in turn, insectivorous birds. In order to understand the ecological and evolutionary forces operating in these systems, we require knowledge of the factors influencing leaf emergence of tree communities. However, little is known about how phenology at the level of individual trees varies across landscapes, or how consistent this spatial variation is between different tree species. Here, we use field observations, collected over 2 years, to characterize within‐ and between‐species differences in spring phenology for 825 trees of six species (Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Fagus sylvatica, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, and Acer pseudoplatanus) in a 385‐ha woodland. We explore environmental predictors of individual variation in budburst date and bud development rate and establish how these phenological traits vary over space. Trees of all species showed markedly consistent individual differences in their budburst timing. Bud development rate also varied considerably between individuals and was repeatable in oak, beech, and sycamore. We identified multiple predictors of budburst date including altitude, local temperature, and soil type, but none were universal across species. Furthermore, we found no evidence for interspecific covariance of phenology over space within the woodland. These analyses suggest that phenological landscapes are highly complex, varying over small spatial scales both within and between species. Such spatial variation in vegetation phenology is likely to influence patterns of selection on phenology within populations of consumers. Knowledge of the factors shaping the phenological environments experienced by animals is therefore likely to be key in understanding how these evolutionary processes operate.