Flowering phenology as a functional trait in a tallgrass prairie

? The timing of flowering is a critical component of the ecology of plants and has the potential to structure plant communities. Yet, we know little about how the timing of flowering relates to other functional traits, species abundance, and average environmental conditions. ? Here, we assessed first flowering dates (FFDs) in a North American tallgrass prairie (Konza Prairie) for 431 herbaceous species and compared them with a series of other functional traits, environmental metrics, and species abundance across ecological contrasts. ? The pattern of FFDs among the species of the Konza grassland was shaped by local climate, can be linked to resource use by species, and patterns of species abundance across the landscape. Peak FFD for the community occurred when soils were typically both warm and wet, while relatively few species began flowering when soils tended to be the driest. Compared with late-flowering species, species that flowered early had lower leaf tissue density and were more abundant on uplands than lowlands. ? Flowering phenology can contribute to the structuring of grassland communities, but was largely independent of most functional traits. Therefore, selection for flowering phenology may be independent of general resource strategies.     

A phylogenetic comparative study of flowering phenology along an elevational gradient in the Canadian subarctic

Climate change is affecting high-altitude and high-latitude communities in significant ways. In the short growing season of subarctic habitats, it is essential that the timing and duration of phenological phases match favorable environmental conditions. We explored the time of the first appearance of flowers (first flowering day, FFD) and flowering duration across subarctic species composing different communities, from boreal forest to tundra, along an elevational gradient (600–800 m). The study was conducted on Mount Irony (856 m), North-East Canada (54°90′N, 67°16′W) during summer 2012. First, we quantified phylogenetic signal in FFD at different spatial scales. Second, we used phylogenetic comparative methods to explore the relationship between FFD, flowering duration, and elevation. We found that the phylogenetic signal for FFD was stronger at finer spatial scales and at lower elevations, indicating that closely related species tend to flower at similar times when the local environment is less harsh. The comparatively weaker phylogenetic signal at higher elevation may be indicative of convergent evolution for FFD. Flowering duration was correlated significantly with mean FFD, with later-flowering species having a longer flowering duration, but only at the lowest elevation. Our results indicate significant evolutionary conservatism in responses to phenological cues, but high phenotypic plasticity in flowering times. We suggest that phylogenetic relationships should be considered in the search for predictions and drivers of flowering time in comparative analyses, because species cannot be considered as statistically independent. Further, phenological drivers should be measured at spatial scales such that variation in flowering matches variation in environment.     

31种木本植物开花物候与系统发育的关系

植物物候通常被认为是由环境因素,如降水、温度和日照长度所决定,然而环境因素是否是物候唯一的决定因素仍然存在很大争议。谱系结构表征了植物在进化上的顺序,该发育时序是否对物候产生影响,当前仍然未知。在调查2016年春季新疆乌鲁木齐市最常见的31种木本植物的初始开花时间、败花时间和开花持续时间的基础上,通过分析植物开花物候的分布特征、开花物候在乔灌木间的差别、以及植物谱系距离与开花物候距离间的关系,试图揭示植物的开花物候和物种谱系(进化)顺序间的关系。结果表明:(1)新疆乌鲁木齐市31种木本植物的初始开花时间为4月18日±9d、败花时间为5月5日±12d、开花持续时间为(16±8)d;(2)乔木的初始开花时间和败花时间的标准差分别均低于灌木,乔木开花物候相对灌木更稳定;(3)乔木的初始开花和败花时间均显著早于灌木(P0.05),但开花持续时间在两者间未有显著性差异(P0.05);(3)31种木本植物间的初始开花时间距离、败花时间距离和开花持续时间距离均与物种谱系距离存在显著线性回归关系(P0.05)。综上可知:乔灌木在垂直空间上的分化使得木本植物的开花物候在植物生活型间存在不同。对植物的开花物候,除已被证明的降水、温度和日照长度等环境因素的影响外,物种进化顺序也可能造成了它在植物种间、时间和空间上的变异。     

Host-mediated effects on the reproductive phenological asynchrony of a generalist mistletoe in China

一种泛性桑寄生植物繁殖物候异步性的寄主介导效应 寄主介导效应被认为会导致半寄生性的桑寄生植物的繁殖物候异步性，并由此为与桑寄生植物互惠共生的传粉者和种子散布者提供更长时间的食物资源供应，但目前关于此方面的研究还缺乏相关的实证数据。本研究以广泛分布于中国西南西双版纳地区的一种泛性桑寄生科植物五蕊寄生(Dendrophthoe pentandra)为材料，每周监测其开花、结果物候，检测了其开花和结果物候是否呈季节性格局，量化了五蕊寄生繁殖物候的异步程度，并检测了影响该植物始花期早晚的因素。最后，本研究还检验了五蕊寄生繁殖物候的异步性随寄主种类数量变化的效应。研究结果表明：(i)在连续两年的物候观测中五蕊寄 生的花期和果期都呈单峰分布格局；(ii)始花期显著受到植物大小和光照强度的影响，即冠幅越大和受光程度越高的植物个体有更早的始花期和更长的花期和果期；(iii)不同的寄主种类对五蕊寄生的繁殖物候有显著的影响，但与假设相反的是，随着寄主种类数量的增加，五蕊寄生繁殖物候的异步性没有显著提高。这项研究表明，在解释泛性桑寄生植物的繁殖物候异步性及寄主种类的数量对其影响的生态学意义还需进行更深入的探究。     

Inter and intraspecific variation on reproductive phenology of the Brazilian Atlantic forest Rubiaceae: ecology and phylogenetic constraints

The reproductive phenology of seven species of Rubiaceae from the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest was compared to evaluate the occurrence of phylogenetic constraints on flowering and fruiting phenologies. Since phenological patterns can be affected by phylogenetic constraints, we expected that reproductive phenology would be similar among plants within a family or genus, occurring during the same time (or season) of the year. Observations on flowering and fruiting phenology were carried out monthly, from December 1996 to January 1998, at Núcleo Picinguaba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Ubatuba, S?o Paulo State, Brazil. Nine phenological variables were calculated to characterize, quantify and compare the reproductive phenology of the Rubiaceae species. The flowering patterns were different among the seven species studied, and the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated significant differences in flowering duration first flowering, peak flowering and flowering synchrony. The peaks and patterns of fruiting intensity were different among the Rubiaceae species studied and they differed significantly from conspecifics in the phenological variables fruiting duration, fruiting peak date, and fruiting synchrony (Kruskal-Wallis test). Therefore, we found no evidence supporting the phylogenetic hypotheses, and climate does not seem to constrain flowering and fruiting patterns of the Rubiaceae species in the understory of the Atlantic forest.     

青藏高原东缘高寒草甸植物群落的开花物候

利用2008年整个生长季的地面花期物候观测数据,初步研究了青藏高原东缘高寒草甸植物群落开花物候的动态、格局、参数间的联系及其与物种共存的关系.结果表明:植物群落的花期从5月初开始,8月上旬进入开花数目的高峰期,到10月初结束,遍及整个生长季节;不同物种进入花期的时间、峰值期及持续时间不同,各物种花期物候生态位相分离,但群落中大部分物种开花峰值期主要集中在7-8月;不同物种的开花峰值期时间与花期持续时间有负相关关系:开花越早的植物其花期持续时间越长;物种间的开花物候差异主要是由植物本身的特性和环境条件共同决定的,而群落水平上的开花物候格局主要受非生物因素的控制.

Abstract：

Based on the observation on the flowering phenology in the whole growth season of 2008, the dynamics, patterns, and relationships among various parameters of flowering phenology of alpine meadow plant community in eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau were studied, and the potential effects of above-mentioned factors on the species coexistence of the plant community were approached. The flowering period of the plant community started from early May, came into peak period in the first ten days of August, and ended in early October, extending all over whole growth period. Different species had their different first flowering date, peak flowering period, and flowering duration, and their flowering phenologieal niches differentiated obviously. Most species had their peak flowering period centralized in July-August. There was a negative rela-tionship between peak flowering period and flowering duration: the earlier the flowering, the lon-ger the flowering duration. The differences in flowering phonology among the species were mainly determined by species per se characteristics and environmental conditions, but the flowering phe-nological pattern on community level was primarily controlled by abiotic factors.     

Independent effects of warming and nitrogen addition on plant phenology in the Inner Mongolian steppe

Background and Aims

Phenology is one of most sensitive traits of plants in response to regional climate warming. Better understanding of the interactive effects between warming and other environmental change factors, such as increasing atmosphere nitrogen (N) deposition, is critical for projection of future plant phenology.

Methods

A 4-year field experiment manipulating temperature and N has been conducted in a temperate steppe in northern China. Phenology, including flowering and fruiting date as well as reproductive duration, of eight plant species was monitored and calculated from 2006 to 2009.

Key Results

Across all the species and years, warming significantly advanced flowering and fruiting time by 0·64 and 0·72 d per season, respectively, which were mainly driven by the earliest species (Potentilla acaulis). Although N addition showed no impact on phenological times across the eight species, it significantly delayed flowering time of Heteropappus altaicus and fruiting time of Agropyron cristatum. The responses of flowering and fruiting times to warming or N addition are coupled, leading to no response of reproductive duration to warming or N addition for most species. Warming shortened reproductive duration of Potentilla bifurca but extended that of Allium bidentatum, whereas N addition shortened that of A. bidentatum. No interactive effect between warming and N addition was found on any phenological event. Such additive effects could be ascribed to the species-specific responses of plant phenology to warming and N addition.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the warming response of plant phenology is larger in earlier than later flowering species in temperate grassland systems. The effects of warming and N addition on plant phenology are independent of each other. These findings can help to better understand and predict the response of plant phenology to climate warming concurrent with other global change driving factors.     

Flowering phenology and reproduction of a forest understorey plant species in response to the local environment

Temperate forest understorey plants are subjected to a strong seasonality in their optimal growing conditions. In winter and early spring, low temperatures are suboptimal for plant growth while light becomes limited later in spring season. We can thus expect that differences in plant phenology in relation to spatiotemporal environmental variation will lead to differences in reproductive output, and hence selection. We specifically studied whether early flowering, a paradoxical pattern that is observed in many plant species, is an adaptive strategy, and whether selection for early flowering was confounded with selection for flower duration or was attributable to environmental variables. We used Geum urbanum as a study species to investigate the effect of relevant environmental factors on the species’ flowering phenology and the consequences for plant reproductive output. We monitored the phenology of four to six plants in each of ten locations in a temperate deciduous forest (Belgium). We first quantified variation in flowering time within individuals and related this temporal variation to individual flower reproductive output. Then, we studied inter-individual variation here-in and linked this to reproduction at the plant level, hence studying the selection differential. We found that flowering within individual plants of Geum urbanum was spread over a long period from June to October. Reproductive output of individual flowers, measured as total seed mass per flower, declined during the season. We found no indication for selection for early flowering but rather for longer flower duration. Larger plants had an earlier flowering onset and a higher seed mass, which suggests that these factors covary and are condition dependent. None of the studied environmental variables could explain plant size, although soil pH and to a lesser extent light availability had a positive direct effect on seed mass per plant. Finally, we suggest that the high intra-individual variation in flowering time, which might be a risk spreading strategy of the plant in the presence of seed predation, limits the potential for selection on flowering phenology.

     

Predictors of plant phenology in a diverse high‐latitude alpine landscape: growth forms and topography

Question: Different plant growth forms may have distinctly different functioning in ecosystems. Association of phenological patterns with growth form will therefore help elucidate the role of phenology in an ecosystem. We ask whether growth forms of common vascular plants differ in terms of vegetative and flowering phenology, and if such phenological differences are consistent across environmental gradients caused by landscape‐scale topography. Location: A high‐latitude alpine landscape in Finnmark County, Norway (70°N). Methods: We assessed vegetative and flowering phenology repeatedly in five growth forms represented by 11 common vascular plant species across an altitudinal gradient and among differing slope aspects. Results: Species phenology clustered well according to growth form, and growth form strongly explained variation in both flowering and vegetative phenology. Altitude and aspect were poor predictors of phenological variation. Vegetative phenology of the growth forms, ranked from slowest to fastest, was in the order evergreen shrubs <sedges‐deciduous shrubs <grasses <forbs, while a reverse ranking was found for flowering phenology. Conclusion: Growth form‐specific phenological patterns are associated with fundamentally different abilities for resource acquisition and resource conservation. The weak effect of landscape‐scale topographic factors indicates that variation within growth forms is mainly influenced by local environmental factors not accounted for in this study. On the basis of these results, we argue that growth forms should be considered as predictors of phenology together with the customary use of topography and normalized difference vegetation index, especially when assessing the role of phenology in an ecosystem.     

Plant reproductive phenology over four years including an episode of general flowering in a lowland dipterocarp forest,Sarawak, Malaysia

The first systematic observation of a general flowering, a phenomenon unique to lowland mixed-dipterocarp forests in Southeast Asia, is presented. During general flowering, which occurs at irregular intervals of 3–10 yr, nearly all dipterocarp species together with species of other families come heavily into flower. We monitored reproductive phenology of 576 individual plants representing 305 species in 56 families in Sarawak, Malaysia. Observations continued for 53 mo from August 1992 and covered one episode of a general flowering cycle. Among 527 effective reproductive events during 43 mo, 57% were concentrated in the general flowering period (GFP) of 10 mo in 1996. We classified 257 species into flowering types based on timing and frequency of flowering. The most abundant type was “general flowering” (35%), which flowered only during GFP. The others were “supra-annual” (19%), “annual” (13%), and “sub-annual” (5%) types. General flowering type and temporal aggregation in reproductive events were commonly found among species in various categories of taxonomic groups, life forms, pollination systems, and fruit types. Possible causes for general flowering, such as promotion of pollination brought about by interspecific synchronization and paucity of climatic cues suitable for flowering trigger, are proposed, in addition to the predator satiation hypothesis of Janzen (1974) .     

Traits and climate are associated with first flowering day in herbaceous species along elevational gradients

Phenological responses to changing temperatures are known as “fingerprints of climate change,” yet these reactions are highly species specific. To assess whether different plant characteristics are related to these species‐specific responses in flowering phenology, we observed the first flowering day (FFD) of ten herbaceous species along two elevational gradients, representing temperature gradients. On the same populations, we measured traits being associated with (1) plant performance (specific leaf area), (2) leaf biochemistry (leaf C, N, P, K, and Mg content), and (3) water‐use efficiency (stomatal pore area index and stable carbon isotopes concentration). We found that as elevation increased, FFD was delayed for all species with a highly species‐specific rate. Populations at higher elevations needed less temperature accumulation to start flowering than populations of the same species at lower elevations. Surprisingly, traits explained a higher proportion of variance in the phenological data than elevation. Earlier flowering was associated with higher water‐use efficiency, higher leaf C, and lower leaf P content. In addition to that, the intensity of shifts in FFD was related to leaf N and K. These results propose that traits have a high potential in explaining phenological variations, which even surpassed the effect of temperature changes in our study. Therefore, they have a high potential to be included in future analyses studying the effects of climate change and will help to improve predictions of vegetation changes.     

Selection on flowering time in Mediterranean high-mountain plants under global warming

Under climate warming, plants will undergo novel selective pressures to adjust reproductive timing. Adjustment between reproductive phenology and environment is expected to be higher in arctic and alpine habitats because the growing season is considerably short. As early- and late-flowering species reproduce under very different environmental conditions, selective pressures on flowering phenology and potential effects of climate change are likely to differ between them. However, there is no agreement on the magnitude of the benefits and costs of early- vs. late-flowering species under a global warming scenario. In spite of its relevance, phenotypic selection on flowering phenology has rarely been explored in alpine plants and never in Mediterranean high mountain species, where selective pressures are very different due to the summer drought imposed over the short growth season. We hypothesized that late-flowering plants in Mediterranean mountains should present stronger selective pressures towards early onset of reproduction than early-flowering species, because less water is available in the soil as growing season progresses. We performed selection analyses on flowering onset and duration in two high mountain species of contrasting phenology. Since phenotypic selection can be highly context-dependent, we studied several populations of each species for 2 years, covering their local altitudinal ranges and their different microhabitats. Surrogates of biotic selective agents, like fruitset for pollinators and flower and fruit loss for flower and seed predators, were included in the analysis. Differences between the early- and the late-flowering species were less than expected. A consistent negative correlational selection of flowering onset and duration was found affecting plant fitness, i.e., plants that bloomed earlier flowered for longer periods improving plant fitness. Nevertheless, the late-flowering species may experience higher risks under climate warming because in extremely warm and dry years the earlier season does not bring about a longer flowering duration due to summer drought.     

西安和宝鸡木本植物花期物候变化及温度敏感度对比

植物物候是指示生态系统对气候变化响应的重要证据。已有研究多基于代表性站点的物候观测数据研究物候特征及其对气候变化的响应规律。同一气候区内,不同站点的物候变化及对温度变化响应的敏感度是否一致仍需深入探讨。本文选择同属于暖温带湿润区汾渭平原气候区的西安和宝鸡为研究区,利用"中国物候观测网"在两个站点21个共有物种的开花始期和开花末期数据,比较了1987—2016年两站点各植物花期物候变化特征及其对温度变化响应的敏感度差异。结果表明,西安和宝鸡各物种的开花始期和开花末期均以提前趋势为主。大部分物种开花始期在西安的提前趋势(平均趋势-0.57 d/a)明显强于在宝鸡的提前趋势(平均趋势-0.29 d/a),但开花末期趋势差异不显著。除紫薇和迎春的敏感度差异较大外,其他物种开花始期和开花末期的温度敏感度在两站点间非常接近,无显著差异。由此可见,在同一气候区的不同站点,因增温幅度不同,植物的始花期变化存在较大差异,不能用单站点的物候变化反映整个气候区的物候变化。但同一植物在单站点的温度敏感度可以较好的反映同一气候区其他站点的植物物候-气候关系。本文研究结果可为利用有限站点的物候观测数据分析区域物候...     

Phylogenetic conservatism and climate factors shape flowering phenology in alpine meadows

The study of phylogenetic conservatism in alpine plant phenology is critical for predicting climate change impacts; currently we have a poor understanding of how phylogeny and climate factors interactively influence plant phenology. Therefore, we explored the influence of phylogeny and climate factors on flowering phenology in alpine meadows. For two different types of alpine plant communities, we recorded phenological data, including flowering peak, first flower budding, first flowering, first fruiting and the flowering end for 62 species over the course of 5 years (2008–2012). From sequences in two plastid regions, we constructed phylogenetic trees. We used Blomberg’s K and Pagel’s lambda to assess the phylogenetic signal in phenological traits and species’ phenological responses to climate factors. We found a significant phylogenetic signal in the date of all reproductive phenological events and in species’ phenological responses to weekly day length and temperature. The number of species in flower was strongly associated with the weekly day lengths and followed by the weekly temperature prior to phenological activity. Based on phylogenetic eigenvector regression (PVR) analysis, we found a highly shared influence of phylogeny and climate factors on alpine species flowering phenology. Our results suggest the phylogenetic conservatism in both flowering and fruiting phenology may depend on the similarity of responses to external environmental cues among close relatives.     

Effects of plant size and weather on the flowering phenology of the organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi)

Background and Aims

Flowering phenology is a critical life-history trait that influences reproductive success. It has been shown that genetic, climatic and other factors such as plant size affect the timing of flowering and its duration. The spatial and temporal variation in the reproductive phenology of the columnar cactus Stenocereus thurberi and its association with plant size and environmental cues was studied.

Methods

Flowering was monitored during 3 years in three populations of S. thurberi along a latitudinal gradient. Plant size was related to phenological parameters. The actual and past weather were used for each site and year to investigate the environmental correlates of flowering.

Key Results

There was significant variation in the timing of flowering within and among populations. Flowering lasted 4 months in the southern population and only 2 months in the northern population. A single flowering peak was evident in each population, but ocurred at different times. Large plants produced more flowers, and bloomed earlier and for a longer period than small plants. Population synchrony increased as the mean duration of flowering per individual decreased. The onset of flowering is primarily related to the variance in winter minimum temperatures and the duration to the autumn–winter mean maximum temperature, whereas spring mean maximum temperature is best correlated with synchrony.

Conclusions

Plant size affects individual plant fecundity as well as flowering time. Thus the population structure strongly affects flowering phenology. Indications of clinal variation in the timing of flowering and reproductive effort suggest selection pressures related to the arrival of migrating pollinators, climate and resource economy in a desert environment. These pressures are likely to be relaxed in populations where individual plants can attain large sizes.Key words: Flowering phenology, optimal timing, plant size, Sonoran Desert, Stenocereus thurberi, temperature     

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.     

Responses of plant phenology to nitrogen addition: a meta‐analysis

Phenology is one of the most sensitive processes of plant in response to global change. Anthropogenic activities have considerably increased nitrogen (N) deposition, which significant affects plant phenology. Although numerous individual studies have been conducted, it remains controversial how N addition affects phenological stages, and a comprehensive understanding of how plant phenology responds to external N inputs remains elusive. To reconcile the differences, we conducted a meta‐analysis of 117 species to examine the responses of plant phenology to N addition in terrestrial ecosystems, and assessed variations in their responses in relation to ecosystem types, functional groups, and environmental conditions. Our results showed that plant phenology changed significantly after N addition, and phenology time delayed and phenology duration shortened significantly across all biomes except fruiting duration, but varied with biome types. The phenology change in cropland was more dramatical than in grassland after N addition, even in opposite directions. The response of phenological stages to N addition was consistent in two pollination types except the flowering time, the flowering time had no change in anemophilous but significantly delayed in entomophilous. In addition, the response of phenology to N addition was discrepancy among functional groups, the phenology time advanced and duration shortened in sedge, while phenology time delayed and duration shortened in other groups, and the phenology change in legume was larger than grass and forbs. We also found that environmental factors had little effects on the response of plant phenology to N addition, but significant correlation was found between the response ratios of different phenological stages. Our study suggested that phenology was sensitive to N deposition at many phenological stages, and changes in phenology may be smaller with community biodiversity increasing at ecosystem level.     

Community-level flowering phenology and fruit set: Comparative study of 25 woody species in a secondary forest in Japan

We investigated the flowering phenology, pollinator visitation, and fruit set of 25 animal-pollinated woody species in a warm temperate secondary forest in Japan. Various species flowered sequentially from February to October. The principal pollinators were bumblebees, honey-bees, flies and/or beetles and birds; bumblebees and flies/beetles pollinated most trees. The duration of flowering was shorter for species that bloomed in the middle of the season than it was for species that bloomed earlier or later in the season. The timing of flowering was more synchronous within species that had a shorter flowering duration; this was also detected when phylogenetically independent contrasts were calculated. This could be important for the effective pollination of species with a short flowering duration because such species bloom sequentially over a short period of less than 1month around May. Fruit set was related not to pollinator type, sex expression, flowering sequence (in order of the date of peak flowering) or flowering duration, but to the relative abundance of the species in the forest. This correlation was detected for fly- and beetle-pollinated species but not for bumblebee-pollinated species. Thus, relatively rare plant species with opportunistic pollinators might experience limited fruit set because of insufficient pollinator services. Bagging experiments conducted on eight hermaphrodite species revealed that the fruit set of bagged flowers was nearly zero, lower than that of control flowers. These results indicate the importance of pollinators for successful reproduction and thus for the coexistence of plants in this secondary forest.     

The roles of shifting and filtering in generating community‐level flowering phenology

Plant phenologies are key components of community assembly and ecosystem function, yet we know little about how phenological patterns differ among ecosystems. Community‐level phenological patterns may be driven by the filtering of species into communities based on their phenology or by intraspecific responses to local conditions that shift when species flower. To understand the relative roles of filtering and shifting on community‐level phenological patterns we compared patterns of first flowering dates (FFD) for herbaceous species at Konza Prairie, KS, USA with those from the colder Fargo, ND, USA area and from Chinnor, England, which has a less continental climate. Comparing patterns of FFD supports that Konza's flowering patterns are potentially influenced both by filtering species that flower early in the growing season and by phenological shifting. Konza species flowering dates were earlier in the spring and later in the fall compared to Fargo, but were not shifted compared to Chinnor, which had a unique suite of early‐flowering species. In all, comparing flowering phenology among three sites reveals that intraspecific responses to climate can generate phenological shifts that compress or stretch community‐level phenological patterns, while novel niches in phenological space can also alter community‐level patterns. Community flowering patterns related to climate suggest that climatic warming has the potential to further distribute flowering of the Konza flora over a longer period, but also could further open it to introductions of non‐native species that have evolved to flower early in the season.