Climate change: Spring flowering shows signs of untimely bloom in Kashmir

Srinagar: A new study has revealed that the spring flowering species in Kashmir are showing signs of untimely bloom.

Entitled, “Climate warming-driven phenological shifts are species-specific in woody plants: evidence from twig experiment in Kashmir Himalaya,” the 2022 study evaluated the effect of experimental warming on flowering phenology (the study of flowering patterns and cycles which are influenced by seasonal climatic changes) of selected woody plants in Kashmir Himalaya.

The study was done on eight spring flowering species of Kashmir Himalayas including Prunus persica (Peach), P. tomentosa (Down Cherry), Populus alba (White Poplar), P. deltoids (Eastern Cottonwood), Ulmus villosa (Cherry- bark elm), U. wallichiana (Himalayan elm), Viburnum opulus ( Snowball tree ) and V. cotinifolium (Smoketree leaved viburnum).

It monitored winter dormant twigs of these species in controlled growth chambers to study the effect of different temperature regimes (9, 17, 20, and 23 °C) on the patterns of phenological shifts.

The findings revealed an alarming pattern of early flowering due to increasing temperature.

“We observed a significant phenological shift in all the species showing preponement in the first flower out and senescence phases ranging from 0.56 to 3.0 and 0.77 to 4.04 days per degree increase in temperature, respectively,” the study said.

Tabassum Hassan, Researcher and lead author of the study said these flowering species are sensitive to temperature changes. “We observed the eight twig species at two variables—one when the flower opens and when the flower dries up (senescence). Our findings revealed that with the increase in temperature, there was early flowering. Further, the intensity of the flower drying up was far more than that of flower opening,” she said.

Hassan said that the studies have shown that when plants flower too early, they can experience a phenomenon called “ecological mismatch”. Plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife have co-evolved to a point that they’re synchronized in their development stages.

“Certain plant flowers attract a particular type of insect.  It later attracts a particular type of bird, and so on. But if one component responds faster than the others, there’s a risk that they’ll be out of sync, which can lead species to collapse if they can’t adapt quickly enough,” he said.