Widespread leaf phenology change detected by the leaf-age-dependent leaf area index (Lad-LAI) in pantropical evergreen broadleaf forests

Clicks: 3
ID: 321396
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Steady

Ranked #26 of 96 articles by views in journal of plant ecology

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Leaf phenology in tropical evergreen broadleaf forests (EBFs) often exhibits weak seasonality, making it challenging to detect the start of season (SOS) and end of season (EOS) from satellite-based vegetation indices particularly challenging. Leaf age structure describes the seasonal variability in canopy leaves of different age cohorts (young, mature, old) and for characterizing leaf phenology in tropical EBFs. Here, we built a methodological framework to produce a 0.25° leaf phenology dataset for tropical EBFs across 30°S–30°N using a leaf-age-dependent leaf area index product (Lad-LAI) for 2001–2023. SOS and EOS from the new dataset showed strong agreement with PhenoCam-derived metrics and good correlations with EVI-, NIRv-, and kNDVI-derived metrics. Across continents, the Amazon exhibited relatively later SOS dates, mainly during DOY 210–330, and earlier EOS dates, mainly during DOY 60–210. Conversely, the Congo and tropical Asia were characterized by relatively smaller SOS and larger EOS. Notably, SOS increases while EOS decreases progressively from northern to southern latitudes, showing contrasting latitudinal patterns. From 2001 to 2023, tropical EBFs experienced a widespread advance in SOS, which was most pronounced in the Congo region, with an average rate of −1.39 days yr−1. In contrast, EBFs mostly experienced a delay in EOS, which was strongest in tropical Asia, with a mean delay rate of 2.12 days yr−1. Consequently, the growing season (EOS minus SOS) increased significantly across all three continents. Overall, our leaf-age-dependent phenology dataset provides fundamental data for leaf phenology monitoring, carbon-cycle modeling, and climate-change impact predictions in tropical EBFs.
Reference Key
openalex_W7169563313 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Hao-Ran Xu, Xueqin Yang, Mei Wang, Xin-Yue Fu, Jie Tian, Xiuzhi Chen
Journal journal of plant ecology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jpe/rtag164
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtag164
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.