Data and code: Phenology varies with phylogeny but not by trophic level with climate change

Changes in the timing of species life history events, or phenologies, are widely associated with recent increases in temperatures globally. Understanding how these changes alter the synchrony of species interactions is of particular concern, given the potential for increasing asynchrony to alter community structures. Previous meta-analyses have found contrasting trends in how the phenologies of varying groups of species have changed and whether there is increasing phenological asynchrony. These studies differ in their species composition, types of interactions, and their use of single species time-series versus paired species data. We constructed a database of long-term time-series data from diverse phenological events. Using a Bayesian phylogenetic model, we tested for trends in phenological shifts across trophic levels and lineages, and the potential effects on synchrony. While on average we found species to have advanced in the timing of their phenological events, we did not observe any relative differences across groups of species, or consistent changes in synchrony across suites of interactions. The results of this study provide greater insight into the scope of variation of phenological changes and the continued challenges of predicting the direction and consequences of shifting phenologies in ecological communities.