Data and code from: Spring phenological escape is critical for the survival of temperate tree seedlings

 

Understory plants in deciduous forests often rely on access to ephemeral light availability before the canopy closes in spring and after the canopy reopens in fall, a strategy commonly referred to as phenological escape. Although there is evidence for a relationship between understory plant phenology and demographic performance, a mechanistic link is still missing.

In this study, we bridged this gap by estimating annual carbon assimilation as a function of foliar phenology and photosynthetic capacity for seedlings of two temperate tree species that commonly co-occur across eastern North America. We then modeled the relationship between estimated carbon assimilation and observed seedling survival and growth.

Our results indicate that seedlings of both species strongly depend on spring phenological escape to assimilate the majority of their annual carbon budget and that this mechanism significantly affects their likelihood of survival (but not growth). Foliar desiccation also p...