Spatiotemporal Coupling Effects of Plant Phenology

Abstract

From the geographic perspective, spatial differentiation among natural landscape units determines spatial flow and vice versa. Thus, spatial differentiation is not only the cause of natural landscape dynamics but also the result of natural landscape dynamics. As the integrative indicator of natural landscape dynamics at seasonal and interannual scales, spatial and temporal variations of plant phenology are mainly controlled by spatial and temporal variations of thermal and moisture conditions derived from changes of net radiation distributions and atmospheric movements. With regard to spatiotemporal unification of plant phenological variation , spatial movements of heat and moisture flows in each year, and their interannual and long-term changes induce spatial movements of plant phenology flows in each year, and their interannual and long-term dynamics. Spatial flow of phenological event occurrence dates across a region in a specific year demonstrates spatial patterns of phenological event occurrence dates in the year. Interannual shifts of the spatial flow make the spatial patterns vary from year to year, forming temporal variation of spatial patterns . Temporal flow of phenological event occurrence dates at a location during long period of time creates temporal patterns of phenological event occurrence dates at the location. Spatial shifts of the temporal flow make the temporal patterns vary from location to location, presenting spatial patterns of temporal variation. Thus, the temporal variations of spatial patterns of phenological event occurrence dates are converted to the spatial pattern of temporal variations of phenological event occurrence dates. Overall, the nearer the distance between two locations and the shorter the interval between two time slices or between two phenological events, the stronger the coupling and substitutability between spatial and temporal series.