Publications

2025

79. Han et al. 2025. Fungal diversity as a key driver of soil multifunctionality along a European latitudinal gradient. Geoderma. 464. get PDF

78. Runge et al. 2025. Climate vulnerability of Earth’s terrestrial biomes. Scientific Reports. 15. get PDF

77. Reek et al. 2025. Forest edges are globally warmer than interiors and exceed optimal temperatures for vegetation productivity. Commun Earth Environ. 6. get PDF

76. Zou et al. 2025. Fragmentation Increased in over Half of Global Forests from 2000 to 2020. Science. 389, 6765. get PDF

75. Yang et al. 2025. A globally consistent negative effect of edge on aboveground forest biomass. Nat Ecol Evol. 9, 2036-2045. get PDF

74. Yang et al. 2025. Leaf economic strategies drive global variation in phosphorus stimulation of terrestrial plant production. Nature Communications. 16. get PDF

73. Bai et al. 2025. Contrasting responses of flowering phenology in C3 and C4 plants shape grassland community structure under global change. Ecology. 106. get PDF

72. Wu et al. 2025. Stabilizing mechanisms enable dioecious trees to maintain synchrony in spring budburst under climate warming. New Phytologist. 247, 1655–1665. get PDF

71. Zhang et al. 2025. Mapping global distributions, environmental controls, and uncertainties of apparent topsoil and subsoil organic carbon turnover times. Earth Syst Sci Data. 17, 2605–2623. get PDF

70. Ji et al. 2025. Growth Onset Rather Than Photosynthesis Strongly Regulates Autumn Senescence Termination Besides Climate Change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 34. get PDF

69. Qu et al. 2025. Delayed leaf green-up is associated with fine particulate air pollution in China. Nature Communications. 16. get PDF

68. Liu et al. 2025. Diminished contribution of spring phenology to early-season carbon uptake in a changing climate. Commun Earth Environ. 6. get PDF

67. Liu et al. 2025. Increased early-season productivity drives earlier peak of vegetation photosynthesis across the Northern Hemisphere. Commun Earth Environ. 6. get PDF

66. Liu et al. 2025. Recent centennial drought on the Tibetan Plateau is outstanding within the past 3500 years. Nature Communications. 16. get PDF

65. Wu et al. 2025. Tree species composition governs urban phenological responses to warming. Nature Communications. 16. get PDF

64. Zhang et al. 2025. Declining precipitation frequency may drive earlier leaf senescence by intensifying drought stress and enhancing drought acclimation. Nature Communications. 16. get PDF

63. Pang et al. 2025. Convergent evidence for the temperature-dependent emergence of silicification in terrestrial plants. Nature Communications. 16. get PDF

2024

62. Luo et al. 2024. Internal physiological drivers of leaf development in trees: Understanding the relationship between non-structural carbohydrates and leaf phenology. Functional Ecology. get PDF

61. Lai et al. 2024. Earlier peak photosynthesis timing potentially escalates global wildfires. National Science Review. 11, nwae292. get PDF

60. Ni et al. 2024. Effects of winter soil warming on crop biomass carbon loss from organic matter degradation. Nature Communications. 15, 8847. get PDF

59. Mo et al.  2024. The global distribution and drivers of wood density and their impact on forest carbon stocks. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 8, 2195–2212. get PDF

58. He et al. 2024. Asymmetric temperature effect on leaf senescence and its control on ecosystem productivity. PNAS Nexus. 3, pgae477. get PDF

57. Crowther et al. 2024. Scientists’ call to action: Microbes, planetary health, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Cell. 187, 5195-5216. get PDF

56. Shen et al. 2024. Biodiversity buffers the response of spring leaf unfolding to climate warming. Nature Climate Change. 14, 863–868. get PDF

55. Yun et al. 2024. Changes in above- versus belowground biomass distribution in permafrost regions in response to climate warming. PNAS. 121, e2314036121. get PDF

54. Zou et al. (2024). Positive feedbacks and alternative stable states in forest leaf types. Nature Communications. 15:4658. get PDF

53. Chang et al. 2024. Effects of climate, socioeconomic development, and greening governance on enhanced greenness under urban densification. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 206, 107624. get PDF

52. Malyshev et al. 2024. The clockwork of spring: bud dormancy timing as a driver of spring leaf-out in temperate deciduous trees. Agr. For. Met. 349, 109957. get PDF

2023

50. Mo et al. 2023. Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential. Nature. 624, 92–101. Featured by various news outlets including The Guardian and TIME. get PDF

49. Ma et al. 2023. The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit. Nature Plants. 9, 1795–1809. Featured by various news outlets including Phys.org and FAZ. get PDF

48. Wu et al. 2023. Poleward shifts in the maximum of spring phenological responsiveness of Ginkgo biloba to temperature in China. New Phytologist. 240, 1421–1432. get PDF

47. Delavaux et al. 2023. Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions. Nature. 621, 773–781. get PDF

46. Zohner et al. 2023. Effect of climate warming on the timing of autumn leaf senescence reverses after the summer solstice. Science. 381, eadf5098. Featured by various news outlets including Phys.org. get PDF

45. Chen et al. 2023. Maps with 1 km resolution reveal increases in above- and belowground forest biomass carbon pools in China over the past 20 years. Earth Syst. Sci. Data. 15, 897–910. get PDF

44. Marqués et al. 2023. Acclimation of phenology relieves leaf longevity constraints in deciduous forests. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 7, 198–204. get PDF

43. Fu et al. 2023. Global warming is increasing the discrepancy between green (actual) and thermal (potential) seasons of temperate trees. Global Change Biology. 29, 1377–1389. get PDF

2022

42. Chen et al. 2022. Inferring plant–plant interactions using remote sensing. Journal of Ecology. 110, 2268–2287. get PDF

41. Maschler et al. 2022. Links across ecological scales: Plant biomass responses to elevated CO2. Global Change Biology. 28, 6115–6134. get PDF

40. Zhang et al. 2022. Direct and indirect impacts of urbanization on vegetation growth across the world’s cities. Science Advances. 8, eabo0095. get PDF

39. Maschler et al. 2022. Carbon source reduction postpones autumn leaf senescence in a widespread deciduous tree. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13:868860. get PDF

38. Wu et al. 2022. Spatial difference of interactive effect between temperature and daylength on Ginkgo budburst. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13:887226. get PDF

37. Maynard et al. 2022. Global trade-offs in tree functional traits. Nature Communications. 13:3185. get PDF

36. Vitasse et al. 2022. The great acceleration of plant phenological shifts. Nature Climate Change. 12, 300–304. get PDF

2021

34. Wu et al. 2021. Atmospheric brightening counteracts warming-induced delays in autumn phenology of temperate trees in Europe. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 30, 2477–2487. get PDF

33. Vitasse et al. 2021. Impact of microclimatic conditions and resource availability on spring and autumn phenology of temperate tree seedlings. New Phytologist. 232, 537-550. get PDF

32. Ma et al. 2021. The global distribution and environmental drivers of aboveground versus belowground plant biomass. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 5, 1110-1122. get PDF

31. Baumgarten et al. 2021. Chilled to be forced: the best dose to wake up buds from winter dormancy. New Phytologist. 230, 1366-1377. get PDF

29. Zani et al. 2021. Response to comment on “Increased growing-season productivity drives earlier autumn leaf senescence in temperate trees”. Science. 371. get PDF

28. Renner et al. 2021. Flowering times from 1844 and climate data from the World’s oldest meteorological station deepen the record of phenological change. American Journal of Botany. 108, 711–717. get PDF

2020

27. Zani et al. 2020. Increased growing-season productivity drives earlier autumn leaf senescence in temperate trees. Science. 370, 1066-1071. get PDF

26. Zohner et al. 2020. Late spring-frost risk between 1959 and 2017 decreased in North America, but increased in Europe and Asia. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 117, 12192–12200. get PDF

25. Zohner et al. 2020. Interactive climate factors restrict future increases in spring tree productivity. Global Change Biology. 26, 4042–4055. get PDF

24. Zohner et al. 2020. Leaf-out in northern ecotypes of wide-ranging trees requires less spring warming, enhancing the risk of spring frost damage at cold range limits. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 29, 1065–1072. get PDF

23. Renner & Zohner 2020. Further analysis of 1532 deciduous woody species from North America, Europe, and Asia supports continental scale differences in red autumn coloration. New Phytologist. 228, 814–815. get PDF

22. Zohner et al. 2020. Rising air humidity during spring does not trigger leaf-out in temperate woody plants. New Phytologist. 225, 16–20. get PDF

2019

21. Zohner 2019. Phenology and the city. Nature Ecology and Evolution. get PDF

20. Zohner et al. 2019. Increased autumn productivity permits temperate trees to compensate for spring frost damage. New Phytologist. 221, 789–795. get PDF

19. Zohner & Renner 2019. Ongoing seasonally-uneven climate warming leads to earlier autumn growth cessation in deciduous trees. Oecologia. 189, 549–561. get PDF

18. Zohner et al. 2019. Examining the support-supply and bud-packing hypotheses for the increase in toothed leaf margins in northern deciduous floras. American Journal of Botany. 106, 1–8. get PDF

17. Hofmann et al. 2019. Narrow habitat breadth and late-summer emergence increase extinction vulnerability in Central European bees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 286, 20190316. get PDF

16. Renner & Zohner 2019. The occurrence of red and yellow autumn leaves explained by regional differences in insolation and temperature. New Phytologist. 224, 1464–1471. get PDF 

15. Bastin et al. 2019. The global tree restoration potential. Science. 365, 76–79. get PDF

14. Bastin et al. 2019. Understanding climate change from a global analysis of city analogues. PLOS One. 14(7), e0217592. get PDF

13. Fu et al. 2019. Daylength helps temperate deciduous trees to leaf-out at the optimal time. Global Change Biology. 25, 2410–2418. get PDF

12. Fu et al. 2019. Shortened temperature-relevant period for spring leaf-out in temperate trees. Global Change Biology. 25, 4282-4290. get PDF

2018

11. Zohner & Renner 2018. Global warming reduces leaf-out and flowering synchrony among individuals. eLife. 7, e40214. get PDF

10. Renner & Zohner 2018. Climate change and phenological mismatch in trophic interactions among plants, insects, and vertebrates. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 49, 165–182. get PDF

9. Denk et al. 2018. Plant fossils reveal the major biomes occupied by the late Miocene Old-World Pikermian fauna. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2, 1864–1870. get PDF

8. Yost et al. 2018. Digitization workflows for scoring phenology from herbarium specimens of seed plants. Applications in Plant Sciences 6, e1022. get PDF

2017

7. Zohner & Renner 2017. Innately shorter vegetation periods in North American species explain native–non-native phenological assymetries. Nature Ecology and Evolution 1, 1655-1660. Featured by various news outlets including Science Daily, Phys.Org, and BioPortfolio. Read the story behind the paper here. get PDF

6. Zohner et al.  2017. Spring predictability explains different leaf-out strategies in the woody floras of North America, Europe, and East Asia. Ecology Letters 20, 452–460. get PDF

5. Desnoues E et al. 2017. The relative roles of local climate adaptation and phylogeny in determining leaf-out timing of temperate tree species. Forest Ecosystems. 4, 26. get PDF

2016

4. Zohner et al. 2016. Day length unlikely to constrain climate-driven shifts in leaf-out times of northern woody plants. Nature Climate Change 6, 1120–1123. Featured by various news outlets including Phys.Org, Earth Archives, and Environmental Research Web. get PDF

3. Muffler et al.  (2016). Distribution ranges and spring phenology explain late frost sensitivity of 170 woody plants from the Northern hemisphere. Global Ecology and Biogeography 25, 1061–1071. get PDF

2015

2. Zohner & Renner 2015. Perception of photoperiod in individual buds of mature trees regulates leaf-out. New Phytologist 208, 1023–1030. get PDF

2014

1. Zohner & Renner 2014. Common garden comparison of the leaf-out phenology of woody species from different native climates, combined with herbarium records, forecasts long-term change. Ecology Letters 17, 1016–1025. Featured by various news outlets including Phys.Org and Science Daily. get PDF