Phenology is the study of the timing of recurring biological events in organisms, particularly plants and animals, and the environmental drivers that regulate these events. It focuses on phase transitions such as leaf-out, flowering, fruiting, migration, and reproduction, and quantifies their relationships with abiotic factors like temperature, photoperiod, and precipitation. As a research topic, phenology integrates field observations, remote sensing, and modeling to analyze interannual variability, long-term trends, and spatial patterns. It is central to understanding organismal responses to climate variability and change, trophic synchrony or mismatch, and feedbacks between biosphere processes and the climate system.
New research from the University of Oxford shows that cold snaps and heavy rain can stunt growth and reduce survival prospects in UK great tit nestlings. However, breeding earlier within a season appears to buffer against ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 11, 2026
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30
Thousands of birds, including beloved purple martins, died in "The Great Texas Freeze" of 2021. A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, reveals not only ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 6, 2026
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Climate change has caused some tropical plants to flower earlier or later than they used to; in some cases by a matter of weeks or even months, according to a study of 8,000 flowers across more than two centuries, published ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 25, 2026
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Biodiversity is changing across the planet, yet governments still lack the robust, consistent data needed to track these changes and guide effective conservation. Now, a new study led by the University of Amsterdam (UvA), ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 23, 2026
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How will a warming Arctic affect plant growth on Svalbard? Researchers encased plant plots in a thick layer of ice during the winter and used little greenhouses to heat up those plots in the summer. The surprise? The plants ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 18, 2026
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17
When you look out across a snowy winter landscape, it might seem like nature is fast asleep. Yet, under the surface, tiny organisms are hard at work, consuming the previous year's dead plant material and other organic matter.
Ecology
Feb 17, 2026
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411
A study from the University of California, Davis, found that temperature affects the sound and quality of male frogs' mating calls. In the colder, early weeks of spring, their songs start off sluggishly. In warmer weather, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2026
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19
Climate change is accelerating the arrival of warmer spring temperatures, and this phenomenon is affecting the conservation of many species. Now, a study published in the journal Global Change Biology reveals how a 2°C increase ...
Ecology
Feb 7, 2026
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23
No natural phenomenon provides a rarer chance to study the secrets of the animal world than a total solar eclipse. This was recently demonstrated by researchers investigating how a total solar eclipse might affect the soundscape ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 4, 2026
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17
Whether you call him groundhog, woodchuck, whistle-pig or use the full genus and species name, Marmota monax, the nation's premier animal weather forecaster has been making headlines as Punxsutawney Phil for decades.
Plants & Animals
Jan 27, 2026
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