Geographic variations in spring and autumn phenology of white ash in a common garden

Geographic variations in plant phenology are known to be affected by climatic differences over space, but the role of adaptation variability of plant populations is less well understood. In this study, I examined the geographic variations in spring and autumn phenology of white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) in a common garden and related observations over a 2-year period (2013 and 2014) to climatic and geographic factors of their provenances. Spring leaf-out of trees with northern provenances occurred later in 2013, but slightly earlier in 2014, than those with southern provenances. This difference was potentially caused by the counterbalancing effect of chilling and forcing in response to interannual temperature fluctuations. In both years, leaf senescence of white ash occurred significantly earlier for trees with northern than southern provenances, reflecting strong adaptation to a photoperiod gradient. The growing season length for white ash, therefore, is constrained by spring and fall phenology through different environmental cues. Spring phenology exerted a greater influence on the interannual variability of growing season length. Identifying these detailed adaptive patterns facilitates a better understanding of phenological change over space and allows development of genotype-sensitive phenological models to predict the ecological impact of climate change.