A Comprehensive Review of the Impact of Climate Change on Plant Growth, Phenology, and Biodiversity
Keywords:
climate change; plant phenology; elevated CO2; biodiversity; warming; species range shifts; ecosystem functionAbstract
Climate change has emerged as one of the most pervasive drivers of ecological transformation in the twenty-first century, exerting profound and multidimensional effects on terrestrial plant systems. This review synthesizes contemporary evidence on how rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, warming temperatures, altered precipitation regimes, and increasing frequency of extreme weather events are reshaping plant growth, phenology, and biodiversity. Elevated CO2 stimulates photosynthetic carbon assimilation and may enhance biomass accumulation through the so-called fertilization effect, yet these gains are frequently constrained by nutrient limitation, water availability, and acclimation responses. Warming temperatures advance the timing of key phenological events such as budburst, flowering, and leaf senescence, generating mismatches between interacting species and disrupting long-established ecological synchrony. At the community level, shifting climatic envelopes are driving poleward and upslope migrations, local extinctions, and the reorganization of species assemblages, with cascading consequences for ecosystem function and the services upon which human societies depend. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature published. this paper examines the physiological mechanisms underpinning plant responses, evaluates the evidence for phenological shifts across biomes, and assesses the implications for biodiversity conservation. The synthesis highlights substantial variability in species' sensitivities and adaptive capacities, underscoring that climate impacts are neither uniform nor universally negative. The review concludes by identifying critical knowledge gaps and proposing future research priorities, including the integration of multi-factor experiments, improved representation of belowground processes, and the development of predictive frameworks that couple physiological, phenological, and population-level responses. A clearer mechanistic understanding of plant climate sensitivity is essential for forecasting ecosystem trajectories and informing adaptive conservation and management strategies.
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