Phenology and morphology of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus along a latitudinal gradient in Europe

Abstract

Plant phenology, i. e. the timing of life cycle events, is related to individual fitness and species distribution ranges. Temperature is one of the most important drivers of plant phenology together with day length. The adaptation of their phenology may be important for the success of invasive plant species. The present study aims at understanding how the performance and the phenology of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus vary with latitude. We sampled data across a >2000 km latitudinal gradient from Central to Northern Europe. We quantified variation in phenology of flowering and fruiting of L. polyphyllus using >1600 digital photos of inflorescences from 220 individual plants observed weekly at 22 sites. The day of the year at which different phenological phases were reached, increased 1.3–1.8 days per degree latitude, whereas the growing degree days (gdd) required for these phenological phases decreased 5–16 gdd per degree latitude. However, this difference disappeared, when the day length of each day included in the calculation of gdd was considered. The day of the year of the earliest and the latest climatic zone to reach any of the three studied phenological phases differed by 23–30 days and temperature requirements to reach these stages differed between 62 and 236 gdd. Probably, the invasion of this species will further increase in the northern part of Europe over the next decades due to climate warming. For invasive species control, our results suggest that in countries with a large latitudinal extent, the mowing date should shift by ca. one week per 500 km at sites with similar elevations.

iPhenology: Using open‐access citizen science photos to track phenology at continental scale

“…Concerning temporal patterns, observations of L. polyphyllus clearly followed its phenological cycle (Ludewig et al, 2022). It has been shown that temporal patterns in iEcology data follow human interactions with species, for example, for Google searches on ticks in Denmark (Jensen et al, 2022).…”

“…Consequently, studies on the latitudinal distribution of species can give valuable information on their climatic niches and are crucial to predict future range shifts under a warming climate. Despite their relevance, empirical phenological studies across large geographical scales are limited (but see Ludewig et al, 2022; Nordt et al, 2021). This is mainly because such studies require frequent simultaneous observations across different latitudes.…”

“…Despite their relevance, empirical phenological studies across large geographical scales are limited (but see Ludewig et al, 2022;Nordt et al, 2021). This is mainly because such studies require frequent simultaneous observations across different latitudes.…”

Airborne Hyperspectral Images and Machine Learning Algorithms for the Identification of Lupine Invasive Species in Natura 2000 Meadows

“…Lupinus polyphyllus is a perennial plant of the family Fabaceae, which is native to North America and was intentionally introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant in the 19th century [6]. The species quickly spread, especially in ruderal habitats (roadsides, wastelands, degraded areas) and semi-natural habitats, such as meadows, grasslands, and forest edges.…”

“…One of the widespread invasive species that threatens the biological richness of mountain meadows and grasslands is Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., also known as garden lupin or large-leaved lupine. By creating dense patches and producing allelopathic substances, this species may limit the germination of native plants and be harmful to farm animals, which is why it was chosen as the subject of this study [6,7].…”