Timing in Ecology
Physiological Mechanisms | Species Interactions | Climate Change
Phenology – the timing of life cycle events is crucial for the survival of all organisms for two reasons:
1. Development of a life cycle needs to match a suitable time window of opportunity avoiding critical stress intensities e.g. below freezing and drought tolerances and
2. Synchronizing sexual reproduction among individuals of the same species to increase genetic diversity as a basis for evolutiv adaptation.