Our latest paper, Solstice, selection, and synchrony of seed masting, addresses how the summer solstice serves as a fixed, range-wide cue that synchronizes temperature sensing for flowering in European beech. Unlike growth processes, where local adaptation to environmental conditions is beneficial, masting relies on synchrony among individuals to enhance pollination efficiency and predator satiation. We show that this fixed-date cue, unaffected by local conditions, is key to achieving large-scale reproductive synchrony—but may also make masting vulnerable to climate warming. Read the whole story here: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2515264122
PNAS: solstice, growth, and masting
