Meise (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Researchers at the Botanic Garden Meise, led by Karen De Pauw, study the wood anemone to understand how climate change affects blooming times. They compare recent data with 150-year-old samples and find that there is earlier blooming.
Researchers at the Botanic Garden Meise are investigating how climate change impacts plants in cities and forests. They are focusing on the wood anemone, which blooms early in spring. The researchers are comparing current data with old samples of the plant that are up to 150 years old.
They mentioned that these samples helped them see when the plant used to bloom. By looking at these records, they can track changes in blooming times over the years. They said that this research is important for understanding how a warmer climate impacts plants. Karen De Pauw, a researcher at the garden, says these old records show how plants adapt to changes in their environment.
How do wood anemones respond to climate change?
Researchers believe that wood anemones are flowering earlier because of rising temperatures brought about by global warming. Researchers explained that the plant is very sensitive to warmer weather, making it a good candidate for studying the effect of climate on flowering time
They said that shifts in when flowers bloom can affect nature, particularly how pollination occurs and how plants and insects interact. Through the study of wood anemones, researchers can understand how plants in forests and cities are responding to climate change.
“We have preserved wood anemones in the herbarium of Botanic Garden Meise. Some specimens even date back 150 years,”
Says scientific researcher Karen De Pauw.
Karen De Pauw, a researcher at Botanic Garden Meise, studies how wood anemones react to climate change. Her team looks at how many days earlier these flowers bloom now compared to old records for each degree of temperature increase. This helps them see how plants and ecosystems are changing.
They mentioned that they can also predict how plants might adapt in the future. But not all plants react in a similar manner. Some, such as wood anemones, are highly sensitive to temperature variations, whereas others are less so. This divergence can create issues in nature, where processes such as blooming and pollination might no longer occur in sync.
Karen explains,
“Some species, such as the wood anemone, respond strongly to temperature, others less. Then the ecological interaction can become a mismatch.”
The wood anemone blooms in early March and April. According to the experts, as the weather warms earlier in the year, these flowers blossom earlier than usual. After flowering, the wood anemone fades away. Its life cycle depends on this early springtime.
People who see a blooming wood anemone are asked to take a picture and upload it to waarnemingen.be. Officials mentioned that this helps track plant sightings in the country. This project allows researchers to collect data and study how plants are changing. It also helps understand how plants are adapting to a warmer climate.
