Mittelstandspresse
12.09.2025
Beech Forests: Fit for Climate Change?
New study combines satellite data and DNA analysis
Frankfurt, 12.09.2025 (PresseBox) - By combining satellite images with a new type of genetic analysis, a research team led by the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center Frankfurt (SBiK-F) was able to decipher how European beech forests react to climate change. The study, published today in the scientific journal “Global Change Biology,” shows that the timing of leaf emergence in spring depends primarily on rising temperatures, but also that tree populations are genetically adapted to their local environment. This integrated approach makes it possible for the first time to accurately predict which beech populations are best equipped to deal with future climate conditions.
Due to global warming, forests in Germany are also subject to increasing stress. Understanding and predicting the effects of climate change in greater detail is therefore of high importance for forest management and nature conservation. The annual cycle of leaf emergence and leaf shedding – known as phenology – is important for the health of deciduous forests and for the climate. It determines how long trees can photosynthesize and thus influences their growth and the exchange of carbon dioxide and water with the air. “Climate change is altering these seasonal rhythms, but understanding and predicting the response of longlived trees has been a major challenge to date,” explains Prof. Dr. Markus Pfenninger from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center Frankfurt. “Until now, it has been difficult to distinguish between the two main factors that control a tree’s seasonal clock: direct environmental influences such as temperature, and the genetic predisposition of the tree.”
Pfenninger and his team developed an innovative approach to overcome this obstacle. They used high-resolution satellite data from 2015 to 2022 to monitor the exact timing of leaf emergence and leaf shedding in 46 populations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) across Germany. They then combined this large-scale “phenotyping from space” with a new population-based method of genetic analysis. “For the first time, we were able to observe entire forests from space over a period of several years and simultaneously decipher their collective genetic blueprint,” says Pfenninger. “This combination gives us an unprecedented insight into the functioning and adaptability of these vital ecosystems.”
From an ecological point of view, the timing of leaf emergence in spring is primarily determined by temperature and water availability. The researchers’ analysis showed that the vegetation period for beech trees has already been extended by around eight days since the 1970s, which is almost exclusively due to earlier leaf emergence. This change did not occur gradually but as an abrupt shift at the end of the 1980s, which coincided with a documented rise in spring temperatures across Europe.
It is significant that the study also provides strong evidence of local genetic adaptation. “Beech populations are not all equal; they are quite precisely adapted to their respective locations,” explains the study’s co-author Prof. Dr. Thomas Hickler from the SBiK-F. “For example, northern populations are genetically programmed to leaf out earlier than the climate alone would suggest. We assume that the shorter vegetation period is thus optimally utilized. This shows that this phenology has a heritable basis.” The researchers were even able to identify the candidate genes responsible for these adaptations and link them to the trees’ internal “circadian clock” for leaf emergence and to the dormancy phases for leaf shedding.
By combining environmental data with the identified genetic information, the team can now predict how different beech populations will react to future climate scenarios. “This precise prediction model is a milestone for forest management and nature conservation,” adds Pfenninger. “Our study makes it clear that the European beech can adapt well to changing conditions if genetic diversity is maintained through forest management and natural selection is made possible.”
Publication
Markus Pfenninger, Liam Langan, Barbara Feldmeyer, et al. (2025): Predicting forest tree leaf phenology under climate change using satellite monitoring and population-based genomic trait association. Global Change Biology
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70484
Ansprechpartner
Prof. Dr. Markus Pfenninger
+49 (69) 7542-1841
Zuständigkeitsbereich: Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center Frankfurt
Katharina Decker
+49 (69) 7542-1595
Zuständigkeitsbereich: Press Office
Über Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research // Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung:
The Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Senckenberg Nature Society), a member institution of the Leibniz Association, has studied the “Earth System” on a global scale for over 200 years – in the past, in the present, and with predictions for the future. We conduct integrative “geobiodiversity research” with the goal of understanding nature with its infinite diversity, so we can preserve it for future generations and use it in a sustainable fashion. In addition, Senckenberg presents its research results in a variety of ways, first and foremost in its three natural history museums in Frankfurt, Görlitz, and Dresden. The Senckenberg natural history museums are places of learning and wonder and serve as open platforms for a democratic dialogue – inclusive, participative, and international. For additional information, visit www.senckenberg.de.
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The annual cycle of emergence and shedding of the leaves in European beeches is determined by the interplay of climate and genetic factors.
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