European phenological response to climate change matches the warming pattern

Abstract Global climate change impacts can already be tracked in many physical and biological systems; in particular, terrestrial ecosystems provide a consistent picture of observed changes. One of the preferred indicators is phenology, the science of natural recurring events, as their recorded dates provide a high‐temporal resolution of ongoing changes. Thus, numerous analyses have demonstrated an earlier onset of spring events for mid and higher latitudes and a lengthening of the growing season. However, published single‐site or single‐species studies are particularly open to suspicion of being biased towards predominantly reporting climate change‐induced impacts. No comprehensive study or meta‐analysis has…