Seasonal Phenophase Dynamics in a Dry Deciduous Forest Community of Bannerghatta National Park

The timing of vegetative and reproductive phases is a key component of forest dynamics; yet, community-level seasonality in tropical dry forests remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess phenophase patterns, temporal ordering, and synchrony in a dry deciduous forest woody community at Bannerghatta National Park, Karnataka, Southern India. Phenological monitoring was conducted monthly from 2019 to 2023 across two transects, including diverse woody species. Observations were undertaken on 15 phenophases, capturing both vegetative and reproductive events. Analyses of leaf fall, leaf initiation, flowering, and fruiting were performed using correlation statistics, principal component analysis, and regression models to evaluate climatic associations and seasonal structuring. Results revealed clear unimodal trends: peak leaf fall occurred in January, followed sequentially by leaf initiation in March, flower initiation in April, and fruit initiation in May. Leaf initiation exhibited strong synchrony across species, while flowering and fruiting showed moderate-to-low synchrony. Climatic variables influenced phenophase timing, with maximum temperature positively associated with leaf and flower initiation, and moisture-related factors negatively associated with initiation but positively linked to fruit maturation. Overall, the findings demonstrate that phenophases are temporally ordered and seasonally regulated, with community-level synchrony shaping the timing of vegetative and reproductive events. These results highlight the ecological importance of seasonal rhythms in dry deciduous forests and provide insights into how climatic variability structures phenological patterns at the community scale.

Cite this article as: Sharma, B., Chakravarthy, A. K., Chandrashekara, C. H., Begum, N., Saha, D., Satyanarayana, H., & S. (2026). Seasonal phenophase dynamics in a dry deciduous forest community of Bannerghatta National Park. Forestist, 76, 0170, doi: 10.5152/ forestis.2026.25170.