Plant Phenology Across Urban-Climatic Gradients: Divergent Responses of Native and Invasive Species

The responses of plant communities to local environmental changes associated with urbanization are simultaneously modulated by broader climatic gradients. Together, these interacting environmental conditions shape phenological timing, functional trait expression, and community assembly processes, yet their combined effects on native versus invasive species remain poorly synthesized. Divergent phenological responses between native and invasive species can reshuffle competitive hierarchies, resource-use timing, and pollinator or disperser interactions, with direct consequences for ecosystem function and invasion success.This Research Topic invites contributions that advance understanding of how interacting urban-climatic gradients drive phenological and functional trait shifts in plant communities, with particular attention to the mechanisms that differentiate native from invasive species responses. We welcome studies spanning observational, experimental, remote-sensing, and modeling approaches, including but not limited to:• Comparative phenological shifts (flowering, leaf-out, senescence) in native vs. invasive plants along urban-to-rural and climatic gradients.• Functional trait responses (leaf economics, phenology, reproductive strategy) to urban heat islands and broader climatic gradients.• Population-, community- (e.g., filtering, competitive exclusion, niche differentiation), and ecosystem-level consequences (e.g., altered nutrient cycling, productivity, plant–pollinator interactions) of phenological differences between native and invasive plants in urban and peri-urban areas• Implications for invasive species management and urban green-space planning under future climate scenarios.By bringing together researchers working across urban ecology, invasion biology, and plant phenology, this Research Topic aims to develop a mechanistic and predictive framework for understanding how interacting urban-climatic gradients reshape plant communities, with implications for both ecological theory and applied environmental management. Topic editors: Javier Galán Díaz, Alberto Rodriguez Fernandez Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85955/plant-phenology-across-urban-climatic-gradients-divergent-responses-of-native-and-invasive-species