phenology

American  

[fi-nol-uh-jee] / fɪˈnɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the science dealing with the influence of climate on the recurrence of such annual phenomena of animal and plant life as budding and bird migrations.

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phenology British  

/ fɪˈnɒlədʒɪ, ˌfiːnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the study of recurring phenomena, such as animal migration, esp as influenced by climatic conditions

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phenology Scientific  

/ fĭ-nŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of cyclical biological events, such as flowering, breeding, and migration, in relation to climatic conditions. Phenological records of the dates on which seasonal phenomena occur provide important information on how climate change affects ecosystems over time.

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Other Word Forms

• phenological adjective
• phenologically adverb
• phenologist noun

Etymology

Origin of phenology

First recorded in 1880–85; contracted variant of phenomenology, with restriction to climatic phenomena

Example Sentences

The timing of seasonal activity in plants and animals is known as phenology and is collected by a network of volunteers coordinated by the Nature's Calendar citizen science project.

From BBC

However, from all the data gathered by Nature's Calendar, there are clear trends to changing timescales in our phenology in spring and autumn.

From BBC

"Given the key role of air temperatures in driving ice formation and break-up, it is noteworthy that we did not find evidence for corresponding shifts in ice phenology."

From Science Daily

These changes could alter the migration pattern of bats and the phenology of their seasonal displacements.

From Science Daily

The phenomenon in which normally green leaves transition into shades of red, orange, yellow and eventually brown is known officially as "leaf phenology," which some people eagerly anticipate each year.

From Salon