A team of researchers led by Professor Drew Terasaki Hart has discovered that the familiar order of seasonal changes is no longer relevant. An analysis of satellite data over the past two decades has revealed that nature's cycles are breaking down into separate fragments, making the climate picture of the world resemble a "patchwork quilt." According to the scientists, even neighboring regions no longer adhere to a unified rhythm as they once did, which is reflected in an article published in the journal Nature.
The digital model of seasonal cycles for terrestrial ecosystems created by the group showed that being at the same latitude or altitude does not guarantee the simultaneous arrival of spring or autumn. Nature turns out to be much more fragmented, especially in areas with high biological diversity.
This mismatch in climate cycles triggers new evolutionary processes. Different periods of rainfall and solar activity in nearby areas lead to flora and fauna functioning at different rates, giving rise to allochrony — a phenomenon where individuals of the same species become temporally disconnected. In the long term, this could lead to the emergence of new species.
An example is the cities of Phoenix and Tucson in the USA: despite their proximity (only 160 kilometers apart), the ecosystems of these cities operate on different principles. Tucson is oriented towards summer monsoons, while Phoenix relies on winter precipitation. Similar changes are observed in the Mediterranean regions of Chile, South Africa, and California, where peaks of biological activity can differ by two months in neighboring zones.
These discoveries have significant implications for the global economy. For instance, on coffee plantations in Colombia, located on different slopes of the same mountain, the harvest ripens at such different times that it creates the impression that they are in different hemispheres. This forces agronomists to rethink logistics and harvest schedules.
Professor Hart emphasizes that modern forecasting models can no longer rely on averaged data across regions. For sustainable agriculture and the conservation of natural resources, it is essential to consider local anomalies, as geographical proximity no longer guarantees biological unity.
