ABSTRACT
Latitudinal Gradient: A Synthesis ............................................... 122 7.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 125 Appendix .............................................................................................................. 126
The study of periodic biological phenomena in relation to climatic changes over time is generally known as phenology (Stearns 1974). Phenology is a signicant component of biological populations and communities because it affects several features of plant species; vegetation composition and structure; and ecological interactions between plants and animals such as pollination, herbivory, frugivory, and seed dispersal. Hence, the research of phenological patterns of plant growth and reproduction is critical to understand the processes related to productivity, forest succession, and the functioning of ecosystems (Newstrom et al. 1994).
