Climate change just broke a centuries-old cycle where European beech trees all dropped their seeds at the exact same time.
March 25, 2026
Original Paper
Masting breakdown in European beech reduces fitness benefits of masting, partly explained by climate change
EcoEvoRxiv · 10.32942/X2B95Q
The Takeaway
For ages, beech trees survived by 'masting'—producing massive, synchronized bursts of seeds every few years to overwhelm predators. A 50-year study reveals this core ecological strategy collapsed in the mid-2000s, leading to constant low-level seed production that has tripled the risk of seeds being eaten by predators.
From the abstract
1. Masting, which corresponds to highly synchronized but temporally variable seed production, is initiated by weather cues and is thus highly sensitive to climate change. Changes in these cues can lead to a masting breakdown, resulting in a reduction of the fitness benefits of masting through decreasing pollination efficiency and increasing predation risk for seeds. 2. Here, for the first time, we use 50 years of individual tree data on annual seed production of European beech (Fagus sylvatica)