The circadian clock (the endogenous mechanism that anticipates diurnal cycles) acts as a central coordinator of plant activity. At the molecular and organism level, it regulates key traits for plant fitness, including seed germination, gas exchange, growth and flowering, among others. In this article, we explore current evidence on the effect of the clock for the scales of interest to ecologists. We begin by synthesizing available knowledge on the effect of the clock on biosphere-atmosphere interactions and observe that, at least in the systems where it has been tested, the clock regulates gas exchange from the leaf to the ecosystem level, and we discuss its implications for estimates of the carbon balance. Then, we analyse whether incorporating the action of the clock may help in elucidating the effects of climate change on plant distributions. Circadian rhythms are involved in regulating the range of temperatures a species can survive and affects plant interactions. Finally, we review the involvement of the clock in key phenological events, such as flowering time and seed germination. Because the clock may act as a common mechanism affecting many of the diverse branches of ecology, our ultimate goal is to stimulate further research into this pressing, yet unexplored, topic.

中文翻译：

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植物分辨时间能力的生态意义。

生物钟（预测昼夜循环的内源机制）充当植物活动的中央协调器。在分子和生物体水平上，它调节植物健康的关键性状，包括种子发芽、气体交换、生长和开花等。在本文中，我们探讨了时钟对生态学家感兴趣的尺度的影响的当前证据。我们首先综合有关时钟对生物圈-大气相互作用的影响的现有知识，并观察到，至少在已经测试过的系统中，时钟调节从叶子到生态系统水平的气体交换，我们讨论了它的影响用于估算碳平衡。然后，我们分析结合时钟的作用是否有助于阐明气候变化对植物分布的影响。昼夜节律参与调节物种可以生存的温度范围并影响植物相互作用。最后，我们回顾了时钟在关键物候事件中的参与，例如开花时间和种子发芽。由于时钟可能作为影响生态学许多不同分支的常见机制，我们的最终目标是激发对这一紧迫但尚未探索的主题的进一步研究。