Reply to communications by Fu et al. international journal of biometeorology.

Temperature sensitivity of plant phenology (S _T ) is a determining factor of as to what degree climate change impacts on plant species. Fu et al . (Int J Biometeorol 60:1611-1613, 2016) claimed that long long-term linear trends mask phenological shifts. However, the decreased and increased S _T was both found in warming scenarios. The conceptual scheme telling the nonlinear relationship between spring temperature and leaf unfolding date proposed by Fu et al . (Int J Biometeorol 60:1611-1613, 2016) cannot be supported by observation data across Europe. Therefore, linking declined S _T to climate warming is misleading, and future S _T changes are more uncertain than they suggested.