This discussion is nicely written, however - I think it would be beneficial to delve a bit more into why, exactly, it matters to have accurate estimates of distinct transition dates. What aspects of a plants adaptation to local environment, or ability to adjust to future climate change, can be gleaned from accurate information about its phenology? and perhaps severely misinterpreted if we have inaccurate information? I believe the Miller-Rushing paper delves into ecological and evolutionary importance of correct phenological estimates a bit, as do some of your other references, and I think it would be beneficial to convince readers of the importance of accurate estimates a bit more here and in the introduction... We know this is a big deal - but not everyone does. You could also ponder and write about: if a method overestimates a phenological stage by 10 days, then so what? What exactly does that mean for our interpretation of the data and the state of our science? This explanation will help place this important work in the larger context of global change ecology and evolutionary ecology!
This discussion is nicely written, however - I think it would be beneficial to delve a bit more into why, exactly, it matters to have accurate estimates of distinct transition dates. What aspects of a plants adaptation to local environment, or ability to adjust to future climate change, can be gleaned from accurate information about its phenology? and perhaps severely misinterpreted if we have inaccurate information? I believe the Miller-Rushing paper delves into ecological and evolutionary importance of correct phenological estimates a bit, as do some of your other references, and I think it would be beneficial to convince readers of the importance of accurate estimates a bit more here and in the introduction... We know this is a big deal - but not everyone does. You could also ponder and write about: if a method overestimates a phenological stage by 10 days, then so what? What exactly does that mean for our interpretation of the data and the state of our science? This explanation will help place this important work in the larger context of global change ecology and evolutionary ecology!