Figure 1

Tentative scheme for classification of cis- and trans-yearly periods, based on length and 95% confidence interval (CI), without implication as to mechanisms. Period (τ, dot), with its 95% CI (length of horizontal line), indicated for near and far trans- and cis-yearly components in transdisciplinary, including physical-environmental and biologic spectra, the latter at all levels of organization, from single prokaryote to ecosystems. Circannual (about calendar-yearly) components under usual conditions are defined as components with a τ, the 95% CI of which overlaps the precise yearly τ; trans- and cisannuals are components with a 95% CI of τ not overlapping the precise yearly τ, longer (trans) or shorter (cis) than 1 year, respectively, with distant limits indicated on the scheme. They are subdivided further into near- and far- cis- or transyears, if the 95% CIs are within the limits also shown on this graph.