scholarly journals Functional traits of alpine plant communities show long‐term resistance to changing herbivore densities

Ecosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina E. M. Vuorinen ◽  
Gunnar Austrheim ◽  
Atle Mysterud ◽  
Ragnhild Gya ◽  
Vigdis Vandvik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities

scholarly journals Changes in plant composition and diversity in an Alpine heath and meadow after 18 years of experimental warming

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Alatalo ◽  
Mohammad Bagher Erfanian ◽  
Ulf Molau ◽  
Shengbin Chen ◽  
Yang Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Experimental Warming ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities ◽  
The Impact

Background and aim Global warming is expected to have large impacts on high alpine and Arctic ecosystems in future. Here we report the effects of 18 years of experimental warming on two contrasting high alpine plant communities in subarctic Sweden.Methods Using open-top chambers (OTCs), we analysed the effects of long-term passive experimental warming on two high alpine plant communities, a species- and nutrient-poor heath and a more nutrient- and species-rich mesic meadow. We determined the impact on species composition, species diversity (at the level of rare, frequent and dominant species in each community), and phylogenetic and functional diversity.Key results Long-term warming drove differentiation in the species composition in both heath and meadow vegetation, with the warmed plots having distinctly different species composition in 2013 compared with 1995. In addition, variability in species composition increased in the meadow, while it decreased in the heath. The long-term warming had a significant negative effect on the three orders of phylogenetic Hill diversity in the meadow. There was a similar tendency in the heath, but only the phylogenetic diversity of dominant species was significantly affected. Long-term warming caused a reduction in graminoids in the heath, while deciduous shrubs increased. In the meadow, cushion-forming plants showed an increase in abundance from 2001 to 2013 in the warmed plots. Conclusions Responses in species and phylogenetic diversity to experimental warming varied over both time (medium vs long-term responses) and space (i.e. between the two neighbouring plant communities heath and meadow). The meadow community was more negatively affected in terms of species and phylogenetic diversity than the heath community. A potential driver for the changes in the meadow may be decreased soil moisture caused by the long-term warming.

scholarly journals Biomass and Species Diversity of Different Alpine Plant Communities Respond Differently to Nitrogen Deposition and Experimental Warming

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2719
Author(s):  
Emmanuella A. Kwaku ◽  
Shikui Dong ◽  
Hao Shen ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Wei Sha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Deposition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Alpine Vegetation ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Alpine Grasslands ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities

The ability of fragile ecosystems of alpine regions to adapt and thrive under warming and nitrogen deposition is a pressing conservation concern. The lack of information on how these ecosystems respond to the combined impacts of elevated levels of nitrogen and a warming climate limits the sustainable management approaches of alpine grasslands. In this study, we experimented using a completely random blocked design to examine the effects of warming and nitrogen deposition on the aboveground biomass and diversity of alpine grassland plant communities. The experiment was carried out from 2015 to 2018 in four vegetation types, e.g., alpine desert, alpine desert steppe, alpine marsh, and alpine salinised meadow, in the Aerjin Mountain Nature Reserve (AMNR) on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). We found that W (warming) and WN (warming plus N deposition) treatment significantly increased the aboveground biomass of all the vegetation types (p < 0.05) in 2018. However, W and WN treatment only significantly increased the Shannon diversity of salinised meadows in 2018 and had no significant effect on the Shannon diversity of other vegetation types. Such results suggested that long-term nitrogen deposition and warming can consistently stimulate biomass accumulation of the alpine plant communities. Compared with other vegetation types, the diversity of alpine salinised meadows are generally more susceptible to long-term warming and warming combined with N deposition. Warming accounts many of such variabilities, while short-term N deposition alone may not significantly have an evident effect on the productivity and diversity of alpine grasslands. Our findings suggested that the effects of short-term (≤4 years) N deposition on alpine vegetation productivity and diversity were minimal, while long-term warming (>4 years) will be much more favourable for alpine vegetation.

scholarly journals Alpine plant communities of Tibet and Caucasus: in quest of functional convergence

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana G. Elumeeva ◽  
◽  
Vladimir G. Onipchenko ◽  
Elena N. Rovnaia ◽  
Yan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Functional Convergence ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities

Elevational advance of alpine plant communities is buffered by herbivory

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. M. Speed ◽  
Gunnar Austrheim ◽  
Alison J. Hester ◽  
Atle Mysterud
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities

scholarly journals The state of coenopopulations of the vegetatively-semimobile species of Thymus in Southern Siberia

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 00036
Author(s):  
Evgeniya Talovskaya ◽  
Irina Barsukova
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Vegetative Growth ◽  
The State ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Main Root ◽  
Southern Siberia ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities ◽  
Steppe Communities ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

The state of coenopopulations of vegetatively-semimobile dwarf shrubs Thymus iljinii, T. minussinensis, T. mongoliens, T. petraeus, widely distributed in steppe communities in Southern Siberia was studied. Adults of the species are a clump consisting of a primary and several partial bushes. For individuals characterized by the preservation of the main root, weak vegetative growth and reproduction, slow seizure of territory. The complex of data on organizational and population characteristics is analyzed. It is established that the real optimum state of coenopopulations of the studied species is achieved in the petrophytic variants of steppes located on the slopes of mountains. Conditions of highmountain steppe and alpine plant communities are unfavorable for Thymus.

Giant stem rosettes have strong facilitation effects on alpine plant communities in the tropical Andes

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 593-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
María A. Mora ◽  
Luis D. Llambí ◽  
Lirey Ramírez
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities
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