scholarly journals Changes in plant diversity in a water-limited and isolated high-mountain range (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

Alpine Botany ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Lamprecht ◽  
Harald Pauli ◽  
Maria Rosa Fernández Calzado ◽  
Juan Lorite ◽  
Joaquín Molero Mesa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Range

AbstractClimate change impacts are of a particular concern in small mountain ranges, where cold-adapted plant species have their optimum zone in the upper bioclimatic belts. This is commonly the case in Mediterranean mountains, which often harbour high numbers of endemic species, enhancing the risk of biodiversity losses. This study deals with shifts in vascular plant diversity in the upper zones of the Sierra Nevada, Spain, in relation with climatic parameters during the past two decades. We used vegetation data from permanent plots of three surveys of two GLORIA study regions, spanning a period of 18 years (2001–2019); ERA5 temperature and precipitation data; and snow cover durations, derived from on-site soil temperature data. Relationships between diversity patterns and climate factors were analysed using GLMMs. Species richness showed a decline between 2001 and 2008, and increased thereafter. Species cover increased slightly but significantly, although not for endemic species. While endemics underwent cover losses proportional to non-endemics, more widespread shrub species increased. Precipitation tended to increase during the last decade, after a downward trend since 1960. Precipitation was positively related to species richness, colonisation events, and cover, and negatively to disappearance events. Longer snow cover duration and rising temperatures were also related to increasing species numbers, but not to cover changes. The rapid biotic responses of Mediterranean alpine plants indicate a tight synchronisation with climate fluctuations, especially with water availability. Thus, it rather confirms concerns about biodiversity losses, if projections of increasing temperature in combination with decreasing precipitation hold true.

scholarly journals Altitudinal Vascular Plant Richness and Climate Change in the Alpine Zone of the Lefka Ori, Crete

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
George Kazakis ◽  
Dany Ghosn ◽  
Ilektra Remoundou ◽  
Panagiotis Nyktas ◽  
Michael A. Talias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Total Species Richness

High mountain zones in the Mediterranean area are considered more vulnerable in comparison to lower altitudes zones. Lefka Ori massif, a global biodiversity hotspot on the island of Crete is part of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) monitoring network. The paper examines species and vegetation changes with respect to climate and altitude over a seven-year period (2001–2008) at a range of spatial scales (10 m Summit Area Section-SAS, 5 m SAS, 1 m2) using the GLORIA protocol in a re-survey of four mountain summits (1664 m–2339 m). The absolute species loss between 2001–2008 was 4, among which were 2 endemics. At the scale of individual summits, the highest changes were recorded at the lower summits with absolute species loss 4 in both cases. Paired t-tests for the total species richness at 1 m2 between 2001–2008, showed no significant differences. No significant differences were found at the individual summit level neither at the 5 m SAS or the 10 m SAS. Time series analysis reveals that soil mean annual temperature is increasing at all summits. Linear regressions with the climatic variables show a positive effect on species richness at the 5 m and 10 m SAS as well as species changes at the 5 m SAS. In particular, June mean temperature has the highest predictive power for species changes at the 5 m SAS. Recorded changes in species richness point more towards fluctuations within a plant community’s normal range, although there seem to be more significant diversity changes in higher summits related to aspects. Our work provides additional evidence to assess the effects of climate change on plant diversity in Mediterranean mountains and particularly those of islands which remain understudied.

scholarly journals Relationship between moth (night active Lepidoptera) diversity and vegetation characteristics in southern Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1015
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Vascular Plant Diversity ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract The diversity and community composition of moths (both macro- and micromoths) at 32 sites, representing a wide range of habitat types (forests, grasslands, wetlands, agricultural and urban areas) within a restricted region in central Scania, southern-most Sweden, was investigated by use of light moth traps and compared with vascular plant species richness and habitat characteristics. The results revealed a highly significant general association between vegetation composition and the composition of the moth community and multivariate (CCA) analyses indicated light availability and soil fertility parameters (pH and macronutrients) to be the habitat characteristics that best correlated with moth community composition. Less strong, but still significant, positive relationships between moth abundance and local vascular plant diversity were also revealed. Moth species richness was positively correlated with diversity of woody plant genera in the neighborhood, but not with local vascular plant diversity in general. As for more general site characteristics, there were tendencies for higher moth richness and abundance at sites with more productive soils (well-drained, high pH, high nutrient availability), while shading/tree canopy cover, management, soil disturbance regimes and nectar production appeared unrelated to moth community parameters. It is concluded that local moth assemblages are strongly influenced by site characteristics and vegetation composition. Implications for insect conservation: The results show that obtaining moth data on a local scale is useful for conservation planning and does not need to be very cumbersome. Local moth assemblages monitored are indeed related to local site characteristics of conservation relevance.

scholarly journals Rapid changes in snow cover at low elevations in the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A.

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 367-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Kattelmann
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Distributed Models ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Precipitation Type ◽  
River Forecasting

Snow cover in the intermittent snow zone of the Sierra Nevada can occupy more than 10 000 km2 of the mountain range, but it has received relatively little attention in river forecasting. Snow is deposited at lower elevations only during the cold storms of winter, and remains there only for a few days or weeks. When cold storms have created a thin snow cover at low elevations, a subsequent warm storm can melt this snow in just a few hours and increase the runoff response dramatically. Operational hydrological models and river-forecasting procedures have tended to overlook contributions from the intermittent-snow zone, focusing instead on rainfall-runoff or melt from the snowpack zone at higher elevations. Data-collection efforts are minimal in this zone, too. Ideally, spatially distributed models of snowmelt and runoff generation are needed to account for the typically large differences in snow cover on different aspects in the intermittent snow zone. Although aircraft and satellite imagery would be most desirable to monitor the distribution of snow cover in the intermittent-snow zone, even a few climate stations that report precipitation type and snow presence would be a major improvement over the present situation in the Sierra Nevada.

An updated checklist of the vascular flora of Sierra Nevada (SE Spain)

Phytotaxa ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 261 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUAN LORITE
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Vascular Flora ◽  
Threat Status ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

To have an updated checklist available for a given area is crucial for many purposes (educational, conservation, management, etc.). In this paper, a complete and updated checklist of the vascular flora of Sierra Nevada mountain range (SE Spain), a recognized hotspot for plant diversity in the Mediterranean basin, is presented. It includes 2,353 taxa, 359 more than in the previous checklist (an increase of 15.25%). Also, data are shown on composition (in terms of families, number of hybrids, native/alien species, endemics, etc.) and threat status according to the IUCN. The result is a complete and updated checklist flora of this recognised biodiversity Mediterranean hotspot.

scholarly journals Plant colonization, succession and ecosystem development on Surtsey with reference to neighbouring islands

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5521-5537 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Magnússon ◽  
S. H. Magnússon ◽  
E. Ólafsson ◽  
B. D. Sigurdsson
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Plant Colonization ◽  
Nutrient Input ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity

Abstract. Plant colonization and succession on the volcanic island of Surtsey, formed in 1963, have been closely followed. In 2013, a total of 69 vascular plant species had been discovered on the island; of these, 59 were present and 39 had established viable populations. Surtsey had more than twice the species of any of the comparable neighbouring islands, and all of their common species had established on Surtsey. The first colonizers were dispersed by sea, but, after 1985, bird dispersal became the principal pathway with the formation of a seagull colony on the island and consequent site amelioration. This allowed wind-dispersed species to establish after 1990. Since 2007, there has been a net loss of species on the island. A study of plant succession, soil formation and invertebrate communities in permanent plots on Surtsey and on two older neighbouring islands (plants and soil) has revealed that seabirds, through their transfer of nutrients from sea to land, are major drivers of development of these ecosystems. In the area impacted by seagulls, dense grassland swards have developed and plant cover, species richness, diversity, plant biomass and soil carbon become significantly higher than in low-impact areas, which remained relatively barren. A similar difference was found for the invertebrate fauna. After 2000, the vegetation of the oldest part of the seagull colony became increasingly dominated by long-lived, rhizomatous grasses (Festuca, Poa, Leymus) with a decline in species richness and diversity. Old grasslands of the neighbouring islands Elliđaey (puffin colony, high nutrient input) and Heimaey (no seabirds, low nutrient input) contrasted sharply. The puffin grassland of Elliđaey was very dense and species-poor. It was dominated by Festuca and Poa, and very similar to the seagull grassland developing on Surtsey. The Heimaey grassland was significantly higher in species richness and diversity, and had a more even cover of dominants (Festuca/Agrostis/Ranunculus). We forecast that, with continued erosion of Surtsey, loss of habitats and increasing impact from seabirds a lush, species-poor grassland will develop and persist, as on the old neighbouring islands.

scholarly journals Reasons for an outstanding plant diversity in the tropical Andes of Southern Ecuador

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Richter ◽  
Karl-Heinz Diertl ◽  
Paul Emck ◽  
Thorsten Peters ◽  
Erwin Beck
Keyword(s):  
Human Impact ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Constant Input ◽  
General Role ◽  
Southern Ecuador ◽  
The Impact

Long-term field studies in the scope of a multidisciplinary project in southern Ecuador revealed extraordinary high species numbers of many organismic groups. This article discusses reasons for the outstanding vascular plant diversity using a hierarchical scale-oriented top-down approach (Grüninger 2005), from the global scale to the local microscale. The global scale explains general (paleo-) ecological factors valid for most parts of the humid tropics, addressing various hypotheses and theories, such as the "greater effective evolutionary time", constant input of "accidentals", the "seasonal variability hypothesis", the "intermediate disturbance hypothesis", and the impact of soil fertility. The macroscale focuses on the Andes in northwestern South America. The tropical Andes are characterised by many taxa of restricted range which is particularly true for the Amotape-Huancabamba region, i.e. the so called Andean Depression, which is effective as discrete phytogeographic transition as well as barrier zone. Interdigitation of northern and southern flora elements, habitat fragmentation, geological and landscape history, and a high speciation rate due to rapid genetic radiation of some taxa contribute to a high degree of diversification. The mesoscale deals with the special environmental features of the eastern mountain range, the Cordillera Real and surrounding areas in southern Ecuador. Various climatic characteristics, the orographic heterogeneity, the geologic and edaphic conditions as well as human impact are the most prominent factors augmenting plant species diversity. On microscale, prevailing regimes of disturbance and environmental stresses, the orographic basement, as well as the general role on the various mountain chains are considered. Here, micro-habitats e.g. niches for epiphytes, effects of micro-relief patterns, and successions after small-sized disturbance events are screened. Direct effects of human impact are addressed and a perspective of possible effects of climate change on plant diversity is presented.

scholarly journals Rapid changes in snow cover at low elevations in the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A.

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 367-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Kattelmann
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Distributed Models ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Precipitation Type ◽  
River Forecasting

Snow cover in the intermittent snow zone of the Sierra Nevada can occupy more than 10 000 km2of the mountain range, but it has received relatively little attention in river forecasting. Snow is deposited at lower elevations only during the cold storms of winter, and remains there only for a few days or weeks. When cold storms have created a thin snow cover at low elevations, a subsequent warm storm can melt this snow in just a few hours and increase the runoff response dramatically. Operational hydrological models and river-forecasting procedures have tended to overlook contributions from the intermittent-snow zone, focusing instead on rainfall-runoff or melt from the snowpack zone at higher elevations. Data-collection efforts are minimal in this zone, too. Ideally, spatially distributed models of snowmelt and runoff generation are needed to account for the typically large differences in snow cover on different aspects in the intermittent snow zone. Although aircraft and satellite imagery would be most desirable to monitor the distribution of snow cover in the intermittent-snow zone, even a few climate stations that report precipitation type and snow presence would be a major improvement over the present situation in the Sierra Nevada.

scholarly journals Climate Change Affects Vegetation Differently on Siliceous and Calcareous Summits of the European Alps

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Nicklas ◽  
Janette Walde ◽  
Sonja Wipf ◽  
Andrea Lamprecht ◽  
Martin Mallaun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
Over Time

The alpine life zone is expected to undergo major changes with ongoing climate change. While an increase of plant species richness on mountain summits has generally been found, competitive displacement may result in the long term. Here, we explore how species richness and surface cover types (vascular plants, litter, bare ground, scree and rock) changed over time on different bedrocks on summits of the European Alps. We focus on how species richness and turnover (new and lost species) depended on the density of existing vegetation, namely vascular plant cover. We analyzed permanent plots (1 m × 1 m) in each cardinal direction on 24 summits (24 × 4 × 4), with always four summits distributed along elevation gradients in each of six regions (three siliceous, three calcareous) across the European Alps. Mean summer temperatures derived from downscaled climate data increased synchronously over the past 30 years in all six regions. During the investigated 14 years, vascular plant cover decreased on siliceous bedrock, coupled with an increase in litter, and it marginally increased on higher calcareous summits. Species richness showed a unimodal relationship with vascular plant cover. Richness increased over time on siliceous bedrock but slightly decreased on calcareous bedrock due to losses in plots with high plant cover. Our analyses suggest contrasting and complex processes on siliceous versus calcareous summits in the European Alps. The unimodal richness-cover relationship and species losses at high plant cover suggest competition as a driver for vegetation change on alpine summits.

scholarly journals Integrating Plant Diversity Data into Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and Their Services (MAES) Implementation in Greece: Woodland and Forest Pilot

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 956
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kotsiras ◽  
Ioannis P. Kokkoris ◽  
Arne Strid ◽  
Panayotis Dimopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Biodiversity Data ◽  
Ecosystem Condition ◽  
Natural Capital Accounting ◽  
United Nations System

Research Highlights: This is the first approach that integrates biodiversity data into Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and their Services (MAES) implementation and natural capital accounting process, at the national scale, using an extensive vascular plant dataset for Greece. Background and Objectives: The study aims to support the MAES implementation in Greece, by assessing, as a pilot, the woodland and forest ecosystem type; the targets of the study are: (a) Identify and map ecosystem type extent; (b) identify ecosystem condition using biodiversity in terms of plant species richness (i.e., total, ecosystem exclusive, endemic, ecosystem exclusive endemic diversity); (c) develop ecosystem asset proxy indicators by combining ecosystem extent and ecosystem condition outcomes; (d) identify shortcomings; and (e) propose future steps and implications for the MAES implementation and natural capital accounting, based on biodiversity data. Materials and Methods: Following the national European Union’s and United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounts-Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EEA) guidelines and the adopted National Set of MAES Indicators, we developed a set of four proxy ecosystem asset indicators to assess ecosystem types with respect to ecosystem area extent and ecosystem condition. This was as interpreted by its plant diversity in terms of species richness (total, ecosystem exclusive, endemic, and ecosystem exclusive endemic diversity). Results: The results revealed that when indicators use well-developed biodiversity datasets, in combination with ecosystem extent data, they can provide the baseline for ecosystem condition assessment, ecosystem asset delineation, and support operational MAES studies. Conclusions: The relation among biodiversity, ecosystem condition, and ecosystem services is not a linear equation and detailed, fine-scale assessments are needed to identify and interpret all aspects of biodiversity. However, areas of importance are pinpointed throughout Greece, and guidance is provided for case-study selection, conservation strategy, and decision-making under the perspective of national and EU environmental policies.

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