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 Plant Phenology Dynamics and Pollination Networks in Summits of the High Tropical Andes: A Baseline for Monitoring Climate Change Impacts

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxibell C. Pelayo ◽  
Luis D. Llambí ◽  
Luis E. Gámez ◽  
Yeni C. Barrios ◽  
Lirey A. Ramirez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Plant Phenology ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Alpine Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Analyzing plant phenology and plant–animal interaction networks can provide sensitive mechanistic indicators to understand the response of alpine plant communities to climate change. However, monitoring data to analyze these processes is scarce in alpine ecosystems, particularly in the highland tropics. The Andean páramos constitute the coldest biodiversity hotspot on Earth, and their species and ecosystems are among the most exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Here, we analyze for the first time baseline data for monitoring plant phenological dynamics and plant–pollinator networks along an elevation gradient between 4,200 and 4,600 m asl in three mountain summits of the Venezuelan Andes, which are part of the GLORIA monitoring network. We estimated the presence and density of plants with flowers in all the summits and in permanent plots, every month for 1 year. Additionally, we identified pollinators. We calculated a phenological overlap index between species. We summarized the plant–pollinator interactions as a bipartite matrix and represented a quantitative plant–pollinator network, calculating structural properties (grade, connectance, nestedness, and specialization). We also evaluated whether the overall network structure was influenced by differences in sampling effort, changes in species composition between summits, and phenology of the plant species. Finally, we characterized the pollination syndrome of all species. Flowering showed a marked seasonality, with a peak toward the end of the wet season. The overall phenological overlap index was low (0.32), suggesting little synchrony in flowering among species. Species richness of both plants and pollinators decreased along the elevation gradient. Flies, bumblebees, and hummingbirds were the most frequent pollinators in the network, while entomophily and anemophily were the prevailing pollination syndromes. The interaction network in all summits showed high connectance values, significant specialization (H2), and low nestedness. We did not find a significant effect of sampling effort, summit plant species composition, or plant phenology on network structure. Our results indicate that these high tropical alpine plant communities and their plant-pollination networks could be particularly vulnerable to the loss of species in climate change scenarios, given their low species richness and functional redundancy coupled with a high degree of specialization and endemism.

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 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

Long-term dynamics and destruction of marsh vegetation in the Kolokolkova Bay of the Barents Sea

2012 ◽  
pp. 66-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Lavrinenko ◽  
O. V. Lavrinenko ◽  
D. V. Dobrynin
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Marsh Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Species Composition And Structure

The satellite images show that the area of marshes in the Kolokolkova bay was notstable during the period from 1973 up to 2011. Until 2010 it varied from 357 to 636 ha. After a severe storm happened on July 24–25, 2010 the total area of marshes was reduced up to 43–50 ha. The mean value of NDVI for studied marshes, reflecting the green biomass, varied from 0.13 to 0.32 before the storm in 2010, after the storm the NDVI decreased to 0.10, in 2011 — 0.03. A comparative analysis of species composition and structure of plant communities described in 2002 and 2011, allowed to evaluate the vegetation changes of marshes of the different topographic levels. They are fol­lowing: a total destruction of plant communities of the ass. Puccinellietum phryganodis and ass. Caricetum subspathaceae on low and middle marches; increasing role of halophytic species in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. typicum on middle marches; some changes in species composition and structure of plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. festucetosum rubrae on high marches and ass. Parnassio palustris–Salicetum reptantis in transition zone between marches and tundra without changes of their syntaxonomy; a death of moss cover in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum mackenziei var. Warnstorfia exannulata on brackish coastal bogs. The possible reasons of dramatic vegetation dynamics are discussed. The dating of the storm makes it possible to observe the directions and rates of the succession of marches 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
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