scholarly journals Effect of Nutrient Addition on the Productivity and Species Richness of Grassland Along With an Elevational Gradient in Tajikistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lian-Lian Fan ◽  
Okhonniyozov Mekrovar ◽  
Yao-Ming Li ◽  
Kai-Hui Li ◽  
Xue-Xi Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

Grasslands provide key resource for the millions of people who are dependent on livestock in Tajikistan. Productivity and species richness (SR) are important characteristics of grassland ecosystems and are greatly affected by nutrient inputs. The effect that climate change might have on these characteristics remains unclear. Here, an in situ nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization experiment was conducted at four sites along with an elevational gradient (650, 1,100, 1,250, and 2,000 m) in western Tajikistan over 2 years (2018 and 2019) to examine the influences of nutrient availability and climate change on aboveground biomass (AGB) and SR; precipitation and temperature were also considered to analyze the responses. It demonstrated that enrichment with N, P, and their combinations significantly increased AGB along with an elevational gradient (p < 0.05). AGB increased as the concentrations of nutrients added increased. The maximum AGB, which was 2-fold higher compared with control, was observed when 90 kg N ha–1year–1 and 30 kg P ha–1year–1 were added. In addition, nitrogen addition alone stimulated greater AGB than P addition, although no significant difference was observed between these two treatments. Enrichment with N, P, and their combination had no significant effect on SR; however, SR significantly changed at different elevation. Elevation had direct effect on precipitation and temperature, which, in turn, resulted in variation in AGB and SR. Moreover, both nutrient and elevation had significant effect on AGB and SR, but there was no interaction effect of them. AGB and SR interacted with significant negative correlation. In the high-elevation area, plants grew better in the warmer year (2018); this indicates that grasslands in high mountain areas in Tajikistan might have higher productivity as the climate warms, which will positively affect the economic development of the country.

scholarly journals Does the High Elevation Climate along Mt. Everest can be Represented by Lower Elevation Stations?

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-109
Author(s):  
Binod Dawadi ◽  
Shankar Sharma ◽  
Kalpana Hamal ◽  
Nitesh Khadka ◽  
Yam Prasad Dhital ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Southern Slope ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Lower Elevation

Climate change studies of the high mountain areas of the central Himalayan region are mostly represented by the meteorological stations of the lower elevation. Therefore, to validate the climatic linkages, daily observational climate data from five automated weather stations (AWS) at elevations ranging from 2660 m to 5600 m on the southern slope of Mt. Everest were examined. Despite variations in the means and distribution of daily, 5-day, 10-day, and monthly temperature and precipitation between stations located at a higher elevation and their corresponding lower elevation, temperature records in the different elevations are highly correlated. In contrast, the precipitation data shows a comparatively weaker correlation. The slopes of the regression model (0.82–1.13) with (R2>0.74) for higher altitude (5050 m and 5600 m) throughout the year, 0.83–1.12 (R2>0.68) except late monsoon season for the station at 4260 m and 5050 m asl indicated the similar variability of the temperature between those stations. Similarly, Namche (3570 m) temperature changes by 0.81–1.32°C per degree change in corresponding lower elevation Lukla station (2660 m), except for monsoon season. However, inconsistent variation was observed between the station with a large altitudinal difference (2940 m) at Lukla and Kala Patthar (5600 m). In general, climate records from corresponding lower elevation can be used to quantitatively assess climatic information of the high elevation areas on the southern slope of Mt. Everest. However, corrections are necessary when absolute values of climatic factors are considered, especially in snow cover and snow-free areas. This study will be beneficial for understanding the high-altitude climate change and impact studies.

scholarly journals Fern species richness and abundance are indicators of climate change on high-elevation islands: evidence from an elevational gradient on Tahiti (French Polynesia)

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 143-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Pouteau ◽  
Jean-Yves Meyer ◽  
Pauline Blanchard ◽  
Joel H. Nitta ◽  
Maruiti Terorotua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Fern Species ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

Assemblage Patterns of Hymenoptera at Different Elevations of Gunung Datuk, Rembau

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Nasuha Abd Aziz ◽  
Siti Khairiyah Mohd Hatta ◽  
Idris Abd Ghani ◽  
Saiyid Jalaluddin Saiyid Shaifuddin
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Index Site ◽  
Evenness Index ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Richness Index ◽  
Paired T Test ◽  
Malaise Traps

A study on abundance and diversity of Hymenoptera was conducted in Gunung Datuk, Rembau. Samplings were conducted from November 2014 to February 2015 using six Malaise traps. Three traps were placed at Site 1 at 700m height for high elevation and the remaining traps were placed at Site 2 at 200m height for low elevation. A total number of 221 Hymenopteran were collected which consist of nine families namely Ichneumonidae, Formicidae, Braconidae, Bethylidae, Evaniidae, Tiphiidae, Vespidae, Pompilidae and Apidae. In this study, 93 individuals were obtained from Site 1, comprising nine families and 43 morphospecies while 127 individuals were obtained from Site 2 with nine families and 45 morphospecies. Formicidae was the most dominant family collected from both sites with a total of 104 individuals while the least family recorded was Apidae with only one individual. Shannon’s Weiner Diversity Index (H’) showed Site 1 had the higher diversity value with H’ = 3.17 compared to Site 2 with value H’ = 3.12. For Evenness Index, Site 1 had higher value compared to Site 2 with E’ = 0.84 and E’ = 0.82 respectively. Moreover, for Margalef Richness Index, Site 1 recorded R’ = 9.24 while site two recorded R’ = 9.08 which concluded that Site 1 had higher species richness compared to Site 2. Paired t-test showed that both sites had no significant difference with p>0.05. Overall study showed that the diversity and abundance of Hymenoptera in Gunung Datuk were low since the value of H’ is less than 3.50.

scholarly journals Responses of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities of Two Tropical, High-Mountain Lakes to Climate Change and Deacidification

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Javier Alcocer ◽  
Luis A. Oseguera ◽  
Diana Ibarra-Morales ◽  
Elva Escobar ◽  
Lucero García-Cid
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Mountain Lakes ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
High Mountain Lakes ◽  
La Luna

High-mountain lakes are among the most comparable ecosystems globally and recognized sentinels of global change. The present study pursued to identify how the benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) communities of two tropical, high mountain lakes, El Sol and La Luna, Central Mexico, have been affected by global/regional environmental pressures. We compared the environmental characteristics and the BMI communities between 2000–2001 and 2017–2018. We identified three principal environmental changes (the air and water temperature increased, the lakes’ water level declined, and the pH augmented and became more variable), and four principal ecological changes in the BMI communities [a species richness reduction (7 to 4), a composition change, and a dominant species replacement all of them in Lake El Sol, a species richness increase (2 to 4) in Lake La Luna, and a drastic reduction in density (38% and 90%) and biomass (92%) in both lakes]. The air and water temperature increased 0.5 °C, and lakes water level declined 1.5 m, all suggesting an outcome of climate change. Contrarily to the expected acidification associated with acid precipitation, both lakes deacidified, and the annual pH fluctuation augmented. The causes of the deacidification and the deleterious impacts on the BMI communities remained to be identified.

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.

Climate change will impact the protective effect of forests against rockfall

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Moos ◽  
Antoine Guisan ◽  
Randin Christophe ◽  
Lischke Heike
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protective Effect ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Protective Capacity ◽  
Forest Modelling ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Protective Function ◽  
Extreme Climate

<p>In mountain areas, forests play a crucial role in protecting people and assets from natural hazards, such as rockfall. Their protective effect is strongly influenced by their structure and state, which are expected to be affected by climate change. More frequent drought events, but also changing natural disturbance regimes, may lead to abrupt diebacks of contemporary species followed by a slow reforestation. In this study, we investigated how a changing climate can affect the protective capacity of mountain forests against rockfall. We therefore combined dynamic forest modelling with a detailed rockfall risk analysis at three case study sites in the Western Swiss Alps. Future forest development was simulated for a moderate and an extreme climate scenario for 200 years with the dynamic forest model TreeMig (Lischke et al., 2006). We then calculated rockfall risk for different forest states based on three-dimensional rockfall simulations with RockyFor3D (Dorren 2016). First results indicate that both at high elevation near the tree line (1500-2200 m a.s.l.) as well as at lower elevations (500-1000 m a.s.l.), increasing drought can lead to diebacks of trees and a reduction of tree density and diameters resulting in a substantial loss of the protective function. Depending on the speed of migration of other, more drought tolerant species, this loss can be partially compensated, but a permanent reduction of the protective effect is to be expected at least for an extreme climate scneario due to a reduced basal area of the forest.</p>

Fish diversity and biomass in northern Canadian lakes: northern lakes are more diverse and have greater biomass than expected based on species–energy theory

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasan Samarasin ◽  
Charles K. Minns ◽  
Brian J. Shuter ◽  
William M. Tonn ◽  
Michael D. Rennie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Mining District ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Diamond Mining ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Total Fish

Biodiversity in northern Canada (north of 60°N latitude) is threatened, primarily by increasing resource exploitation and by climate change. Unfortunately, we have relatively limited knowledge of aquatic biodiversity for this region, making it difficult to develop suitable policies to manage these threats. Here we describe, quantify, and test hypotheses related to fish biodiversity and biomass in 37 lakes in a diamond mining district (the Barrenlands) in the Northwest Territories, Canada (64°N, 110°W). To estimate species richness and biomass of fish, we took advantage of exhaustive sampling and monitoring surveys conducted in the region and compared our northern estimates against estimates from southern Canadian lakes. We found that most of the 37 northern lakes contained two to four species, with the largest lake containing eight species. Salmonids dominated this system, with lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) being the dominant species in abundance and biomass. Comparative analysis with similar-sized southern Canadian lakes showed no significant difference in the slopes of species richness versus lake area curves. Surprisingly, total fish biomass distributions for northern, Barrenlands lakes were also similar to southern, Ontario lakes. Overall, our results suggest that Barrenlands lakes are important natural resources of Canada that should be conserved for the future. Under anticipated scenarios of climate change, these lakes may represent important refugia for coldwater fishes (e.g., lake trout) as habitats at the southern edges of their ranges become more limiting.

scholarly journals Endemism and diversity of small mammals along two neighboring Bornean mountains

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Camacho-Sanchez ◽  
Melissa T.R. Hawkins ◽  
Fred Tuh Yit Yu ◽  
Jesus E. Maldonado ◽  
Jennifer A. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
General Theory ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Geometric Constraints ◽  
Local Effects ◽  
Spatial Factors ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
Small Mammal Community

Mountains offer replicated units with large biotic and abiotic gradients in a reduced spatial scale. This transforms them into well-suited scenarios to evaluate biogeographic theories. Mountain biogeography is a hot topic of research and many theories have been proposed to describe the changes in biodiversity with elevation. Geometric constraints, which predict the highest diversity to occur in mid-elevations, have been a focal part of this discussion. Despite this, there is no general theory to explain these patterns, probably because of the interaction among different predictors with the local effects of historical factors. We characterize the diversity of small non-volant mammals across the elevational gradient on Mount (Mt.) Kinabalu (4,095 m) and Mt. Tambuyukon (2,579 m), two neighboring mountains in Borneo, Malaysia. We documented a decrease in species richness with elevation which deviates from expectations of the geometric constraints and suggests that spatial factors (e.g., larger diversity in larger areas) are important. The lowland small mammal community was replaced in higher elevations (from above ~1,900 m) with montane communities consisting mainly of high elevation Borneo endemics. The positive correlation we find between elevation and endemism is concordant with a hypothesis that predicts higher endemism with topographical isolation. This supports lineage history and geographic history could be important drivers of species diversity in this region.

Impact of wild herbivorous mammals and birds on the altitudinal and northern treeline ecotones

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich-Karl Holtmeier
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Herbivorous Mammals ◽  
High Elevation Forests

Wild herbivorous mammals may damage treeline vegetation an cause soil erosion at a local scale. In many high mountain areas of Europe and North America, large numbers of red deer have become a threat to the maintenance of high-elevation forests and attempts to restore the climatic treeline. In northern Fennoscandia, overgrazing by reindeer in combination with mass outbreaks of the autumnal moth are influencing treeline dynamics. Moose are also increasingly involved damaging treeline forest. In the Alps, the re-introduction of ibex is causing local damage to subalpine forests and tree establishment above the forest limit as well as aggravating soil erosion. High-elevation forests and treeline in Europe are susceptible to the deleterious impact of wild ungulate populations because of former extensive pastoral use. Rodents may damage tree seedlings and saplings by girdling, root cutting, bark stripping and burrowing. Hares damage young trees by gnawing. Large numbers of small rodents may occasionally impede tree regeneration by depleting the seed sources. Rodents do not contribute to forest expansion beyond the current treeline. Among birds, nutcrackers are highly effective in influencing tree distribution patterns and treeline dynamics. Without the nutcracker caching of stone pine seeds any upward advance of the trees in response to climatic warming would be impossible. Some bird species such as black grouse, willow grouse and ptarmigan can impair tree growth by feeding on buds, catkins and fresh terminal shoots.

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