scholarly journals Species turnover reveals hidden effects of decreasing nitrogen deposition in mountain hay meadows

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Roth ◽  
Lukas Kohli ◽  
Christoph Bühler ◽  
Beat Rihm ◽  
Reto Giulio Meuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Community Change ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Indicator Values ◽  
Hay Meadows ◽  
Random Expectation ◽  
Using Data

Nitrogen (N) deposition is a major threat to biodiversity in many habitats. The recent introduction of cleaner technologies in Switzerland has led to a reduction in the emissions of nitrogen oxides, with an according decrease in N deposition. We examined different drivers of plant community change, i.e. N deposition, climate warming, and land-use change, in Swiss mountain hay meadows, using data from the Swiss biodiversity monitoring. We compared indicator values of species that disappeared from or colonized a site (species turnover) with the indicator values of randomly chosen species from the same site. While oligotrophic plant species were more likely to colonize, compared to random expectation, we found only weak shifts in plant community structure. In particular, the average nutrient value of plant communities remained stable over time (2003-2017). However, we found that the nutrient values of colonizing species showed the largest deviations from random expectation, suggesting that N deposition or other factors that change the nutrient content of soils were important drivers of the species composition change over the last 15 years in Swiss mountain hay meadows. In addition, we observed an overall replacement of species with lower indicator values for temperature with species with higher values. Apparently, the community effects of the replacement of eutrophic species with oligotrophic species was outweighed by climate warming. Our results add to the increasing evidence that inferring species turnover will generate a far more reliable understanding of the biotic response to changing environments than solely tracking average community composition.

scholarly journals Species turnover reveals hidden effects of decreasing nitrogen deposition in mountain hay meadows

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Roth ◽  
Lukas Kohli ◽  
Christoph Bühler ◽  
Beat Rihm ◽  
Reto Giulio Meuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Community Change ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Indicator Values ◽  
Hay Meadows ◽  
Random Expectation

Nitrogen (N) deposition is a major threat to biodiversity in many habitats. The recent introduction of cleaner technologies in Switzerland has led to a reduction in the emissions of nitrogen oxides, with a consequent decrease in N deposition. We examined different drivers of plant community change, that is, N deposition, climate warming, and land-use change, in Swiss mountain hay meadows, using data from the Swiss biodiversity monitoring program. We compared indicator values of species that disappeared from or colonized a site (species turnover) with the indicator values of randomly chosen species from the same site. While oligotrophic plant species were more likely to colonize, compared to random expectation, we found only weak shifts in plant community composition. In particular, the average nutrient value of plant communities remained stable over time (2003–2017). We found the largest deviations from random expectation in the nutrient values of colonizing species, suggesting that N deposition or other factors that change the nutrient content of soils were important drivers of the species composition change over the last 15 years in Swiss mountain hay meadows. In addition, we observed an overall replacement of species with lower indicator values for temperature with species with higher values. Apparently, the community effects of the replacement of eutrophic species with oligotrophic species was outweighed by climate warming. Our results add to the increasing evidence that plant communities in changing environments may be relatively stable regarding average species richness or average indicator values, but that this apparent stability is often accompanied by a marked turnover of species.

scholarly journals Species turnover reveals hidden effects of decreasing nitrogen deposition in mountain hay meadows

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Roth ◽  
Lukas Kohli ◽  
Christoph Bühler ◽  
Beat Rihm ◽  
Reto Giulio Meuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Community Change ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Indicator Values ◽  
Hay Meadows ◽  
Random Expectation

Nitrogen (N) deposition is a major threat to biodiversity in many habitats. The recent introduction of cleaner technologies in Switzerland has led to a reduction in the emissions of nitrogen oxides, with a consequent decrease in N deposition. We examined different drivers of plant community change, i.e. N deposition, climate warming, and land-use change, in Swiss mountain hay meadows, using data from the Swiss biodiversity monitoring program. We compared indicator values of species that disappeared from or colonized a site (species turnover) with the indicator values of randomly chosen species from the same site. While oligotrophic plant species were more likely to colonize, compared to random expectation, we found only weak shifts in plant community composition. In particular, the average nutrient value of plant communities remained stable over time (2003-2017). We found the largest deviations from random expectation in the nutrient values of colonizing species, suggesting that N deposition or other factors that change the nutrient content of soils were important drivers of the species composition change over the last 15 years in Swiss mountain hay meadows. In addition, we observed an overall replacement of species with lower indicator values for temperature with species with higher values. Apparently, the community effects of the replacement of eutrophic species with oligotrophic species was outweighed by climate warming. Our results add to the increasing evidence that plant communities in changing environments may be relatively stable regarding average species richness or average indicator values, but that this apparent stability is often accompanied by a marked turnover of species.

scholarly journals Species turnover reveals hidden effects of decreasing nitrogen deposition in mountain hay meadows

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Roth ◽  
Lukas Kohli ◽  
Christoph Bühler ◽  
Beat Rihm ◽  
Reto Giulio Meuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Community Change ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Indicator Values ◽  
Hay Meadows ◽  
Random Expectation

Nitrogen (N) deposition is a major threat to biodiversity in many habitats. The recent introduction of cleaner technologies in Switzerland has led to a reduction in the emissions of nitrogen oxides, with a consequent decrease in N deposition. We examined different drivers of plant community change, i.e. N deposition, climate warming, and land-use change, in Swiss mountain hay meadows, using data from the Swiss biodiversity monitoring program. We compared indicator values of species that disappeared from or colonized a site (species turnover) with the indicator values of randomly chosen species from the same site. While oligotrophic plant species were more likely to colonize, compared to random expectation, we found only weak shifts in plant community composition. In particular, the average nutrient value of plant communities remained stable over time (2003-2017). We found the largest deviations from random expectation in the nutrient values of colonizing species, suggesting that N deposition or other factors that change the nutrient content of soils were important drivers of the species composition change over the last 15 years in Swiss mountain hay meadows. In addition, we observed an overall replacement of species with lower indicator values for temperature with species with higher values. Apparently, the community effects of the replacement of eutrophic species with oligotrophic species was outweighed by climate warming. Our results add to the increasing evidence that plant communities in changing environments may be relatively stable regarding average species richness or average indicator values, but that this apparent stability is often accompanied by a marked turnover of species.

scholarly journals Multiple constraints cause positive and negative feedbacks limiting grassland soil CO2 efflux under CO2 enrichment

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. e2008284117
Author(s):  
Philip A. Fay ◽  
Dafeng Hui ◽  
Robert B. Jackson ◽  
Harold P. Collins ◽  
Lara G. Reichmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycling ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Clay Soil ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Negative Feedbacks ◽  
Limiting Resources

Terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly enriched with resources such as atmospheric CO2 that limit ecosystem processes. The consequences for ecosystem carbon cycling depend on the feedbacks from other limiting resources and plant community change, which remain poorly understood for soil CO2 efflux, JCO2, a primary carbon flux from the biosphere to the atmosphere. We applied a unique CO2 enrichment gradient (250 to 500 µL L−1) for eight years to grassland plant communities on soils from different landscape positions. We identified the trajectory of JCO2 responses and feedbacks from other resources, plant diversity [effective species richness, exp(H)], and community change (plant species turnover). We found linear increases in JCO2 on an alluvial sandy loam and a lowland clay soil, and an asymptotic increase on an upland silty clay soil. Structural equation modeling identified CO2 as the dominant limitation on JCO2 on the clay soil. In contrast with theory predicting limitation from a single limiting factor, the linear JCO2 response on the sandy loam was reinforced by positive feedbacks from aboveground net primary productivity and exp(H), while the asymptotic JCO2 response on the silty clay arose from a net negative feedback among exp(H), species turnover, and soil water potential. These findings support a multiple resource limitation view of the effects of global change drivers on grassland ecosystem carbon cycling and highlight a crucial role for positive or negative feedbacks between limiting resources and plant community structure. Incorporating these feedbacks will improve models of terrestrial carbon sequestration and ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Modelling the effects of changing climate and nitrogen deposition on nitrate dynamics in a Scottish mountain catchment

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 153-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Futter ◽  
R. C. Helliwell ◽  
M. Hutchins ◽  
J. Aherne
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Mountain Lake ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
Mountain Catchment ◽  
Constant Rate ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Historical Levels

The effect of changing climate and N deposition on montane ecosystems is a topic of considerable importance. Mountains are vulnerable environments and their ecosystems are often in a delicate balance. An application of the INCA-N model is presented to simulate current-day nitrate dynamics in a Scottish mountain lake and to project the possible future effects of climate change and reductions in N deposition on lake nitrate concentration ([NO3−]). The INCA-N model is calibrated using data from 1996–2006 in an attempt to determine the controls on [NO3−] in Lochnagar and process sensitivities to changing climate. Predictions were sensitive to hydrologic, vegetation-related and in-soil processes. Over the longer term, surface water [NO3−] in this mountain ecosystem is expected to increase. From 2020 to 2100, when N deposition is modelled at a constant rate, warmer temperature exerts a stronger effect on N losses to the lake surface than the N deposition. While the effects of a warming climate are projected to lead to increased surface water [NO3−], concentrations are not projected to either return to, or exceed, historical levels.

scholarly journals PLANT COMMUNITY CHANGE ACROSS THE PALEOCENE-EOCENE BOUNDARY IN THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN, CENTRAL TEXAS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer D. Wagner ◽  
Daniel J. Peppe ◽  
Jennifer M.K. O'Keefe ◽  
Christopher Dennison
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Gulf Coastal Plain ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Central Texas

During the early Paleogene the Earth experienced long-term global warming punctuated by several short-term ‘hyperthermal’ events, the most pronounced of which is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). During this time, tropical climates expanded into extra-tropical areas potentially forming a wide band of ‘paratropical’ forests that are hypothesized to have expanded into the mid-latitude Northern Great Plains (NGP). Relatively little is known about these ‘paratropical’ floras, which would have extended across the Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP). This study assesses the preserved floras from the GCP in Central Texas before and after the PETM to define plant ecosystem changes associated with the hyperthermal event in this region. These floras suggest a high turnover rate, change in plant community composition, and uniform plant communities across the GCP at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. Paleoecology and paleoclimate estimates from Central Texas PETM floras suggest a warm and wet environment, indicative of tropical seasonal forest to tropical rainforest biomes. Fossil evidence from the GCP combined with data from the NGP and modern tropics suggest that warming during the PETM helped create a ‘paratropical belt’ that extended into the mid-latitudes. Evaluating the response of plant communities to rapid global warming is important for understanding and preparing for current and future global warming and climate change.

Changes in leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content from observations and a land surface model: evidence for increasing nutrient imbalance in Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Caldararu ◽  
Katrin Fleischer ◽  
Lin Yu ◽  
Sönke Zaehle
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Limitation ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Leaf Habit ◽  
Anthropogenic Nitrogen ◽  
Leaf N

<p>Increasing atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations can be a driver for higher ecosystem productivity across the globe but nutrient availability may limit subsequent biomass growth. Concurrently, increased anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition introduces a relatively large amount of N into the system, thus potentially alleviating N limitation. However, this new N input could push ecosystems into being limited by other resources, most importantly phosphorus (P) in mid- and high-latitude systems, leading to what has been termed an NP imbalance. While the ecological theory behind the processes described above has been discussed on many occasions, it is yet unclear what the actual spatial and temporal patterns of such an imbalance are, as well as the ecpological processes and drivers behind such observed patterns.</p><p>Here, we use leaf N and P data from a large European monitoring network, ICP forests, in conjunction with a land surface model, QUINCY (QUantifying Interactions between terrestrial Nutrient CYcles and the climate system), to explore the patterns and drivers behind nutrient limitation at European forest sites. The overall trend in observed leaf N and P content as well as N:P ratio show an increasing nutrient limitation from 1990 to 2015, as well as a shift towards P limitation. However, the observed spatial patterns of change in leaf nutrient content vary strongly with soil nutrient availability, N deposition and leaf habit. The effect of leaf habit suggests that leaf growth strategies  play an important role in dealing with nutrient availability and controlling observed ecosystem responses. </p><p>We use the QUINCY model to explore the drivers behind the observed leaf nutrient trends. We perform simulations with fixed levels of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> as well as in the absence of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. We show that the decrease in leaf N and P content is attributable to increased atmospheric CO<sub>2,</sub> while the changes in N:P stoichiometry are reproducible with increased N deposition. Additionally, the model can only predict observed trends when representing physiologically-realistic responses of leaf stoichiometry to nutrient availability. The use of a process-based model allows us to attribute drivers to the observed changes in leaf nutrient content. This research helps the development of data-constrained, process-based models which can potentially be used to predict changes in ecosystem nutrient limitation, and implicitly growth and carbon storage, under future scenarios</p>

scholarly journals Sessile oak forest plant community changes on the NE Iberian Peninsula over recent decades

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 894-906
Author(s):  
Jordi Bou ◽  
Lluís Vilar
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Sessile Oak ◽  
Ne Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Coastal Range

AbstractAimsOur aims were 3-fold: (i) to determine whether global change has altered the composition and structure of the plant community found in the sessile oak forests on the NE Iberian Peninsula over the last decades, (ii) to establish whether the decline in forest exploitation activities that has taken place since the mid-20th century has had any effect on the forests and (iii) to ascertain whether there is any evidence of impact from climate warming.MethodsWe assess changes in the plant community by comparing a current survey of sessile oak forest with a historical data set obtained from previous regional studies dating from 1962 to 1977. We analyse the regional changes in the community in terms of biodiversity variables, species composition and plant traits. Furthermore, plants traits such as plant life forms and chorological groups are used to discern any effects from land-use changes and climate warming on the plant community.Important FindingsThere has been a loss of diversity in the community and, in the hottest region, there is also a loss of species richness. The composition of the community suggests that, although significant changes have taken place over recent decades, these changes differ between regions as a result of the low impact global change has had in the western regions. For instance, while the tree canopy cover in the western sessile oak forests remains stable, the eastern sessile oak forests are still recovering from the former exploitation that led to a loss of their rich and abundant herbaceous stratum. In fact, the recovery process in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range has constituted an increase in the Euro-Siberian plants typical to this community. Moreover, in the eastern forests, there is evidence that climate warming has impacted the thermophilization of the sessile oak forests found on the Coastal Range.

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