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Ma W, Hu J, Zhang B, Guo J, Zhang X, Wang Z. Later-melting rather than thickening of snowpack enhance the productivity and alter the community composition of temperate grassland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 923:171440. [PMID: 38442763 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Snowpack is closely related to vegetation green-up in water-limited ecosystems, and has effects on growing-season ecosystem processes. However, we know little about how changes in snowpack depth and melting timing affect primary productivity and plant community structure during the growing season. Here, we conducted a four-year snow manipulation experiment exploring how snow addition, snowmelt delay and their combination affect aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), species diversity, community composition and plant reproductive phenology in seasonally snow-covered temperate grassland in northern China. Snow addition alone increased soil moisture and nutrient availability during early spring, while did not change plant community structure and ANPP. Instead, snowmelt delay alone postponed plant reproductive phenology, and increased ANPP, decreased species diversity and altered species composition. Grasses are more sensitive to changes in snowmelt timing than forbs, and early-flowering forbs showed a higher sensitivity compared to late-flowering forbs. The effect of snowmelt delay on ANPP and species diversity was offset by snow addition, probably because the added snow unnecessarily lengthens the snow-covering duration. The disparate effects of changes in snowpack depth and snowmelt timing necessitate their discrimination for more mechanistic understanding on the effects of snowpack changes on ecosystems. Our study suggests that it is essential to incorporate non-growing-season climate change events (in particular, snowfall and snowpack changes) to comprehensively disclose the effects of climate change on community structure and ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Ma
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Jiaxin Hu
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bingchuan Zhang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Jia Guo
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengwen Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.
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2
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Becker-Scarpitta A, Antão LH, Schmidt NM, Blanchet FG, Kaarlejärvi E, Raundrup K, Roslin T. Diverging trends and drivers of Arctic flower production in Greenland over space and time. Polar Biol 2023; 46:837-848. [PMID: 37589013 PMCID: PMC10425507 DOI: 10.1007/s00300-023-03164-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate. While changes in plant community composition and phenology have been extensively reported, the effects of climate change on reproduction remain poorly understood. We quantified multidecadal changes in flower density for nine tundra plant species at a low- and a high-Arctic site in Greenland. We found substantial changes in flower density over time, but the temporal trends and drivers of flower density differed both between species and sites. Total flower density increased over time at the low-Arctic site, whereas the high-Arctic site showed no directional change. Within and between sites, the direction and rate of change differed among species, with varying effects of summer temperature, the temperature of the previous autumn and the timing of snowmelt. Finally, all species showed a strong trade-off in flower densities between successive years, suggesting an effective cost of reproduction. Overall, our results reveal region- and taxon-specific variation in the sensitivity and responses of co-occurring species to shared climatic drivers, and a clear cost of reproductive investment among Arctic plants. The ultimate effects of further changes in climate may thus be decoupled between species and across space, with critical knock-on effects on plant species dynamics, food web structure and overall ecosystem functioning. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00300-023-03164-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Becker-Scarpitta
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410 Saint Pierre, La Réunion France
| | - Laura H. Antão
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - F. Guillaume Blanchet
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC Canada
- Département de Mathématiques, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC Canada
- Département Des Sciences de La Santé Communautaire, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC Canada
| | - Elina Kaarlejärvi
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katrine Raundrup
- Department of Environment and Mineral Resources, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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3
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Krab EJ, Lundin EJ, Coulson SJ, Dorrepaal E, Cooper EJ. Experimentally increased snow depth affects high Arctic microarthropods inconsistently over two consecutive winters. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18049. [PMID: 36302819 PMCID: PMC9613649 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22591-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change induced alterations to winter conditions may affect decomposer organisms controlling the vast carbon stores in northern soils. Soil microarthropods are particularly abundant decomposers in Arctic ecosystems. We studied whether increased snow depth affected microarthropods, and if effects were consistent over two consecutive winters. We sampled Collembola and soil mites from a snow accumulation experiment at Svalbard in early summer and used soil microclimatic data to explore to which aspects of winter climate microarthropods are most sensitive. Community densities differed substantially between years and increased snow depth had inconsistent effects. Deeper snow hardly affected microarthropods in 2015, but decreased densities and altered relative abundances of microarthropods and Collembola species after a milder winter in 2016. Although increased snow depth increased soil temperatures by 3.2 °C throughout the snow cover periods, the best microclimatic predictors of microarthropod density changes were spring soil temperature and snowmelt day. Our study shows that extrapolation of observations of decomposer responses to altered winter climate conditions to future scenarios should be avoided when communities are only sampled on a single occasion, since effects of longer-term gradual changes in winter climate may be obscured by inter-annual weather variability and natural variability in population sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline J. Krab
- grid.6341.00000 0000 8578 2742Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden ,grid.12650.300000 0001 1034 3451Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Climate Impacts Research Centre, Umeå University, 98107 Abisko, Sweden
| | - Erik J. Lundin
- grid.417583.c0000 0001 1287 0220Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, Abisko Scientific Research Station, 98107 Abisko, Sweden
| | - Stephen J. Coulson
- grid.6341.00000 0000 8578 2742SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden ,grid.20898.3b0000 0004 0428 2244Department of Arctic Biology, University Centre in Svalbard, PO Box 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
| | - Ellen Dorrepaal
- grid.12650.300000 0001 1034 3451Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Climate Impacts Research Centre, Umeå University, 98107 Abisko, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth J. Cooper
- grid.10919.300000000122595234Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences Fisheries and Economics, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
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4
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Alatalo JM, Dai J, Pandey R, Erfanian MB, Ahmed T, Bai Y, Molau U, Jägerbrand AK. Impact of ambient temperature, precipitation and seven years of experimental warming and nutrient addition on fruit production in an alpine heath and meadow community. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 836:155450. [PMID: 35490820 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alpine and polar regions are predicted to be among the most vulnerable to changes in temperature, precipitation, and nutrient availability. We carried out a seven-year factorial experiment with warming and nutrient addition in two alpine vegetation communities. We analyzed the relationship between fruit production and monthly mean, maximum, and min temperatures during the fall of the pre-fruiting year, the fruiting summer, and the whole fruit production period, and measured the effects of precipitation and growing and thawing degree days (GDD & TDD) on fruit production. Nutrient addition (heath: 27.88 ± 3.19 fold change at the end of the experiment; meadow: 18.02 ± 4.07) and combined nutrient addition and warming (heath: 20.63 ± 29.34 fold change at the end of the experiment; meadow: 18.21 ± 16.28) increased total fruit production and fruit production of graminoids. Fruit production of evergreen and deciduous shrubs fluctuated among the treatments and years in both the heath and meadow. Pre-maximum temperatures had a negative effect on fruit production in both communities, while current year maximum temperatures had a positive impact on fruit production in the meadow. Pre-minimum, pre-mean, current mean, total minimum, and total mean temperatures were all positively correlated with fruit production in the meadow. The current year and total precipitation had a negative effect on the fruit production of deciduous shrubs in the heath. GDD had a positive effect on fruit production in both communities, while TDD only impacted fruit production in the meadow. Increased nutrient availability increased fruit production over time in the high alpine plant communities, while experimental warming had either no effect or a negative effect. Deciduous shrubs were the most sensitive to climate parameters in both communities, and the meadow was more sensitive than the heath. The difference in importance of TDD for fruit production may be due to differences in snow cover in the two communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juha M Alatalo
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Junhu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rajiv Pandey
- Division of Forestry Statistics, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun, India
| | - Mohammad Bagher Erfanian
- Quantitative Plant Ecology and Biodiversity Research Lab, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Talaat Ahmed
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | - Yang Bai
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Annika K Jägerbrand
- Department of Environmental and Biosciences, School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability, Halmstad University, P.O. Box 823, SE-301 18 Halmstad, Sweden
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5
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Wagner J, Gruber K, Ladinig U, Buchner O, Neuner G. Winter Frosts Reduce Flower Bud Survival in High-Mountain Plants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:1507. [PMID: 34451552 PMCID: PMC8400932 DOI: 10.3390/plants10081507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
At higher elevations in the European Alps, plants may experience winter temperatures of -30 °C and lower at snow-free sites. Vegetative organs are usually sufficiently frost hardy to survive such low temperatures, but it is largely unknown if this also applies to generative structures. We investigated winter frost effects on flower buds in the cushion plants Saxifraga bryoides L. (subnival-nival) and Saxifraga moschata Wulfen (alpine-nival) growing at differently exposed sites, and the chionophilous cryptophyte Ranunculus glacialis L. (subnival-nival). Potted plants were subjected to short-time (ST) and long-time (LT) freezing between -10 and -30 °C in temperature-controlled freezers. Frost damage, ice nucleation and flowering frequency in summer were determined. Flower bud viability and flowering frequency decreased significantly with decreasing temperature and exposure time in both saxifrages. Already, -10 °C LT-freezing caused the first injuries. Below -20 °C, the mean losses were 47% (ST) and 75% (LT) in S. bryoides, and 19% (ST) and 38% (LT) in S. moschata. Winter buds of both saxifrages did not supercool, suggesting that damages were caused by freeze dehydration. R. glacialis remained largely undamaged down to -30 °C in the ST experiment, but did not survive permanent freezing below -20 °C. Winter snow cover is essential for the survival of flower buds and indirectly for reproductive fitness. This problem gains particular relevance in the context of winter periods with low precipitation and winter warming events leading to the melting of the protective snowpack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Wagner
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (K.G.); (U.L.); (O.B.)
| | | | | | | | - Gilbert Neuner
- Department of Botany, Functional Plant Biology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (K.G.); (U.L.); (O.B.)
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6
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Kelsey KC, Pedersen SH, Leffler AJ, Sexton JO, Feng M, Welker JM. Winter snow and spring temperature have differential effects on vegetation phenology and productivity across Arctic plant communities. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1572-1586. [PMID: 33372357 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Tundra dominates two-thirds of the unglaciated, terrestrial Arctic. Although this region has experienced rapid and widespread changes in vegetation phenology and productivity over the last several decades, the specific climatic drivers responsible for this change remain poorly understood. Here we quantified the effect of winter snowpack and early spring temperature conditions on growing season vegetation phenology (timing of the start, peak, and end of the growing season) and productivity of the dominant tundra vegetation communities of Arctic Alaska. We used daily remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and daily snowpack and temperature variables produced by SnowModel and MicroMet, coupled physically based snow and meteorological modeling tools, to (1) determine the most important snowpack and thermal controls on tundra vegetation phenology and productivity and (2) describe the direction of these relationships within each vegetation community. Our results show that soil temperature under the snowpack, snowmelt timing, and air temperature following snowmelt are the most important drivers of growing season timing and productivity among Arctic vegetation communities. Air temperature after snowmelt was the most important control on timing of season start and end, with warmer conditions contributing to earlier phenology in all vegetation communities. In contrast, the controls on the timing of peak season and productivity also included snowmelt timing and soil temperature under the snowpack, dictated in part by the snow insulating capacity. The results of this novel analysis suggest that while future warming effects on phenology may be consistent across communities of the tundra biome, warming may result in divergent, community-specific productivity responses if coupled with reduced snow insulating capacity lowers winter soil temperature and potential nutrient cycling in the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine C Kelsey
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Stine Højlund Pedersen
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - A Joshua Leffler
- Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
| | | | - Min Feng
- terraPulse, Inc, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Welker
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- University of the Arctic-UArctic, Rovaniemi, Finland
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7
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Alatalo JM, Jägerbrand AK, Dai J, Mollazehi MD, Abdel‐Salam AG, Pandey R, Molau U. Effects of ambient climate and three warming treatments on fruit production in an alpine, subarctic meadow community. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:411-422. [PMID: 33792046 PMCID: PMC8251864 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Climate change is having major impacts on alpine and arctic regions, and inter-annual variations in temperature are likely to increase. How increased climate variability will impact plant reproduction is unclear. METHODS In a 4-year study on fruit production by an alpine plant community in northern Sweden, we applied three warming regimes: (1) a static level of warming with open-top chambers (OTC), (2) press warming, a yearly stepwise increase in warming, and (3) pulse warming, a single-year pulse event of higher warming. We analyzed the relationship between fruit production and monthly temperatures during the budding period, fruiting period, and whole fruit production period and the effect of winter and summer precipitation on fruit production. RESULTS Year and treatment had a significant effect on total fruit production by evergreen shrubs, Cassiope tetragona, and Dryas octopetala, with large variations between treatments and years. Year, but not treatment, had a significant effect on deciduous shrubs and graminoids, both of which increased fruit production over the 4 years, while forbs were negatively affected by the press warming, but not by year. Fruit production was influenced by ambient temperature during the previous-year budding period, current-year fruiting period, and whole fruit production period. Minimum and average temperatures were more important than maximum temperature. In general, fruit production was negatively correlated with increased precipitation. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that predicted increased climate variability and increased precipitation due to climate change may affect plant reproductive output and long-term community dynamics in alpine meadow communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juha M. Alatalo
- Department of Biological and Environmental SciencesCollege of Arts and SciencesQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
- Environmental Science CenterQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
| | - Annika K. Jägerbrand
- Calluna ABHästholmsvägen 28131 30NackaSweden
- Department of Environmental and BiosciencesRydberg Laboratory of Applied Science (RLAS)School of Business, Engineering and ScienceHalmstad UniversityP.O. Box 823SE‐301 18HalmstadSweden
| | - Junhu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and SimulationInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources ResearchChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- China‐Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth SciencesCAS‐HECIslamabad45320Pakistan
| | - Mohammad D. Mollazehi
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and PhysicsCollege of Arts and SciencesQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
| | - Abdel‐Salam G. Abdel‐Salam
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and PhysicsCollege of Arts and SciencesQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
| | - Rajiv Pandey
- Division of Forestry StatisticsIndian Council of Forestry Research and EducationDehradunIndia
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of GothenburgP.O. Box 461SE‐405 30GothenburgSweden
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8
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Quantitative Assessment of the Influences of Snow Drought on Forest and Grass Growth in Mid-High Latitude Regions by Using Remote Sensing. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13040668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Global climate change, especially the snow drought events, is causing extreme weather events influencing regional vegetation growth and terrestrial ecosystem stability in a long-term and persistent way. In this study, the Sanjiang Plain was selected, as this area has been experiencing snow drought in the past two decades. Logistic models, combined with multisource remote sensing and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data, as well as the meteorological data over the past 20 years, were used to calculate sixteen phenological periods and biomass. The results show that (1) over the past two decades, snow drought has been based on the snow accumulation and has been occurring more frequently, wider-ranging and more severely; (2) snow drought has advanced the forest start of season (SOS)/end of season (EOS) by 6/5 days, respectively; (3) if the snowfall is greater than 80% of a normal year, the SOS/EOS of grass is postponed by 8/6 days; conversely, if it is less than 80%, the SOS/EOS are advanced by 7/5 days; and (4) biomass decreased approximately 0.61%, compared with an abundant snowfall year. Overall, this study is the first to explore how snow drought impacts the phenological period in a mid-high latitude area, and more attention should be paid to these unknown risks to the ecosystem.
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9
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Gehrmann F, Lehtimäki IM, Hänninen H, Saarinen T. Sub-Arctic alpine Vaccinium vitis-idaea exhibits resistance to strong variation in snowmelt timing and frost exposure, suggesting high resilience under climatic change. Polar Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-020-02721-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn tundra ecosystems, snow cover protects plants from low temperatures in winter and buffers temperature fluctuations in spring. Climate change may lead to reduced snowfall and earlier snowmelt, potentially exposing plants to more frequent and more severe frosts in the future. Frost can cause cell damage and, in combination with high solar irradiance, reduce the photochemical yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII). Little is known about the natural variation in frost exposure within individual habitats of tundra plant populations and the populations’ resilience to this climatic variation. Here, we assessed how natural differences in snowmelt timing affect microclimatic variability of frost exposure in habitats of the evergreen Vaccinium vitis-idaea in sub-Arctic alpine Finland and whether this variability affects the extent of cell damage and reduction in ΦPSII. Plants in early melting plots were exposed to more frequent and more severe frost events, and exhibited a more pronounced decrease in ΦPSII, during winter and spring compared to plants in late-melting plots. Snowmelt timing did not have a clear effect on the degree of cell damage as assessed by relative electrolyte leakage. Our results show that sub-Arctic alpine V. vitis-idaea is currently exposed to strong climatic variation on a small spatial scale, similar to that projected to be caused by climate change, without significant resultant damage. We conclude that V. vitis-idaea is effective in mitigating the effects of large variations in frost exposure caused by differences in snowmelt timing. This suggests that V. vitis-idaea will be resilient to the ongoing climate change.
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10
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Diggle PK, Mulder CPH. Diverse Developmental Responses to Warming Temperatures Underlie Changes in Flowering Phenologies. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:559-570. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Climate change has resulted in increased temperature means across the globe. Many angiosperms flower earlier in response to rising temperature and the phenologies of these species are reasonably well predicted by models that account for spring (early growing season) and winter temperatures. Surprisingly, however, exceptions to the general pattern of precocious flowering are common. Many species either do not appear to respond or even delay flowering in, or following, warm growing seasons. Existing phenological models have not fully addressed such exceptions to the common association of advancing phenologies with warming temperatures. The phenological events that are typically recorded (e.g., onset of flowering) are but one phase in a complex developmental process that often begins one or more years previously, and flowering time may be strongly influenced by temperature over the entire multi-year course of flower development. We propose a series of models that explore effects of growing-season temperature increase on the multiple processes of flower development and how changes in development may impact the timing of anthesis. We focus on temperate forest trees, which are characterized by preformation, the initiation of flower primordia one or more years prior to anthesis. We then synthesize the literature on flower development to evaluate the models. Although fragmentary, the existing data suggest the potential for temperature to affect all aspects of flower development in woody perennials. But, even for relatively well studied taxa, the critical developmental responses that underlie phenological patterns are difficult to identify. Our proposed models explain the seemingly counter-intuitive observations that warmer growing-season temperatures delay flowering in many species. Future research might concentrate on taxa that do not appear to respond to temperature, or delay flowering in response to warm temperatures, to understand what processes contribute to this pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela K Diggle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Christa P H Mulder
- Department of Biology and Wildlife & Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
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11
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Semenchuk PR, Krab EJ, Hedenström M, Phillips CA, Ancin-Murguzur FJ, Cooper EJ. Soil organic carbon depletion and degradation in surface soil after long-term non-growing season warming in High Arctic Svalbard. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 646:158-167. [PMID: 30056226 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Arctic tundra active-layer soils are at risk of soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion and degradation upon global climate warming because they are in a stage of relatively early decomposition. Non-growing season (NGS) warming is particularly pronounced, and observed increases of CO2 emissions during experimentally warmed NGSs give concern for great SOC losses to the atmosphere. Here, we used snow fences in Arctic Spitsbergen dwarf shrub tundra to simulate 1.86 °C NGS warming for 9 consecutive years, while growing season temperatures remained unchanged. In the snow fence treatment, the 4-11 cm thick A-horizon had a 2% lower SOC concentration and a 0.48 kg C m-2 smaller pool size than the controls, indicating SOC pool depletion. The snow fence treatment's A-horizon's alkyl/O-alkyl ratio was also significantly increased, indicating an advance of SOC degradation. The underlying 5 cm of B/C-horizon did not show these effects. Our results support the hypothesis that SOC depletion and degradation are connected to the long-term transience of observed ecosystem respiration (ER) increases upon soil warming. We suggest that the bulk of warming induced ER increases may originate from surface and not deep active layer or permafrost horizons. The observed losses of SOC might be significant for the ecosystem in question, but are in magnitude comparatively small relative to anthropogenic greenhouse gas enrichment of the atmosphere. We conclude that a positive feedback of carbon losses from surface soils of Arctic dwarf shrub tundra to anthropogenic forcing will be minor, but not negligible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp R Semenchuk
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences Fisheries and Economics, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway; Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-98107 Abisko, Sweden; Division of Conservation Biology, Vegetation Ecology and Landscape Ecology, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Vienna University, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Eveline J Krab
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-98107 Abisko, Sweden; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Soil and Environment, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Carly A Phillips
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30606, USA
| | - Francisco J Ancin-Murguzur
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences Fisheries and Economics, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Elisabeth J Cooper
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences Fisheries and Economics, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
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12
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Warming shortens flowering seasons of tundra plant communities. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 3:45-52. [PMID: 30532048 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0745-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Advancing phenology is one of the most visible effects of climate change on plant communities, and has been especially pronounced in temperature-limited tundra ecosystems. However, phenological responses have been shown to differ greatly between species, with some species shifting phenology more than others. We analysed a database of 42,689 tundra plant phenological observations to show that warmer temperatures are leading to a contraction of community-level flowering seasons in tundra ecosystems due to a greater advancement in the flowering times of late-flowering species than early-flowering species. Shorter flowering seasons with a changing climate have the potential to alter trophic interactions in tundra ecosystems. Interestingly, these findings differ from those of warmer ecosystems, where early-flowering species have been found to be more sensitive to temperature change, suggesting that community-level phenological responses to warming can vary greatly between biomes.
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13
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Pedersen SH, Liston GE, Tamstorf MP, Abermann J, Lund M, Schmidt NM. Quantifying snow controls on vegetation greenness. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stine Højlund Pedersen
- Arctic Research Centre Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK‐4000 Roskilde Denmark
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado 80523 USA
| | - Glen E. Liston
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado 80523 USA
| | - Mikkel P. Tamstorf
- Arctic Research Centre Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK‐4000 Roskilde Denmark
| | - Jakob Abermann
- Asiaq Greenland Survey Qatserisut 8 GL‐3900 Nuuk Greenland
| | - Magnus Lund
- Arctic Research Centre Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK‐4000 Roskilde Denmark
| | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Arctic Research Centre Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK‐4000 Roskilde Denmark
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14
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Prevéy J, Vellend M, Rüger N, Hollister RD, Bjorkman AD, Myers-Smith IH, Elmendorf SC, Clark K, Cooper EJ, Elberling B, Fosaa AM, Henry GHR, Høye TT, Jónsdóttir IS, Klanderud K, Lévesque E, Mauritz M, Molau U, Natali SM, Oberbauer SF, Panchen ZA, Post E, Rumpf SB, Schmidt NM, Schuur EAG, Semenchuk PR, Troxler T, Welker JM, Rixen C. Greater temperature sensitivity of plant phenology at colder sites: implications for convergence across northern latitudes. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:2660-2671. [PMID: 28079308 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Warmer temperatures are accelerating the phenology of organisms around the world. Temperature sensitivity of phenology might be greater in colder, higher latitude sites than in warmer regions, in part because small changes in temperature constitute greater relative changes in thermal balance at colder sites. To test this hypothesis, we examined up to 20 years of phenology data for 47 tundra plant species at 18 high-latitude sites along a climatic gradient. Across all species, the timing of leaf emergence and flowering was more sensitive to a given increase in summer temperature at colder than warmer high-latitude locations. A similar pattern was seen over time for the flowering phenology of a widespread species, Cassiope tetragona. These are among the first results highlighting differential phenological responses of plants across a climatic gradient and suggest the possibility of convergence in flowering times and therefore an increase in gene flow across latitudes as the climate warms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Prevéy
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos, Switzerland
- USDA-Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Olympia, WA 98512, USA
| | - Mark Vellend
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Nadja Rüger
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancón, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Robert D Hollister
- Biology Department, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49041, USA
| | - Anne D Bjorkman
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | - Karin Clark
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, NT X1A 3S8, Canada
| | - Elisabeth J Cooper
- Institute for Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bo Elberling
- Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna M Fosaa
- Faroese Museum of Natural History, Hoyvík 188, Faroe Islands
| | - Gregory H R Henry
- Department of Geography and Biodiversity Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Toke T Høye
- Arctic Research Center, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ingibjörg S Jónsdóttir
- The University Centre in Svalbard, N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Kari Klanderud
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resources, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Esther Lévesque
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada
| | - Marguerite Mauritz
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society Center, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Steven F Oberbauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33181, USA
| | - Zoe A Panchen
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Eric Post
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sabine B Rumpf
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Niels M Schmidt
- Arctic Research Center, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Edward A G Schuur
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society Center, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Phillip R Semenchuk
- Institute for Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Jeffrey M Welker
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
| | - Christian Rixen
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos, Switzerland
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15
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Lorberau KE, Botnen SS, Mundra S, Aas AB, Rozema J, Eidesen PB, Kauserud H. Does warming by open-top chambers induce change in the root-associated fungal community of the arctic dwarf shrub Cassiope tetragona (Ericaceae)? MYCORRHIZA 2017; 27:513-524. [PMID: 28349216 DOI: 10.1007/s00572-017-0767-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Climate change may alter mycorrhizal communities, which impact ecosystem characteristics such as carbon sequestration processes. These impacts occur at a greater magnitude in Arctic ecosystems, where the climate is warming faster than in lower latitudes. Cassiope tetragona (L.) D. Don is an Arctic plant species in the Ericaceae family with a circumpolar range. C. tetragona has been reported to form ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) as well as ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbioses. In this study, the fungal taxa present within roots of C. tetragona plants collected from Svalbard were investigated using DNA metabarcoding. In light of ongoing climate change in the Arctic, the effects of artificial warming by open-top chambers (OTCs) on the fungal root community of C. tetragona were evaluated. We detected only a weak effect of warming by OTCs on the root-associated fungal communities that was masked by the spatial variation between sampling sites. The root fungal community of C. tetragona was dominated by fungal groups in the Basidiomycota traditionally classified as either saprotrophic or ECM symbionts, including the orders Sebacinales and Agaricales and the genera Clavaria, Cortinarius, and Mycena. Only a minor proportion of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) could be annotated as ErM-forming fungi. This indicates that C. tetragona may be forming mycorrhizal symbioses with typically ECM-forming fungi, although no characteristic ECM root tips were observed. Previous studies have indicated that some saprophytic fungi may also be involved in biotrophic associations, but whether the saprotrophic fungi in the roots of C. tetragona are involved in biotrophic associations remains unclear. The need for more experimental and microscopy-based studies to reveal the nature of the fungal associations in C. tetragona roots is emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Erin Lorberau
- University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1072, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway.
- University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway.
| | - Synnøve Smebye Botnen
- University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1072, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway
- University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway
| | - Sunil Mundra
- University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1072, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway
- University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway
- Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Seckenberganlage, 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Jelte Rozema
- VU University (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Håvard Kauserud
- University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1072, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway
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16
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Blume‐Werry G, Jansson R, Milbau A. Root phenology unresponsive to earlier snowmelt despite advanced above‐ground phenology in two subarctic plant communities. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gesche Blume‐Werry
- Climate Impacts Research Centre Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Umeå University 981 07 Abisko Sweden
| | - Roland Jansson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Umeå University 901 87 Umeå Sweden
| | - Ann Milbau
- Climate Impacts Research Centre Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Umeå University 981 07 Abisko Sweden
- Department of Biodiversity and Natural Environment Research Institute for Nature and Forest INBO Kliniekstraat 25 1070 Brussels Belgium
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17
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Mulder CPH, Iles DT, Rockwell RF. Increased variance in temperature and lag effects alter phenological responses to rapid warming in a subarctic plant community. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:801-814. [PMID: 27273120 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2015] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Summer temperature on the Cape Churchill Peninsula (Manitoba, Canada) has increased rapidly over the past 75 years, and flowering phenology of the plant community is advanced in years with warmer temperatures (higher cumulative growing degree days). Despite this, there has been no overall shift in flowering phenology over this period. However, climate change has also resulted in increased interannual variation in temperature; if relationships between phenology and temperature are not linear, an increase in temperature variance may interact with an increase in the mean to alter how community phenology changes over time. In our system, the relationship between phenology and temperature was log-linear, resulting in a steeper slope at the cold end of the temperature spectrum than at the warm end. Because below-average temperatures had a greater impact on phenology than above-average temperatures, the long-term advance in phenology was reduced. In addition, flowering phenology in a given year was delayed if summer temperatures were high the previous year or 2 years earlier (lag effects), further reducing the expected advance over time. Phenology of early-flowering plants was negatively affected only by temperatures in the previous year, and that of late-flowering plants primarily by temperatures 2 years earlier. Subarctic plants develop leaf primordia one or more years prior to flowering (preformation); these results suggest that temperature affects the development of flower primordia during this preformation period. Together, increased variance in temperature and lag effects interacted with a changing mean to reduce the expected phenological advance by 94%, a magnitude large enough to account for our inability to detect a significant advance over time. We conclude that changes in temperature variability and lag effects can alter trends in plant responses to a warming climate and that predictions for changes in plant phenology under future warming scenarios should incorporate such effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa P H Mulder
- Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7000, USA
| | - David T Iles
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322, USA
| | - Robert F Rockwell
- Department of Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
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18
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Using Ordinary Digital Cameras in Place of Near-Infrared Sensors to Derive Vegetation Indices for Phenology Studies of High Arctic Vegetation. REMOTE SENSING 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/rs8100847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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19
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Soszyńska-Maj A, Paasivirta L, Giłka W. Why on the snow? Winter emergence strategies of snow-active Chironomidae (Diptera) in Poland. INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 23:754-770. [PMID: 25807923 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A long-term study of adult non-biting midges (Chironomidae) active in winter on the snow in mountain areas and lowlands in Poland yielded 35 species. The lowland and mountain communities differed significantly in their specific composition. The mountain assemblage was found to be more diverse and abundant, with a substantial contribution from the subfamily Diamesinae, whereas Orthocladiinae predominated in the lowlands. Orthocladius wetterensis Brundin was the most characteristic and superdominant species in the winter-active chironomid communities in both areas. Only a few specimens and species of snow-active chironomids were recorded in late autumn and early winter. The abundance of chironomids peaked in late February in the mountain and lowland areas with an additional peak in the mountain areas in early April. However, this second peak of activity consisted mainly of Orthocladiinae, as Diamesinae emerged earliest in the season. Most snow-active species emerged in mid- and late winter, but their seasonal patterns differed between the 2 regions as a result of the different species composition and the duration of snow cover in these regions. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient tests yielded positive results between each season and the number of chironomid individuals recorded in the mountain area. A positive correlation between air temperature, rising to +3.5 °C, and the number of specimens recorded on the snow in the mountain community was statistically significant. The winter emergence and mate-searching strategies of chironomids are discussed in the light of global warming, and a brief compilation of most important published data on the phenomena studied is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Soszyńska-Maj
- Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland.
| | | | - Wojciech Giłka
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
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20
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Bokhorst S, Pedersen SH, Brucker L, Anisimov O, Bjerke JW, Brown RD, Ehrich D, Essery RLH, Heilig A, Ingvander S, Johansson C, Johansson M, Jónsdóttir IS, Inga N, Luojus K, Macelloni G, Mariash H, McLennan D, Rosqvist GN, Sato A, Savela H, Schneebeli M, Sokolov A, Sokratov SA, Terzago S, Vikhamar-Schuler D, Williamson S, Qiu Y, Callaghan TV. Changing Arctic snow cover: A review of recent developments and assessment of future needs for observations, modelling, and impacts. AMBIO 2016; 45:516-37. [PMID: 26984258 PMCID: PMC4980315 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-016-0770-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Snow is a critically important and rapidly changing feature of the Arctic. However, snow-cover and snowpack conditions change through time pose challenges for measuring and prediction of snow. Plausible scenarios of how Arctic snow cover will respond to changing Arctic climate are important for impact assessments and adaptation strategies. Although much progress has been made in understanding and predicting snow-cover changes and their multiple consequences, many uncertainties remain. In this paper, we review advances in snow monitoring and modelling, and the impact of snow changes on ecosystems and society in Arctic regions. Interdisciplinary activities are required to resolve the current limitations on measuring and modelling snow characteristics through the cold season and at different spatial scales to assure human well-being, economic stability, and improve the ability to predict manage and adapt to natural hazards in the Arctic region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stef Bokhorst
- FRAM – High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø Norway
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stine Højlund Pedersen
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Ludovic Brucker
- NASA GSFC Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, Code 615, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
- Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research Studies and Investigations, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21044 USA
| | - Oleg Anisimov
- State Hydrological Institute of Roshydromet, 23 Second Line V.O., St.Petersburg, Russia 199053
- International Centre for Science and Education “Best”, North-East Federal University, Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Jarle W. Bjerke
- FRAM – High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø Norway
| | - Ross D. Brown
- Climate Research Division, Environment Canada Ouranos, 550 Sherbrooke St. West, 19th Floor, Montreal, QC H3A 1B9 Canada
| | - Dorothee Ehrich
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Achim Heilig
- Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Susanne Ingvander
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Johansson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Margareta Johansson
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, PO Box 50005, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir
- University Centre in Svalbard, PO Box 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Norway
- Faculty of Life- and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Niila Inga
- Leavas Sámi Community, Box 53, 981 21 Kiruna, Sweden
| | - Kari Luojus
- Arctic Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Giovanni Macelloni
- IFAC-CNR - Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”, National Research Council, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI Italy
| | - Heather Mariash
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment Canada, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, K1A 0H3 Canada
| | - Donald McLennan
- Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS), 360 Albert Street, Suite 1710, Ottawa, ON K1R 7X7 Canada
| | - Gunhild Ninis Rosqvist
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Atsushi Sato
- Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, 187-16 Suyoshi, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-0821 Japan
| | - Hannele Savela
- Thule Insitute, University of Oulu, PO Box 7300, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Martin Schneebeli
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Flüelastrasse 11, 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland
| | - Aleksandr Sokolov
- Arctic Research Station of Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Labytnangi, Russia 629400
- Science Center for Arctic Studies, State Organization of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russia
| | - Sergey A. Sokratov
- Arctic Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Geography, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1, Moscow, Russia 119991
| | - Silvia Terzago
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council (ISAC-CNR), Corso Fiume 4, 10133 Turin, Italy
| | - Dagrun Vikhamar-Schuler
- Division for Model and Climate Analysis, R&D Department, The Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Postboks 43, Blindern, 0313 Oslo, Norway
| | - Scott Williamson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg., Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Yubao Qiu
- Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academic of Science, Beijing, 100094 China
- Group on Earth Observations, Cold Regions Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Terry V. Callaghan
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN UK
- National Research Tomsk Stated University, 36, Lenin Ave., Tomsk, Russia 634050
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21
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Mundra S, Halvorsen R, Kauserud H, Bahram M, Tedersoo L, Elberling B, Cooper EJ, Eidesen PB. Ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi respond differently to long-term experimentally increased snow depth in the High Arctic. Microbiologyopen 2016; 5:856-869. [PMID: 27255701 PMCID: PMC5061721 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Revised: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Changing climate is expected to alter precipitation patterns in the Arctic, with consequences for subsurface temperature and moisture conditions, community structure, and nutrient mobilization through microbial belowground processes. Here, we address the effect of increased snow depth on the variation in species richness and community structure of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and saprotrophic fungi. Soil samples were collected weekly from mid‐July to mid‐September in both control and deep snow plots. Richness of ECM fungi was lower, while saprotrophic fungi was higher in increased snow depth plots relative to controls. [Correction added on 23 September 2016 after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, the richness of ECM and saprotrophic fungi were wrongly interchanged and have been fixed in this current version.] ECM fungal richness was related to soil NO3‐N, NH4‐N, and K; and saprotrophic fungi to NO3‐N and pH. Small but significant changes in the composition of saprotrophic fungi could be attributed to snow treatment and sampling time, but not so for the ECM fungi. Delayed snow melt did not influence the temporal variation in fungal communities between the treatments. Results suggest that some fungal species are favored, while others are disfavored resulting in their local extinction due to long‐term changes in snow amount. Shifts in species composition of fungal functional groups are likely to affect nutrient cycling, ecosystem respiration, and stored permafrost carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Mundra
- The University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, NO-9171, Longyearbyen, Norway. , .,Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway. ,
| | - Rune Halvorsen
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Håvard Kauserud
- Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mohammad Bahram
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Tartu University, 14A Ravila, 50411, Tartu, Estonia.,Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, SE 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Leho Tedersoo
- Natural History Museum, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Bo Elberling
- Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, DK-1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elisabeth J Cooper
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Institute of Biosciences Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway
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22
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Milner JM, Varpe Ø, van der Wal R, Hansen BB. Experimental icing affects growth, mortality, and flowering in a high Arctic dwarf shrub. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:2139-48. [PMID: 27066227 PMCID: PMC4769718 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Revised: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Effects of climate change are predicted to be greatest at high latitudes, with more pronounced warming in winter than summer. Extreme mid-winter warm spells and heavy rain-on-snow events are already increasing in frequency in the Arctic, with implications for snow-pack and ground-ice formation. These may in turn affect key components of Arctic ecosystems. However, the fitness consequences of extreme winter weather events for tundra plants are not well understood, especially in the high Arctic. We simulated an extreme mid-winter rain-on-snow event at a field site in high Arctic Svalbard (78°N) by experimentally encasing tundra vegetation in ice. After the subsequent growing season, we measured the effects of icing on growth and fitness indices in the common tundra plant, Arctic bell-heather (Cassiope tetragona). The suitability of this species for retrospective growth analysis enabled us to compare shoot growth in pre and postmanipulation years in icing treatment and control plants, as well as shoot survival and flowering. Plants from icing treatment plots had higher shoot mortality and lower flowering success than controls. At the individual sample level, heavily flowering plants invested less in shoot growth than nonflowering plants, while shoot growth was positively related to the degree of shoot mortality. Therefore, contrary to expectation, undamaged shoots showed enhanced growth in ice treatment plants. This suggests that following damage, aboveground resources were allocated to the few remaining undamaged meristems. The enhanced shoot growth measured in our icing treatment plants has implications for climate studies based on retrospective analyses of Cassiope. As shoot growth in this species responds positively to summer warming, it also highlights a potentially complex interaction between summer and winter conditions. By documenting strong effects of icing on growth and reproduction of a widespread tundra plant, our study contributes to an understanding of Arctic plant responses to projected changes in winter climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jos M Milner
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen 23 St. Machar Drive Aberdeen AB24 3UU U.K
| | - Øystein Varpe
- University Centre in Svalbard 9171 Longyearbyen Norway; Akvaplan-niva Fram Centre 9296 Tromsø Norway
| | - René van der Wal
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen 23 St. Machar Drive Aberdeen AB24 3UU U.K
| | - Brage Bremset Hansen
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Department of Biology Norwegian University of Science and Technology 7491 Trondheim Norway
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Foster A, Jones DL, Cooper EJ, Roberts P. Freeze-thaw cycles have minimal effect on the mineralisation of low molecular weight, dissolved organic carbon in Arctic soils. Polar Biol 2016; 39:2387-2401. [PMID: 32669755 PMCID: PMC7346978 DOI: 10.1007/s00300-016-1914-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Revised: 01/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Warmer winters in Arctic regions may melt insulating snow cover and subject soils to more freeze–thaw cycles. The effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the microbial use of low molecular weight, dissolved organic carbon (LMW-DOC) is poorly understood. In this study, soils from the Arctic heath tundra, Arctic meadow tundra and a temperate grassland were frozen to −7.5 °C and thawed once and three times. Subsequently, the mineralisation of 3 LMW-DOC substrates types (sugars, amino acids and peptides) was measured over an 8-day period and compared to controls which had not been frozen. This allowed the comparison of freeze–thaw effects between Arctic and temperate soil and between different substrates. The results showed that freeze–thaw cycles had no significant effect on C mineralisation in the Arctic tundra soils. In contrast, for the same intensity freeze–thaw cycles, a significant effect on C mineralisation was observed for all substrate types in the temperate soil although the response was substrate specific. Peptide and amino acid mineralisation were similarly affected by FT, whilst glucose had a different response. Further work is required to fully understand microbial use of LMW-DOC after freeze–thaw, yet these results suggest that relatively short freeze–thaw cycles have little effect on microbial use of LMW-DOC in Arctic tundra soils after thaw.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Foster
- School of the Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - D L Jones
- School of the Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - E J Cooper
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - P Roberts
- School of the Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
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24
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Analysis of trophic interactions reveals highly plastic response to climate change in a tri-trophic High-Arctic ecosystem. Polar Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1872-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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25
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Wheeler HC, Høye TT, Schmidt NM, Svenning JC, Forchhammer MC. Phenological mismatch with abiotic conditions implications for flowering in Arctic plants. Ecology 2015; 96:775-87. [PMID: 26236873 DOI: 10.1890/14-0338.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Although many studies have examined the phenological mismatches between interacting organisms, few have addressed the potential for mismatches between phenology and seasonal weather conditions. In the Arctic, rapid phenological changes in many taxa are occurring in association with earlier snowmelt. The timing of snowmelt is jointly affected by the size of the late winter snowpack and the temperature during the spring thaw. Increased winter snowpack results in delayed snowmelt, whereas higher air temperatures and faster snowmelt advance the timing of snowmelt. Where interannual variation in snowpack is substantial, changes in the timing of snowmelt can be largely uncoupled from changes in air temperature. Using detailed, long-term data on the flowering phenology of four arctic plant species from Zackenberg, Greenland, we investigate whether there is a phenological component to the temperature conditions experienced prior to and during flowering. In particular, we assess the role of timing of flowering in determining pre-flowering exposure to freezing temperatures and to the temperatures-experienced prior to flowering. We then examine the implications of flowering phenology for flower abundance. Earlier snowmelt resulted in greater exposure to freezing conditions, suggesting an increased potential for a mismatch between the timing of flowering and seasonal weather conditions and an increased potential for negative consequences, such as freezing 'damage. We also found a parabolic relationship between the timing of flowering and the temperature experienced during flowering after taking interannual temperature effects into account. If timing of flowering advances to a cooler period of the growing season, this may moderate the effects of a general warming trend across years. Flower abundance was quadratically associated with the timing of flowering, such that both early and late flowering led to lower flower abundance than did intermediate flowering. Our results indicate that shifting the timing of flowering affects the temperature experienced during flower development and flowering beyond that imposed by interannual variations in climate. We also found that phenological timing may affect flower abundance, and hence, fitness. These findings suggest that plant population responses to future climate change will be shaped not only by extrinsic climate forcing, but also by species' phenological responses.
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Legault G, Cusa M. Temperature and delayed snowmelt jointly affect the vegetative and reproductive phenologies of four sub-Arctic plants. Polar Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1736-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Cooper EJ. Warmer Shorter Winters Disrupt Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The Earth is warming, especially in polar areas in which winter temperatures and precipitation are expected to increase. Despite a growing research focus on winter climatic change, the impacts on Arctic terrestrial ecosystems remain poorly understood. Snow acts as an insulator, and depth changes affect the enhancement of thermally dependent reactions, such as microbial activity, affecting soil nutrient composition, respiration, and winter gas efflux. Snow depth and spring temperatures influence snowmelt timing, determining the start of plant growth and forage availability. Delays in winter onset affect tundra carbon balance, faunal hibernation, and migration but are unlikely to lengthen the plant growing season. Mild periods in winter followed by a return to freezing have negative consequences for plants and invertebrates, and the resultant ice layers act as barriers to foraging, triggering starvation of herbivores and their predators. In summary, knock-on effects between seasons and trophic levels have important consequences for biological activity, diversity, and ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth J. Cooper
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
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Spatial and Temporal Variability in the Onset of the Growing Season on Svalbard, Arctic Norway — Measured by MODIS-NDVI Satellite Data. REMOTE SENSING 2014. [DOI: 10.3390/rs6098088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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30
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Rumpf SB, Semenchuk PR, Dullinger S, Cooper EJ. Idiosyncratic responses of high Arctic plants to changing snow regimes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86281. [PMID: 24523859 PMCID: PMC3921108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Arctic is one of the ecosystems most affected by climate change; in particular, winter temperatures and precipitation are predicted to increase with consequent changes to snow cover depth and duration. Whether the snow-free period will be shortened or prolonged depends on the extent and temporal patterns of the temperature and precipitation rise; resulting changes will likely affect plant growth with cascading effects throughout the ecosystem. We experimentally manipulated snow regimes using snow fences and shoveling and assessed aboveground size of eight common high arctic plant species weekly throughout the summer. We demonstrated that plant growth responded to snow regime, and that air temperature sum during the snow free period was the best predictor for plant size. The majority of our studied species showed periodic growth; increases in plant size stopped after certain cumulative temperatures were obtained. Plants in early snow-free treatments without additional spring warming were smaller than controls. Response to deeper snow with later melt-out varied between species and categorizing responses by growth forms or habitat associations did not reveal generic trends. We therefore stress the importance of examining responses at the species level, since generalized predictions of aboveground growth responses to changing snow regimes cannot be made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine B. Rumpf
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute for Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Troms, Norway
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp R. Semenchuk
- Institute for Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Troms, Norway
- Department of Arctic Biology, University Center in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark
| | - Stefan Dullinger
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Institute for Nature Conservation and Analyses, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth J. Cooper
- Institute for Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Troms, Norway
- * E-mail:
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