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Jung P, Brand R, Briegel-Williams L, Werner L, Jost E, Lentendu G, Singer D, Athavale R, Nürnberg DJ, Alfaro FD, Büdel B, Lakatos M. The symbiotic alga Trebouxia fuels a coherent soil ecosystem on the landscape scale in the Atacama Desert. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2024; 19:59. [PMID: 39123247 PMCID: PMC11311966 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-024-00601-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Biocrusts represent associations of lichens, green algae, cyanobacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, colonizing soils in varying proportions of principally arid biomes. The so-called grit crust represents a recently discovered type of biocrust situated in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert (Chile) made of microorganisms growing on and in granitoid pebbles, resulting in a checkerboard pattern visible to the naked eye on the landscape scale. This specific microbiome fulfills a broad range of ecosystem services, all probably driven by fog and dew-induced photosynthetic activity of mainly micro-lichens. To understand its biodiversity and impact, we applied a polyphasic approach on the phototrophic microbiome of this biocrust, combining isolation and characterization of the lichen photobionts, multi-gene phylogeny of the photobionts and mycobionts based on a direct sequencing and microphotography approach, metabarcoding and determination of chlorophylla+b contents. Metabarcoding showed that yet undescribed lichens within the Caliciaceae dominated the biocrust together with Trebouxia as the most abundant eukaryote in all plots. Together with high mean chlorophylla+b contents exceeding 410 mg m-2, this distinguished the symbiotic algae Trebouxia as the main driver of the grit crust ecosystem. The trebouxioid photobionts could be assigned to the I (T. impressa/gelatinosa) and A (T. arboricola) clades and represented several lineages containing five potential species candidates, which were identified based on the unique phylogenetic position, morphological features, and developmental cycles of the corresponding isolates. These results designate the grit crust as the only known coherent soil layer with significant landscape covering impact of at least 440 km2, predominantly ruled by a single symbiotic algal genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany.
| | - Rebekah Brand
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Lina Werner
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Emily Jost
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Guillaume Lentendu
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - David Singer
- Soil Science and Environment Group, Changins, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Nyon, Switzerland
| | - Rujuta Athavale
- Institute for Experimental Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dennis J Nürnberg
- Institute for Experimental Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fernando D Alfaro
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology and Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Biology, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Michael Lakatos
- Department of Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens, Germany
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Meyer AR, Koch NM, McDonald T, Stanton DE. Symbionts out of sync: Decoupled physiological responses are widespread and ecologically important in lichen associations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eado2783. [PMID: 38875327 PMCID: PMC11177896 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado2783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
A core vulnerability in symbioses is the need for coordination between the symbiotic partners, which are often assumed to be closely physiologically integrated. We critically re-examine this assumed integration between symbionts in lichen symbioses, recovering a long overlooked yet fundamental physiological asymmetry in carbon balance. We examine the physiological, ecological, and transcriptional basis of this asymmetry in the lichen Evernia mesomorpha. This carbon balance asymmetry depends on hydration source and aligns with climatic range limits. Differences in gene expression across the E. mesomorpha symbiosis suggest that the physiologies of the primary lichen symbionts are decoupled. Furthermore, we use gas exchange data to show that asymmetries in carbon balance are widespread and common across evolutionarily disparate lichen associations. Using carbon balance asymmetry as an example, we provide evidence for the wide-ranging importance of physiological asymmetries in symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail R Meyer
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Natália M Koch
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Tami McDonald
- Department of Biology, Saint Catherine University, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Daniel E Stanton
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Nikolić N, Zotz G, Bader MY. Modelling the carbon balance in bryophytes and lichens: Presentation of PoiCarb 1.0, a new model for explaining distribution patterns and predicting climate-change effects. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2024; 111:e16266. [PMID: 38038342 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16266] [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: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Bryophytes and lichens have important functional roles in many ecosystems. Insight into their CO2 -exchange responses to climatic conditions is essential for understanding current and predicting future productivity and biomass patterns, but responses are hard to quantify at time scales beyond instantaneous measurements. We present PoiCarb 1.0, a model to study how CO2 -exchange rates of these poikilohydric organisms change through time as a function of weather conditions. METHODS PoiCarb simulates diel fluctuations of CO2 exchange and estimates long-term carbon balances, identifying optimal and limiting climatic patterns. Modelled processes were net photosynthesis, dark respiration, evaporation and water uptake. Measured CO2 -exchange responses to light, temperature, atmospheric CO2 concentration, and thallus water content (calculated in a separate module) were used to parameterize the model's carbon module. We validated the model by comparing modelled diel courses of net CO2 exchange to such courses from field measurements on the tropical lichen Crocodia aurata. To demonstrate the model's usefulness, we simulated potential climate-change effects. RESULTS Diel patterns were reproduced well, and the modelled and observed diel carbon balances were strongly positively correlated. Simulated warming effects via changes in metabolic rates were consistently negative, while effects via faster drying were variable, depending on the timing of hydration. CONCLUSIONS Reproducing weather-dependent variation in diel carbon balances is a clear improvement compared to simply extrapolating short-term measurements or potential photosynthetic rates. Apart from predicting climate-change effects, future uses of PoiCarb include testing hypotheses about distribution patterns of poikilohydric organisms and guiding conservation strategies for species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nada Nikolić
- Faculty of Geography, Ecological Plant Geography, University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Zotz
- University of Oldenburg, Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, Functional Ecology of Plants, Germany
| | - Maaike Y Bader
- Faculty of Geography, Ecological Plant Geography, University of Marburg, Germany
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Jung P, Baumann K, Emrich D, Schermer M, Eckhardt KU, Jandl G, Leinweber P, Harion F, Wruck A, Grube M, Büdel B, Lakatos M. The dark side of orange: Multiorganismic continuum dynamics within a lichen of the Atacama Desert. Mycologia 2024; 116:44-58. [PMID: 37955984 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2023.2263148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Over the decades our understanding of lichens has shifted to the fact that they are multiorganismic, symbiotic microecosystems, with their complex interactions coming to the fore due to recent advances in microbiomics. Here, we present a mutualistic-parasitic continuum dynamics scenario between an orange lichen and a lichenicolous fungus from the Atacama Desert leading to the decay of the lichen's photobiont and leaving behind a black lichen thallus. Based on isolation, sequencing, and ecophysiological approaches including metabolic screenings of the symbionts, we depict consequences upon infection with the lichenicolous fungus. This spans from a loss of the lichen's photosynthetic activity and an increased roughness of its surface to an inhibition of the parietin synthesis as a shared pathway between the photobiont and the mycobiont, including a shift of secondary metabolism products. This degree of relations has rarely been documented before, although lichenicolous fungi have been studied for over 200 years, adding an additional level to the view of interactions within lichens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
| | - Karen Baumann
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Dina Emrich
- Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, Freiburg 79106, Germany
| | - Michael Schermer
- Biology, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern Landau, Erwin-Schrödinger Str. 52, Kaiserslautern 67663, Germany
| | - Kai-Uwe Eckhardt
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Gerald Jandl
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Peter Leinweber
- Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, Rostock 18051, Germany
| | - Felix Harion
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
| | - Andreas Wruck
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
| | - Martin Grube
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Holteigasse 6, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Department of Biology, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern Landau, Erwin-Schrödinger Str. 52, Kaiserslautern 67663, Germany
| | - Michael Lakatos
- Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, Pirmasens 66953, Germany
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Jung P, Werner L, Briegel-Williams L, Emrich D, Lakatos M. Roccellinastrum, Cenozosia and Heterodermia: Ecology and phylogeny of fog lichens and their photobionts from the coastal Atacama Desert. MycoKeys 2023; 98:317-348. [PMID: 37564324 PMCID: PMC10410537 DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.98.107764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Some deserts on Earth such as the Namib or the Atacama are influenced by fog which can lead to the formation of local fog oases - unique environments hosting a great diversity of specialized plants and lichens. Lichens of the genera Ramalina, Niebla or Heterodermia have taxonomically been investigated from fog oases around the globe but not from the Atacama Desert, one of the oldest and driest deserts. Conditioned by its topography and the presence of orographic fog, the National Park Pan de Azúcar in the Atacama Desert is considered to be such a lichen hotspot. Applying multi-gen loci involving phylogenetic analyses combined with intense morphological and chemical characterization, we determined the taxonomic position of five of the most abundant epiphytic lichens of this area. We evaluated Roccellinastrumspongoideum and Heterodermiafollmannii which were both described from the area but also finally showed that the genus Cenozosia is the endemic sister genus to Ramalina, Vermilacinia, Namibialina and Niebla. As a result, we have described the species Heterodermiaadunca, C.cava and C.excorticata as new lichen species. This work provides a comprehensive dataset for common fog lichen genera of the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert that can be used as a baseline for monitoring programs and environmental health assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
| | - Lina Werner
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
| | - Laura Briegel-Williams
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
| | - Dina Emrich
- Chair of Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, GermanyUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Michael Lakatos
- University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Integrative Biotechnology, Carl-Schurz-Str. 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences KaiserslauternPirmasensGermany
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Chamizo S, Rodríguez-Caballero E, Moro MJ, Cantón Y. Non-rainfall water inputs: A key water source for biocrust carbon fixation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 792:148299. [PMID: 34146814 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Links between water and carbon (C) cycles in drylands are strongly regulated by biocrusts. These widespread communities in the intershrub spaces of drylands are able to use non-rainfall water inputs (NRWI) (fog, dewfall and water vapour) to become active and fix carbon dioxide (CO2), converting biocrusts into the main soil C contributors during periods in which vegetation remains inactive. In this study, we first evaluated the influence of biocrust type on NRWI uptake using automated microlysimeters, and second, we performed an outdoor experiment to examine how NRWI affected C exchange (photosynthesis and respiration) in biocrusts. NRWI uptake increased from incipient cyanobacteria to well-developed cyanobacteria and lichen biocrusts. NRWI triggered biocrust activity but with contrasting effects on CO2 fluxes depending on the main NRWI source. Fog mainly stimulated respiration of biocrust-covered soils, reaching net CO2 emissions of 0.68 μmol m-2 s-1, while dew had a greater effect stimulating biocrust photosynthesis and resulted in net CO2 uptake of 0.66 μmol m-2 s-1. These findings demonstrate the key role that NRWI play in biocrust activity and the soil C balance in drylands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Chamizo
- Department of Agronomy, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain; Research Centre for Scientific Collections from the University of Almeria (CECOUAL), 04120 Almeria, Spain.
| | - Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero
- Department of Agronomy, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain; Research Centre for Scientific Collections from the University of Almeria (CECOUAL), 04120 Almeria, Spain
| | - María José Moro
- Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | - Yolanda Cantón
- Department of Agronomy, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain; Research Centre for Scientific Collections from the University of Almeria (CECOUAL), 04120 Almeria, Spain
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Jung P, Baumann K, Emrich D, Springer A, Felde VJ, Dultz S, Baum C, Frank M, Büdel B, Leinweber P. Lichens Bite the Dust - A Bioweathering Scenario in the Atacama Desert. iScience 2020; 23:101647. [PMID: 33103085 PMCID: PMC7578742 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioweathering mediated by microorganisms plays a significant role in biogeochemical cycles on global scales over geological timescales. Single processes induced by specific taxa have been described but could rarely be demonstrated for complex communities that dominate whole landscapes. The recently discovered grit crust of the coastal Atacama Desert, which is a transitional community between a cryptogamic ground cover and a rock-bound lithic assemblage, offers the unique chance to elucidate various bioweathering processes that occur simultaneously. Here, we present a bioweathering scenario of this biocenosis including processes such as penetration of the lithomatrix, microbial responses to wet-dry cycles, alkalinolysis, enzyme activity, and mineral re-localization. Frequently occurring fog, for example, led to a volume increase of microorganisms and the lithomatrix. This, together with pH shifts and dust accumulation, consequently results in biophysical breakdown and the formation of a terrestrial protopedon, an initial stage of pedogenesis fueled by the grit crust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Applied Logistics and Polymer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Carl-Schurz-Straße 10-16, 66953 Pirmasens, Germany
| | - Karen Baumann
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - Dina Emrich
- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Chair of Applied Vegetation Ecology, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Armin Springer
- Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Centre, University Medicine Rostock, Strempelstraße 14, 18057 Rostock, Germany
- Department Life, Light and Matter, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - Vincent J.M.N.L. Felde
- Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1a, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
| | - Stefan Dultz
- Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Christel Baum
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - Marcus Frank
- Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Centre, University Medicine Rostock, Strempelstraße 14, 18057 Rostock, Germany
- Department Life, Light and Matter, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Peter Leinweber
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18051 Rostock, Germany
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Jung P, Emrich D, Briegel-Williams L, Schermer M, Weber L, Baumann K, Colesie C, Clerc P, Lehnert LW, Achilles S, Bendix J, Büdel B. Ecophysiology and phylogeny of new terricolous and epiphytic chlorolichens in a fog oasis of the Atacama Desert. Microbiologyopen 2019; 8:e894. [PMID: 31276321 PMCID: PMC6813448 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The Atacama Desert is one of the driest and probably oldest deserts on Earth where only a few extremophile organisms are able to survive. This study investigated two terricolous and two epiphytic lichens from the fog oasis “Las Lomitas” within the National Park Pan de Azúcar which represents a refugium for a few vascular desert plants and many lichens that can thrive on fog and dew alone. Ecophysiological measurements and climate records were combined with molecular data of the mycobiont, their green algal photobionts and lichenicolous fungi to gain information about the ecology of lichens within the fog oasis. Phylogenetic and morphological investigations led to the identification and description of the new lichen species Acarospora conafii sp. nov. as well as the lichenicolous fungi that accompanied them and revealed the trebouxioid character of all lichen photobionts. Their photosynthetic responses were compared during natural scenarios such as reactivation by high air humidity and in situ fog events to elucidate the activation strategies of this lichen community. Epiphytic lichens showed photosynthetic activity that was rapidly induced by fog and high relative air humidity whereas terricolous lichens were only activated by fog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jung
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Dina Emrich
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | | | - Michael Schermer
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Lena Weber
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Karen Baumann
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Claudia Colesie
- Edinburgh Global Change Institute, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Philippe Clerc
- Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, Chambésy, Switzerland
| | - Lukas W Lehnert
- Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Bendix
- Faculty of Geography, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Büdel
- Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
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