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Acheritobehere LM, Orellana IA, Raffaele E. The vulnerability of native and invasive conifer seedlings to simulated warming in north‐western Patagonia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Acheritobehere
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) Ruta Nacional N° 259 km 16,41 Esquel Chubut 9200 Argentina
| | - Ivonne A. Orellana
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) Ruta Nacional N° 259 km 16,41 Esquel Chubut 9200 Argentina
| | - Estela Raffaele
- Laboratorio Ecotono INIBIOMA (UNCO‐CONICET) Bariloche, Rio Negro Argentina
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2
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Villellas J, García MB, Morris WF. Geographic location, local environment, and individual size mediate the effects of climate warming and neighbors on a benefactor plant. Oecologia 2018; 189:243-253. [PMID: 30467597 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4304-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Predictions of plant responses to global warming frequently ignore biotic interactions and intraspecific variation across geographical ranges. Benefactor species play an important role in plant communities by protecting other taxa from harsh environments, but the combined effects of warming and beneficiary species on their performance have been largely unexamined. We analyzed the joint effects of elevated temperature and neighbor removal on the benefactor plant Silene acaulis, in factorial experiments near its low- and high-latitude range limits in Europe. We recorded growth, probability of reproduction and fruit set during 3 years. The effects of enhanced temperature were positive near the northern limit and negative in the south for some performance measures. This pattern was stronger in the presence of neighbors, possibly due to differential thermal tolerances between S. acaulis and beneficiary species in each location. Neighbors generally had a negative or null impact on S. acaulis, in agreement with previous reviews of overall effects of plant-plant interactions on benefactors. However, small S. acaulis individuals in the north showed higher growth when surrounded by neighbors. Finally, the local habitat within each location influenced some effects of experimental treatments. Overall, we show that plant responses to rising temperatures may strongly depend on their position within the geographic range, and on species interactions. Our results also highlight the need to consider features of the interacting taxa, such as whether they are benefactor species, as well as local-scale environmental variation, to predict the joint effects of global warming and biotic interactions on species and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Villellas
- Biology Department, Duke University, 125 Science Dr, Durham, NC, 27708, USA. .,Departamento Biogeografía y Cambio Global, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN-CSIC, E-28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - María B García
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, Apdo. 13034, 50080, Saragossa, Spain
| | - William F Morris
- Biology Department, Duke University, 125 Science Dr, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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3
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Zhao RM, Zhang H, An LZ. Thylacospermum caespitosum population structure and cushion species community diversity along an altitudinal gradient. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:28998-29005. [PMID: 30109682 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2893-2] [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] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
As alpine plants, cushion species are particularly susceptible to environment changes. Thus, understanding population structure and community diversity variation of cushion plants along elevational gradients is crucial for estimating their response to predicted climate changes. In this study, Thylacospermum caespitosum populations from three elevations (low, medium, and high) in three climate zones of China (the Kunlun, Qilian, and Tianshan Mountains) were selected to evaluate the effect of elevation on the structure of T. caespitosum populations and species diversity of cushion communities. Results showed that elevation substantially influenced T. caespitosum populations (size structure, density, and death rate), as well as richness (α-diversity) and microhabitat species pool (species pool) of cushion communities. In the low elevations, T. caespitosum populations were in decline due to a lower ratio of small plants and higher mortality compared with populations at medium and high elevations. The α-diversity and species pool in cushion communities were significantly increased with decreased elevation, but the importance value of T. caespitosum decreased accordingly. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between elevation and relative importance value (the importance of one species in the community) of T. caespitosum (r = 0.883; P < 0.01). Elevation was significantly negatively correlated with the mortality rate of T. caespitosum (r = - 0.855; P < 0.01), α-diversity (r = - 0.933; P < 0.001), and species pool (r = - 0.885; P < 0.01). The declining characters of T. caespitosum population structure were obvious in low elevation populations. This decline may directly or indirectly relate to environmental change. Effects of elevation can provide an early indication of range contractions and population declines of cushion species with future climate warming. We call for more mechanistic studies of climate change impacts on cushion populations, particularly in alpine systems near the snow line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Ming Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources and Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Tianshui Middle Road 18, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
| | - Hua Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road 222, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Li-Zhe An
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road 222, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
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4
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Bulleri F, Eriksson BK, Queirós A, Airoldi L, Arenas F, Arvanitidis C, Bouma TJ, Crowe TP, Davoult D, Guizien K, Iveša L, Jenkins SR, Michalet R, Olabarria C, Procaccini G, Serrão EA, Wahl M, Benedetti-Cecchi L. Harnessing positive species interactions as a tool against climate-driven loss of coastal biodiversity. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2006852. [PMID: 30180154 PMCID: PMC6138402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat-forming species sustain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in harsh environments through the amelioration of physical stress. Nonetheless, their role in shaping patterns of species distribution under future climate scenarios is generally overlooked. Focusing on coastal systems, we assess how habitat-forming species can influence the ability of stress-sensitive species to exhibit plastic responses, adapt to novel environmental conditions, or track suitable climates. Here, we argue that habitat-former populations could be managed as a nature-based solution against climate-driven loss of biodiversity. Drawing from different ecological and biological disciplines, we identify a series of actions to sustain the resilience of marine habitat-forming species to climate change, as well as their effectiveness and reliability in rescuing stress-sensitive species from increasingly adverse environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, CoNISMa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Britas Klemens Eriksson
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ana Queirós
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Airoldi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali, University of Bologna, CoNISMa, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Francisco Arenas
- CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Christos Arvanitidis
- Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassokosmos, Crete, Greece
| | - Tjeerd J Bouma
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems and Utrecht University, Yerseke, the Netherlands
| | - Tasman P Crowe
- Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dominique Davoult
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7144 Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France
| | - Katell Guizien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Ljiljana Iveša
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Center for Marine Research, Rovinj, Croatia
| | - Stuart R Jenkins
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Anglesey, United Kingdom
| | | | - Celia Olabarria
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Facultade de Ciencias del Mar, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | | | - Ester A Serrão
- CCMAR, CIMAR, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Martin Wahl
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
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5
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Importance of AM fungi and local adaptation in plant response to environmental change: Field evidence at contrasting elevations. FUNGAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2018.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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6
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Giménez-Benavides L, Escudero A, García-Camacho R, García-Fernández A, Iriondo JM, Lara-Romero C, Morente-López J. How does climate change affect regeneration of Mediterranean high-mountain plants? An integration and synthesis of current knowledge. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2018; 20 Suppl 1:50-62. [PMID: 28985449 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean mountains are extraordinarily diverse and hold a high proportion of endemic plants, but they are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and most species distribution models project drastic changes in community composition. Retrospective studies and long-term monitoring also highlight that Mediterranean high-mountain plants are suffering severe range contractions. The aim of this work is to review the current knowledge of climate change impacts on the process of plant regeneration by seed in Mediterranean high-mountain plants, by combining available information from observational and experimental studies. We also discuss some processes that may provide resilience against changing environmental conditions and suggest some research priorities for the future. With some exceptions, there is still little evidence of the direct effects of climate change on pollination and reproductive success of Mediterranean high-mountain plants, and most works are observational and/or centred only in the post-dispersal stages (germination and establishment). The great majority of studies agree that the characteristic summer drought and the extreme heatwaves, which are projected to be more intense in the future, are the most limiting factors for the regeneration process. However, there is an urgent need for studies combining elevational gradient approaches with experimental manipulations of temperature and drought to confirm the magnitude and variability of species' responses. There is also limited knowledge about the ability of Mediterranean high-mountain plants to cope with climate change through phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation processes. This could be achieved by performing common garden and reciprocal translocation experiments with species differing in life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Giménez-Benavides
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Escudero
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - R García-Camacho
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A García-Fernández
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - J M Iriondo
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Lara-Romero
- Global Change Research Department, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - J Morente-López
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
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7
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Different responses of alpine plants to nitrogen addition: effects on plant-plant interactions. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38320. [PMID: 27922131 PMCID: PMC5138851 DOI: 10.1038/srep38320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The different responses of plant species to resource stress are keys to understand the dynamics of plant community in a changing environment. To test the hypothesis that nitrogen (N) increase would benefit N competitive species, rather than N stress-tolerant species, to compete with neighbours, we conducted an experiment with neighbour removal, N addition and soil moisture as treatments in an alpine grassland on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Both growths and competitive-response abilities (CRA, the ability to tolerate the inhibitory effects of neighbors) of Kobresia macrantha, Polygonum viviparum and Potentilla anserine in wet site were facilitated by N addition, conversely, both growths and CRA of Taraxacum mongolicum and Ligularia virgaurea were suppressed by N addition, indicating that the responses of CRA of target species under N addition were consistent with the N utilization strategies of them. Moreover, the facilitative effects of N addition on competitive-response abilities of Kobresia macrantha and Polygonum viviparum were not found at the dry site, illustrating that soil moisture can alter the changes of neighbour effects caused by N addition. Life strategy of dominant species in plant community on the undisturbed southeastern Tibetan Plateau may shift from N stress-tolerant to N competitive, if the N increases continuously.
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8
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Báez S, Jaramillo L, Cuesta F, Donoso DA. Effects of climate change on Andean biodiversity: a synthesis of studies published until 2015. NEOTROPICAL BIODIVERSITY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2016.1248710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Selene Báez
- Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecoregion Andina, Lima, Peru
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Liliana Jaramillo
- Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Francisco Cuesta
- Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecoregion Andina, Lima, Peru
- Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David A. Donoso
- Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
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9
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De Boeck HJ, Bassin S, Verlinden M, Zeiter M, Hiltbrunner E. Simulated heat waves affected alpine grassland only in combination with drought. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 209:531-41. [PMID: 26267066 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The Alpine region is warming fast, and concurrently, the frequency and intensity of climate extremes are increasing. It is currently unclear whether alpine ecosystems are sensitive or resistant to such extremes. We subjected Swiss alpine grassland communities to heat waves with varying intensity by transplanting monoliths to four different elevations (2440-660 m above sea level) for 17 d. Half of these were regularly irrigated while the other half were deprived of irrigation to additionally induce a drought at each site. Heat waves had no significant impacts on fluorescence (Fv /Fm , a stress indicator), senescence and aboveground productivity if irrigation was provided. However, when heat waves coincided with drought, the plants showed clear signs of stress, resulting in vegetation browning and reduced phytomass production. This likely resulted from direct drought effects, but also, as measurements of stomatal conductance and canopy temperatures suggest, from increased high-temperature stress as water scarcity decreased heat mitigation through transpiration. The immediate responses to heat waves (with or without droughts) recorded in these alpine grasslands were similar to those observed in the more extensively studied grasslands from temperate climates. Responses following climate extremes may differ in alpine environments, however, because the short growing season likely constrains recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans J De Boeck
- Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen (Campus Drie Eiken), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Seraina Bassin
- Climate/Air Pollution Group, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, CH-8046, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maya Verlinden
- Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen (Campus Drie Eiken), Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Michaela Zeiter
- School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Länggasse 85, CH-3052, Zollikofen, Switzerland
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Erika Hiltbrunner
- Institute of Botany, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Schönbeinstrasse 6, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
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10
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Anthelme F, Cavieres LA, Dangles O. Facilitation among plants in alpine environments in the face of climate change. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:387. [PMID: 25161660 PMCID: PMC4130109 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
While there is a large consensus that plant-plant interactions are a crucial component of the response of plant communities to the effects of climate change, available data remain scarce, particularly in alpine systems. This represents an important obstacle to making consistent predictions about the future of plant communities. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of climate change on facilitation among alpine plant communities and propose directions for future research. In established alpine communities, while warming seemingly generates a net facilitation release, earlier snowmelt may increase facilitation. Some nurse plants are able to buffer microenvironmental changes in the long term and may ensure the persistence of other alpine plants through local migration events. For communities migrating to higher elevations, facilitation should play an important role in their reorganization because of the harsher environmental conditions. In particular, the absence of efficient nurse plants might slow down upward migration, possibly generating chains of extinction. Facilitation-climate change relationships are expected to shift along latitudinal gradients because (1) the magnitude of warming is predicted to vary along these gradients, and (2) alpine environments are significantly different at low vs. high latitudes. Data on these expected patterns are preliminary and thus need to be tested with further studies on facilitation among plants in alpine environments that have thus far not been considered. From a methodological standpoint, future studies will benefit from the spatial representation of the microclimatic environment of plants to predict their response to climate change. Moreover, the acquisition of long-term data on the dynamics of plant-plant interactions, either through permanent plots or chronosequences of glacial recession, may represent powerful approaches to clarify the relationship between plant interactions and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Anthelme
- Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, UMR AMAPMontpellier, France
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor San AndrésLa Paz, Bolivia
| | - Lohengrin A. Cavieres
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de ConcepciónConcepción, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadSantiago, Chile
| | - Olivier Dangles
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UR 072, Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, UPR 9034, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueGif-sur-Yvette, France
- Université Paris-Sud 11Orsay, France
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11
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Simulated global change: contrasting short and medium term growth and reproductive responses of a common alpine/Arctic cushion plant to experimental warming and nutrient enhancement. SPRINGERPLUS 2014; 3:157. [PMID: 24790813 PMCID: PMC4000594 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Cushion plants are important components of alpine and Arctic plant communities around the world. They fulfill important roles as facilitators, nurse plants and foundation species across trophic levels for vascular plants, arthropods and soil microorganisms, the importance of these functions increasing with the relative severity of the environment. Here we report results from one of the few experimental studies simulating global change impacts on cushion plants; a factorial experiment with warming and nutrient enhancement that was applied to an alpine population of the common nurse plant, Silene acaulis, in sub-arctic Sweden. Experimental perturbations had significant short-term impacts on both stem elongation and leaf length. S. acaulis responded quickly by increasing stem elongation and (to a lesser extent) leaf length in the warming, nutrient, and the combined warming and nutrient enhancements. Cover and biomass also initially increased in response to the perturbations. However, after the initial positive short-term responses, S. acaulis cover declined in the manipulations, with the nutrient and combined warming and nutrient treatments having largest negative impact. No clear patterns were found for fruit production. Our results show that S. acaulis living in harsh environments has potential to react quickly when experiencing years with favorable conditions, and is more responsive to nutrient enhancement than to warming in terms of vegetative growth. While these conditions have an initial positive impact, populations experiencing longer-term increased nutrient levels will likely be negatively affected.
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12
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Liczner AR, Lortie CJ. A global meta-analytic contrast of cushion-plant effects on plants and on arthropods. PeerJ 2014; 2:e265. [PMID: 24688848 PMCID: PMC3940482 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nurse plant facilitation is a commonly reported plant-plant interaction and is an important factor influencing community structure in stressful environments. Cushion plants are an example of alpine nurse plants that modify microclimatic conditions within their canopies to create favourable environments for other plants. In this meta-analysis, the facilitative effects of cushion plants was expanded from previous syntheses of the topic and the relative strength of facilitation for other plants and for arthropods were compared globally.The abundance, diversity, and species presence/absence effect size estimates were tested as plant responses to nurse plants and a composite measure was tested for arthropods. The strength of facilitation was on average three times greater for arthropods relative to all plant responses to cushions. Plant species presence, i.e., frequency of occurrence, was not enhanced by nurse-plants. Cushion plants nonetheless acted as nurse plants for both plants and arthropods in most alpine contexts globally, and although responses by other plant species currently dominate the facilitation literature, preliminary synthesis of the evidence suggests that the potential impacts of nurses may be even greater for other trophic levels.
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13
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le Roux PC, Shaw JD, Chown SL. Ontogenetic shifts in plant interactions vary with environmental severity and affect population structure. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 200:241-250. [PMID: 23738758 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2013] [Accepted: 05/03/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Environmental conditions and plant size may both alter the outcome of inter-specific plant-plant interactions, with seedlings generally facilitated more strongly than larger individuals in stressful habitats. However, the combined impact of plant size and environmental severity on interactions is poorly understood. Here, we tested explicitly for the first time the hypothesis that ontogenetic shifts in interactions are delayed under increasingly severe conditions by examining the interaction between a grass, Agrostis magellanica, and a cushion plant, Azorella selago, along two severity gradients. The impact of A. selago on A. magellanica abundance, but not reproductive effort, was related to A. magellanica size, with a trend for delayed shifts towards more negative interactions under greater environmental severity. Intermediate-sized individuals were most strongly facilitated, leading to differences in the size-class distribution of A. magellanica on the soil and on A. selago. The A. magellanica size-class distribution was more strongly affected by A. selago than by environmental severity, demonstrating that the plant-plant interaction impacts A. magellanica population structure more strongly than habitat conditions. As ontogenetic shifts in plant-plant interactions cannot be assumed to be constant across severity gradients and may impact species population structure, studies examining the outcome of interactions need to consider the potential for size- or age-related variation in competition and facilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C le Roux
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
- Department of Geoscience and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI-00015, Finland
| | - Justine D Shaw
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
- Terrestrial and Nearshore Ecosystems, Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia
- Environmental Decision Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Steven L Chown
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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14
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Michalet R, Schöb C, Lortie CJ, Brooker RW, Callaway RM. Partitioning net interactions among plants along altitudinal gradients to study community responses to climate change. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Michalet
- University Bordeaux 1; UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC; Avenue des Facultés; 33405 Talence France
| | - Christian Schöb
- The James Hutton Institute; Craigiebuckler Aberdeen AB15 8QH UK
| | - Christopher J. Lortie
- Department of Biology; York University; 4700 Keele Street Toronto M3J 1P3 Ontario Canada
| | - Rob W. Brooker
- The James Hutton Institute; Craigiebuckler Aberdeen AB15 8QH UK
| | - Ragan M. Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences; University of Montana; Missoula Montana 59812 USA
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15
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He Q, Bertness MD, Altieri AH. Global shifts towards positive species interactions with increasing environmental stress. Ecol Lett 2013; 16:695-706. [PMID: 23363430 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 342] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 12/16/2012] [Accepted: 01/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The study of positive species interactions is a rapidly evolving field in ecology. Despite decades of research, controversy has emerged as to whether positive and negative interactions predictably shift with increasing environmental stress as hypothesised by the stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH). Here, we provide a synthesis of 727 tests of the SGH in plant communities across the globe to examine its generality across a variety of ecological factors. Our results show that plant interactions change with stress through an outright shift to facilitation (survival) or a reduction in competition (growth and reproduction). In a limited number of cases, plant interactions do not respond to stress, but they never shift towards competition with stress. These findings are consistent across stress types, plant growth forms, life histories, origins (invasive vs. native), climates, ecosystems and methodologies, though the magnitude of the shifts towards facilitation with stress is dependent on these factors. We suggest that future studies should employ standardised definitions and protocols to test the SGH, take a multi-factorial approach that considers variables such as plant traits in addition to stress, and apply the SGH to better understand how species and communities will respond to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang He
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
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