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Treby S, Grover SP. Carbon and nitrogen storage in Australian Sphagnum peatlands: The influence of feral horse degradation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 359:121049. [PMID: 38723499 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Treby
- Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001, Australia.
| | - Samantha P Grover
- Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001, Australia
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Chardon NI, Stone P, Hilbert C, Maclachlan T, Ragsdale B, Zhao A, Goodwin K, Collins CG, Hewitt N, Elphinstone C. Species-Specific Responses to Human Trampling Indicate Alpine Plant Size Is More Sensitive than Reproduction to Disturbance. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3040. [PMID: 37687287 PMCID: PMC10489881 DOI: 10.3390/plants12173040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Human disturbance, such as trampling, is an integral component of global change, yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of its effects on alpine ecosystems. Many alpine systems are seeing a rapid increase in recreation and in understudied regions, such as the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, yet disturbance impacts on alpine plants remain unclear. We surveyed disturbed (trail-side) and undisturbed (off-trail) transects along elevational gradients of popular hiking trails in the T'ak't'ak'múy'in tl'a In'inyáxa7n region (Garibaldi Provincial Park), Canada, focusing on dominant shrubs (Phyllodoce empetriformis, Cassiope mertensiana, Vaccinium ovalifolium) and graminoids (Carex spp). We used a hierarchical Bayesian framework to test for disturbance by elevation effects on total plant percent cover, maximum plant height and diameter (growth proxies), and buds, flowers, and fruits (reproduction proxies). We found that trampling reduces plant cover and impacts all species, but that effects vary by species and trait, and disturbance effects only vary with elevation for one species' trait. Growth traits are more sensitive to trampling than reproductive traits, which may lead to differential impacts on population persistence and species-level fitness outcomes. Our study highlights that disturbance responses are species-specific, and this knowledge can help land managers minimize disturbance impacts on sensitive vegetation types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Isabelle Chardon
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (P.S.); (K.G.); (C.G.C.); (C.E.)
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Philippa Stone
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (P.S.); (K.G.); (C.G.C.); (C.E.)
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Carly Hilbert
- University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (C.H.); (T.M.); (B.R.); (A.Z.)
| | - Teagan Maclachlan
- University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (C.H.); (T.M.); (B.R.); (A.Z.)
| | - Brianna Ragsdale
- University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (C.H.); (T.M.); (B.R.); (A.Z.)
| | - Allen Zhao
- University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (C.H.); (T.M.); (B.R.); (A.Z.)
| | - Katie Goodwin
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (P.S.); (K.G.); (C.G.C.); (C.E.)
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Courtney G. Collins
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (P.S.); (K.G.); (C.G.C.); (C.E.)
| | - Nina Hewitt
- Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada;
| | - Cassandra Elphinstone
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; (P.S.); (K.G.); (C.G.C.); (C.E.)
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Unceded xməθkəy’əm (Musqueam) Territory, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Suárez E, Hribljan JA, Chimbolema S, Harvey K, Triana V, Zurita JE, Jaramillo R, Doskocil LG. Vegetation structure and aboveground biomass of Páramo peatlands along a high-elevation gradient in the northern Ecuadorian Andes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1102340. [PMID: 37223780 PMCID: PMC10200889 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1102340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The high-elevation peatlands of the páramos of the northern Andes constitute a diverse environment that harbors large numbers of species and several types of plant communities along altitudinal, latitudinal, and environmental gradients. However, little is known about the structure and functioning of these ecosystems, including peatland vegetation types and their relative contribution to the production and accumulation of peat soils. In this paper we characterized the structure of peatland plant communities of the humid páramos of northern Ecuador by describing the distribution of plant growth-forms and their aboveground biomass patterns. Along an elevation gradient of 640 m we sampled vegetation in 16 peatlands and aboveground biomass in four peatlands. Three distinct peatland vegetation types were identified: High elevation Cushion peatlands, dominated by Plantago rigida and Distichia muscoides, Sedge and rush peatlands dominated by Carex spp. and Juncus spp., and Herbaceous and shrubby peatlands, with a more heterogenous and structurally complex vegetation. In terms of aboveground biomass, we found an 8-fold reduction in the higher peatlands compared to the lower sites, suggesting that the steep elevational gradients characteristic of Andean environments might be crucial in structuring the physiognomy and composition of peatland vegetation, either through its effects on temperature and other environmental factors, or through its effects on the age and development of soils. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the potential effects of temperature, hydrology, micro-topography, geological setting, and land-use, which are likely to influence vegetation patters in these peatlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Suárez
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - John A. Hribljan
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Segundo Chimbolema
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Katie Harvey
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Victoria Triana
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan E. Zurita
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Ricardo Jaramillo
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lenka G. Doskocil
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
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Benavides JC, Vitt DH, Cooper DJ. The High-Elevation Peatlands of the Northern Andes, Colombia. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:plants12040955. [PMID: 36840306 PMCID: PMC9967791 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Andean peatlands are important carbon reservoirs for countries in the northern Andes and have a unique diversity. Peatland plant diversity is generally related to hydrology and water chemistry, and the response of the vegetation in tropical high-elevation peatlands to changes in elevation, climate, and disturbance is poorly understood. Here, we address the questions of what the main vegetation types of peat-forming vegetation in the northern Andes are, and how the different vegetation types are related to water chemistry and pH. We measured plant diversity in 121 peatlands. We identified a total of 264 species, including 124 bryophytes and 140 vascular plants. We differentiated five main vegetation types: cushion plants, Sphagnum, true mosses, sedges, and grasses. Cushion-dominated peatlands are restricted to elevations above 4000 m. Variation in peatland vegetation is mostly driven be elevation and water chemistry. Encroachment of sedges and Sphagnum sancto-josephense in disturbed sites was associated with a reduction in soil carbon. We conclude that peatland variation is driven first by elevation and climate followed by water chemistry and human disturbances. Sites with higher human disturbances had lower carbon content. Peat-forming vegetation in the northern Andes was unique to each site bringing challenges on how to better conserve them and the ecosystem services they offer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan C Benavides
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
| | - Dale H Vitt
- School of Biological Sciences, Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6509, USA
| | - David J Cooper
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1572, USA
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Fuentes-Lillo E, Lembrechts JJ, Cavieres LA, Jiménez A, Haider S, Barros A, Pauchard A. Anthropogenic factors overrule local abiotic variables in determining non-native plant invasions in mountains. Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02602-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Villa JA, Mejía GM, Velásquez D, Botero A, Acosta SA, Marulanda JM, Osorno AM, Bohrer G. Carbon sequestration and methane emissions along a microtopographic gradient in a tropical Andean peatland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 654:651-661. [PMID: 30447603 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Tropical alpine peatlands are among the least studied wetlands types on earth. Their important ecosystem services at local and regional scope are currently threatened by climate and land use changes. Recent studies in these ecosystems suggest their importance to the provision of climate regulation services, prompting a better understanding of the underlying functions and their variability at ecosystem scales. The objective of this study is to determine the variability of methane (CH4) fluxes and carbon (C) sequestration within a tropical alpine peatland in three locations along a microtopographic gradient and its associated plant diversity. These locations accounted for: 1) hummocks, found mostly near the edge of the peat with a water table below the soil surface, 2) lawns, in the transition zone, with a water-table near the soil surface, and 3) hollows, permanently flooded with a water table above the soil surface, composed of small patches of open water intermingled with unconsolidated hummocks that surface the water level. Results indicate that CH4 flux is lowest in the lawns, while C sequestration is highest. Conversely, the hummock and hollow have higher CH4 flux and lower C sequestration. In addition, plant diversity in the lawns is higher than in the hummock and hollow location. Dryer conditions brought by current climate change in the northern Andes are expected to lower the water tables in the peatland. This change is expected to drive a change in CH4 flux and C sequestration at the lawns, currently dominating the peatland, towards values more similar to those measured in the hummocks. This decrease may also represent a change towards the lower plant diversity that characterized the hummock. Such changes will reduce the ratio of C sequestration:CH4 flux signifying the reduction of resilience and increment of vulnerability of the climate-regulating service to further perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A Villa
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia; Department of Civil, Environmental & Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, 470 Hitchcock Hall, 2070 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Gloria M Mejía
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia
| | - Daniela Velásquez
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia
| | - Andrés Botero
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia
| | - Sharon A Acosta
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia
| | - Juliana M Marulanda
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia
| | - Ana M Osorno
- Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente GAMA, Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, Carrera 51 no. 118 sur-57, Caldas, Antioquia 055440, Colombia
| | - Gil Bohrer
- Department of Civil, Environmental & Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, 470 Hitchcock Hall, 2070 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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