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Victoriano-Romero E, Figueroa-Castro DM, Morales-Linares J. Network analyses show horizontal and vertical distribution of vascular epiphytes on their hosts in a fragment of cloud forest in Central Mexico. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2024:10.1007/s10265-024-01569-6. [PMID: 39180625 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-024-01569-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
Cloud forests figure as one of the most diverse ecosystems, accounting not only for a high number of plant species but also with a great variety of interactions among them. A common interaction in these forests is the one between vascular epiphytes and their hosts. However, few studies have used the network approach to analyze them. Here, we analyze the horizontal and vertical structure of the vascular epiphyte - host network in a cloud forest in central Mexico. We quantified the number of epiphyte stands on each host both total and per-stratum. Complete network, group, and species metrics were estimated at both levels of analysis. The host - epiphyte networks had relatively low network size but were highly connected; moderately nested, with low specialization, and modularity; but higher vulnerability than generality, and high niche overlap. The community was composed by a high number of generalist species. To our knowledge this is the first study in which network analyses are conducted with standardized data and including all host and epiphyte species in the community. The analyses suggest that the networks are robust, and that functional redundancy might be probable, two advantageous characteristics in a very fragmented and threatened cloud forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Victoriano-Romero
- Maestría en Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla C.P., 72570, México
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla C.P., 72570, México
| | - Dulce María Figueroa-Castro
- Maestría en Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla C.P., 72570, México.
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Ecológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla C.P., 72570, México.
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla C.P., 72570, México.
| | - Jonas Morales-Linares
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla C.P., 72570, México
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2
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Zheng X, Babst F, Camarero JJ, Li X, Lu X, Gao S, Sigdel SR, Wang Y, Zhu H, Liang E. Density-dependent species interactions modulate alpine treeline shifts. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14403. [PMID: 38577961 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Species interactions such as facilitation and competition play a crucial role in driving species range shifts. However, density dependence as a key feature of these processes has received little attention in both empirical and modelling studies. Herein, we used a novel, individual-based treeline model informed by rich in situ observations to quantify the contribution of density-dependent species interactions to alpine treeline dynamics, an iconic biome boundary recognized as an indicator of global warming. We found that competition and facilitation dominate in dense versus sparse vegetation scenarios respectively. The optimal balance between these two effects was identified at an intermediate vegetation thickness where the treeline elevation was the highest. Furthermore, treeline shift rates decreased sharply with vegetation thickness and the associated transition from positive to negative species interactions. We thus postulate that vegetation density must be considered when modelling species range dynamics to avoid inadequate predictions of its responses to climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Flurin Babst
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Xiaoxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shalik Ram Sigdel
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yafeng Wang
- College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haifeng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Eryuan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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3
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Zi H, Jing X, Liu A, Fan X, Chen S, Wang H, He J. Simulated climate warming decreases fruit number but increases seed mass. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:841-855. [PMID: 36272096 PMCID: PMC10099976 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is changing plant sexual reproduction, having consequences for species distribution and community dynamics. However, the magnitude and direction of plant reproductive efforts (e.g., number of flowers) and success (e.g., number and mass of fruits or seeds) in response to warming have not been well-characterized. Here, we generated a global dataset of simulated warming experiments, consisting of 477 pairwise comparisons for 164 terrestrial species. We found evidence that warming overall decreased fruit number and increased seed mass, but little evidence that warming influenced flower number, fruit mass, or seed number. The warming effects on seed mass were regulated by the pollination type, and insect-pollinated plants exhibited a stronger response to warming than wind-pollinated plants. We found strong evidence that warming increased the mass of seeds for the nondominant species but no evidence of this for the dominant species. There was no evidence that phylogenetic relatedness explained the effects of warming on plant reproductive effort and success. In addition, the effects of warming on flowering onset negatively related to the responses in terms of the number of fruits and seeds to warming, revealing a cascading effect of plant reproductive development. These findings provide the first quantification of the response of terrestrial plant sexual reproduction to warming and suggest that plants may increase their fitness by producing heavier seeds under a warming climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbiao Zi
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐EcosystemsCollege of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Xin Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐EcosystemsCollege of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Anrong Liu
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of EducationPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xiaomin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐EcosystemsCollege of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Si‐Chong Chen
- Wuhan Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
- Royal Botanic Gardens KewWellcome Trust Millennium BuildingWakehurstUK
| | - Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐EcosystemsCollege of Ecology, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
| | - Jin‐Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐EcosystemsCollege of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou UniversityLanzhouChina
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of EducationPeking UniversityBeijingChina
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4
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Ray CA, Kapas RE, Opedal ØH, Blonder BW. Linking microenvironment modification to species interactions and demography in an alpine plant community. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Courtenay A. Ray
- Dept of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Univ. of California Berkeley CA USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State Univ. Tempe AZ USA
| | | | | | - Benjamin W. Blonder
- Dept of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Univ. of California Berkeley CA USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State Univ. Tempe AZ USA
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5
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López-Atanacio M, Lucas-García R, Rosas-Guerrero V, Alemán-Figueroa L, Kuk-Dzul JG, Hernández-Flores G. Seasonal variation in the response of a monoecious crop to increased temperature and fertilizers. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1012859. [PMID: 36275540 PMCID: PMC9585307 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1012859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming may affect the performance of plants directly through altering vegetative or reproductive traits, and indirectly through modifying interactions with their pollinators. On the other hand, the addition of fertilizers to the soil may increase the quantity and quality of floral rewards, favoring the visitation of pollinators and, consequently, the reproductive success of plants. However, it is still unknown whether fertilizers may counteract the effects of increased temperature on the vegetative, floral, and reproductive traits of plants, as well as on the interaction with their pollinators. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the input of organic and synthetic fertilizers on several vegetative and floral traits, and on the rate of legitimate floral visitors and reproductive success of the squash during two seasons, under a scenario of an increase in ambient temperature. During the dry and the rainy seasons, three vegetative, eleven floral, and two reproductive traits, as well as the duration of visits and visitation rate of legitimate floral visitors were evaluated in squash plants distributed into six treatments in a bifactorial design: temperature (ambient or elevated temperature) and fertilizer (organic, synthetic or without supplementary fertilizers). Contrary to our predictions, we found that an increase of ~1.5°C in ambient temperature, positively influenced several vegetative, floral, and reproductive traits in this crop, and that organic fertilizers, in general, was not better than synthetic fertilizers in improving those traits. Interestingly, the response of the squash and indirectly on their legitimate floral visitors to the increase of temperature and the input of fertilizers vary widely among seasons, suggesting great temporal variation in plant-pollinator responses to temperature and nutrient availability, which makes food security more unpredictable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maribel López-Atanacio
- Posgrado en Recursos Naturales y Ecología, Facultad de Ecología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo Lucas-García
- Posgrado en Recursos Naturales y Ecología, Facultad de Ecología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
- Escuela Superior en Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - Victor Rosas-Guerrero
- Escuela Superior en Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - Lorena Alemán-Figueroa
- Escuela Superior en Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - José Gabriel Kuk-Dzul
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) - Facultad de Ecología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - Giovanni Hernández-Flores
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) - Escuela Superior de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Taxco el Viejo, Guerrero, Mexico
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6
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Lee JR, Waterman MJ, Shaw JD, Bergstrom DM, Lynch HJ, Wall DH, Robinson SA. Islands in the ice: Potential impacts of habitat transformation on Antarctic biodiversity. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5865-5880. [PMID: 35795907 PMCID: PMC9542894 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Antarctic biodiversity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice-free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent's extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice-free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species' distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice-free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary; (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishment; (iii) combined with milder climates will increase likelihood of non-native species establishment, but may also lengthen activity windows for all species; and (iv) will benefit some species and not others, possibly resulting in increased homogeneity of biodiversity. We anticipate considerable spatial, temporal, and taxonomic variation in species responses, and a heightened need for interdisciplinary research to understand the factors associated with ecosystem resilience under future scenarios. Such research will help identify at-risk species or vulnerable localities and is crucial for informing environmental management and policymaking into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine R. Lee
- British Antarctic SurveyNERCCambridgeUK
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biology and Environmental ScienceQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Melinda J. Waterman
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life SciencesUniversity of WollongongWollongongNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Justine D. Shaw
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biology and Environmental ScienceQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Dana M. Bergstrom
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of AgricultureWater and the EnvironmentKingstonTASAustralia
- Global Challenges ProgramUniversity of WollongongWollongongNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Heather J. Lynch
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
| | - Diana H. Wall
- Department of Biology and School of Global Environmental SustainabilityColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Sharon A. Robinson
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life SciencesUniversity of WollongongWollongongNew South WalesAustralia
- Global Challenges ProgramUniversity of WollongongWollongongNew South WalesAustralia
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7
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Hagenberg LWC, Vanneste T, Opedal ØH, Petlund HT, Björkman MP, Björk RG, Holien H, Limpens J, Molau U, Graae BJ, De Frenne P. Vegetation change on mountaintops in northern Sweden: Stable vascular‐plant but reordering of lichen and bryophyte communities. Ecol Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Liyenne Wu Chen Hagenberg
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University & Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Vanneste
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering Ghent University Gontrode Belgium
| | - Øystein H. Opedal
- Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biology Lund University Lund Sweden
| | | | - Mats P. Björkman
- Department of Earth Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre Göteborg Sweden
| | - Robert G. Björk
- Department of Earth Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre Göteborg Sweden
| | - Håkon Holien
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture Nord University Steinkjer Norway
| | - Juul Limpens
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group Wageningen University & Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Bente Jessen Graae
- Department of Biology Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering Ghent University Gontrode Belgium
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8
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Wu J. The danger and indeterminacy of forfeiting perching space of bryophytes from climate shift: a case study for 115 species in China. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:233. [PMID: 35229205 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09736-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the danger and expressing the indeterminacy of forfeiting perching space of species induced by rapid climate warming is crucial for biodiversity risk management under future changes in climate conditions. The scenarios of climate shift named the representative concentration pathways, the categorizing technique with regard to fuzzy-set, and Monte Carlo scheme was employed to survey the indeterminacy and the danger of forfeiting perching space caused by climate warming for 115 bryophytes in China. For the deterministic scenarios of climate shift, the richness of 115 bryophytes improved in several areas in north-eastern China, while it dropped in some areas in southern, eastern, south-eastern, and central China. In addition, for the deterministic scheme of altering climatic state, the count for bryophytes with the proportion of contracting the present areal range as less than 20%, 20-40%, 40-60%, 60-80%, and over 80% was belike 34-38, 19-38, 24-35, 9-19, and 4-9, separately; the count of bryophytes with the ratio of the occupying entire areal range as over 80%, 60-80%, and less than 20% was roughly 97-109, 4-14, and 2-8, separately. For the scenarios of randomly change in climate state, the number of bryophytes with a various proportion of forfeiting the present perching space dropped with enhancing the possibility; with the likelihood beyond 0.6, the count of bryophytes with forfeiting present perching space as less than 20%, 20-40%, 40-60%, 60-80% and high than 80% of the present areal range was approximately 7-14, 2-10, 0-7, 2-9, and 13-20, separately; the number of bryophytes with the ratio of occupying the whole areal range as less than 20%, 20-40%, 40-60%, 60-80%, and over 80% was more or less 1-3, 0-3, 1-5, 1-3, and 38-44, separately. Roughly 48 bryophytes would face the risk of extinction from climate warming, including endemic and non-endemic species. Forfeiting perching space induced by climate warming would cause variations in species composition and the disappearance of some ecological functions associated with these bryophytes. The inconstancy of forfeiting areal range caused by climate warming should be incorporated into the policy-making of conservation bryophytes for adaptation of climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Wu
- Institute of Environmental Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, No 8, Da Yang Fang, Beiyuan, Anwai, Chaoyang District, 100012, Beijing, China.
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9
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Germain SJ, Lutz JA. Climate warming may weaken stabilizing mechanisms in old forests. ECOL MONOGR 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara J. Germain
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan Utah USA
| | - James A. Lutz
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan Utah USA
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10
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Kolanowska M, Michalska E, Konowalik K. The impact of global warming on the niches and pollinator availability of sexually deceptive orchid with a single pollen vector. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148850. [PMID: 34246141 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Orchidaceae are among the most endangered plants in the world. Considering the sensitive nature of pollinator-plant relationship the most vulnerable are species which are dependent on a single pollen vector. In this paper the future distribution of suitable niches of Australian sexually deceptive orchid Leporella fimbriata and its pollinator (Myrmecia urens) was estimated using three machine learning algorithms. While the potential range of fringed hare orchid depending on modelling method will be larger or slightly reduced than currently observed, the ant will face significant loss of suitable niches. As a result of global warming the overlap of orchid and its only pollen vector will most probably decrease. The unavailability of pollen vector will lead to decreased reproductive success and as a result it will be a great threat for L. fimbriata existence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Kolanowska
- University of Lodz, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland; Department of Biodiversity Research, Global Change Research Institute AS CR, Bělidla 4a, 603 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Ewa Michalska
- University of Lodz, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland
| | - Kamil Konowalik
- Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of Environmental Biology, Department of Plant Biology, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wroclaw, Poland
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11
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Rewcastle KE, Henning JA, Read QD, Irwin RE, Sanders NJ, Classen AT. Plant removal across an elevational gradient marginally reduces rates, substantially reduces variation in mineralization. Ecology 2021; 103:e03546. [PMID: 34618916 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The loss of aboveground plant diversity alters belowground ecosystem function; yet, the mechanisms underpinning this relationship and the degree to which plant community structure and climate mediate the effects of plant species loss remain unclear. Here, we explored how plant species loss through experimental removal shaped belowground function in ecosystems characterized by different climatic regimes and edaphic properties. We measured plant community composition as well as potential carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization and microbial extracellular enzyme activity in soils collected from four unique plant removal experiments located along an elevational gradient in Colorado, USA. We found that, regardless of the identity of the removed species or the climate at each site, plant removal decreased the absolute variation in potential N mineralization rates and marginally reduced the magnitude of N mineralization rates. While plant species removal also marginally reduced C mineralization rates, C mineralization, unlike N mineralization, displayed sensitivity to the climatic and edaphic differences among sites, where C mineralization was greatest at the high elevation site that receives the most precipitation annually and contains the largest soil total C pool. Plant removal had little impact on soil enzyme activity. Removal effects were not contingent on the amount of biomass removed annually, and shifts in mineralization rates occurred despite only marginal shifts in plant community structure following plant species removal. Our results present a surprisingly simple and consistent pattern of belowground response to the loss of dominant plant species across an elevational gradient with different climatic and edaphic properties, suggesting a common response of belowground ecosystem function to plant species loss regardless of which plant species are lost or the broader climatic context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenna E Rewcastle
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Dr., Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA.,Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, 210 Colchester Ave., Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA
| | - Jeremiah A Henning
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA.,Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, 5871 USA Dr. N, Mobile, Alabama, 36688, USA
| | - Quentin D Read
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA.,National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), 1 Park Pl., Annapolis, Maryland, 21401, USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA.,Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695, USA
| | - Nathan J Sanders
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Aimée T Classen
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
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12
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Lajoie G, Kembel SW. Plant-bacteria associations are phylogenetically structured in the phyllosphere. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:5572-5587. [PMID: 34411359 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Determining whether and how global change will lead to novel interactions between hosts and microbes is an important issue in ecology and evolution. Understanding the contribution of host and microbial ecologies and evolutionary histories in driving their contemporary associations is an important step towards addressing this challenge and predicting the fitness consequences of novel associations. Using shotgun metagenomic and amplicon sequencing of bacterial communities from the leaf surfaces (phyllosphere) of trees, we investigated how phylogenetic relatedness among hosts and among their associated bacteria influences the distribution of bacteria among hosts. We also evaluated whether the functional traits of trees and bacteria explained these associations across multiple host species. We show that phylogenetically similar hosts tended to associate with the same bacteria and that phylogenetically similar bacteria tended to associate with the same host species. Phylogenetic interactions between tree and bacterial taxa also explained variation in their associations. The effect of host and symbiont evolutionary histories on bacterial distribution across hosts were observed across phylogenetic scales, but prominently explained variation among higher taxonomic categories of hosts and symbionts. These results suggest that ecological variation arising early in the plant and bacterial phylogenies have been particularly important for driving their contemporary associations. Variation in bacterial functional genes associated with the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and compounds and with cell motility were notably important in explaining bacterial community turnover among gymnosperm and angiosperm hosts. Overall, our results suggest an influence of host and bacterial traits and evolutionary histories in driving their contemporary associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève Lajoie
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, 141 Avenue du Président-Kennedy, Montréal, QC, H2X 1Y4, Canada
| | - Steven W Kembel
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, 141 Avenue du Président-Kennedy, Montréal, QC, H2X 1Y4, Canada
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13
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Diez JM, Boone R, Bohner T, Godoy O. Frequency-dependent tree growth depends on climate. Ecology 2021; 102:e03284. [PMID: 33464571 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Climate and competition interact to affect species' performance, such as growth and survival, and help determine species distributions and coexistence. However, it is unclear how climatic conditions modulate frequency-dependent performance, that is, how performance changes as a species becomes locally rare or common. This is critical because declines in performance as a species becomes more common (negative frequency dependence) is a signature of niche differences among species that stabilize coexistence, whereas positive frequency dependence leads to priority effects and hampers species coexistence. Here, we used dendrochronology and hierarchical models to test whether frequency-dependent growth of sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) depends on climatic conditions. We found that growth rates were strongly dependent on annual precipitation, but no frequency dependence was evident across all years. However, there was a strong interaction between precipitation and frequency dependence, revealing stabilizing niche differences in dry years but positive frequency dependence in wet years. These differences emerged because of precipitation-driven changes in the direction and strength of both con- and heterospecific competition. Overall, these results show how stabilizing and destabilizing effects can be temporally dynamic for long-lived species and interact with climate variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Diez
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, 92501, USA
| | - Rohan Boone
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, 92501, USA.,School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86001, USA
| | - Teresa Bohner
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, 92501, USA
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, E-11510, Spain
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14
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McCabe LM, Cobb NS. From Bees to Flies: Global Shift in Pollinator Communities Along Elevation Gradients. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.626124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bees decrease in abundance and richness along elevation gradients, while flies replace bees as the dominant flower visitors in higher elevation systems. We reviewed the existing literature to determine if this global phenomenon of pollinator communities switching from bees to flies occurs at the same place along a temperature gradient. Here we examined five studies that have documented this bee-to-fly transition in the North America, South America, Europe & Australia. We determined where the bee-to-fly transition occurred along a temperature/elevation gradient for each study that ranged from 1.1 to 8.3°C. We found that pollinator communities shifted from bee dominated to fly dominated communities between 4.9 and 5.7°C on all elevation gradients worldwide. This shift in pollinators could substantially impact ecological systems reliant on fly pollination as temperatures continue to warm.
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15
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Xiuqing N, Wang D, Lucun Y, Li F, Guoying Z. Belowground biomass of alpine shrublands across the northeast Tibetan Plateau. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5315-5322. [PMID: 32607154 PMCID: PMC7319123 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although belowground biomass (BGB) plays an important role in global cycling, the storage of BGB and climatic effects on it are remaining unclear. With data from 49 sites, we aimed to investigate BGB and its climatic controls in alpine shrublands in the Tibetan Plateau. Our study showed that the BGB (both grass-layer and shrub-layer biomass) storage in the alpine shrublands was 67.24 Tg, and the mean BGB density and shrublands area were 1,567.38 g/m2 and 4.29 × 104 km2, respectively. Shrub layer had a larger BGB stock and accounted for 66% of total BGB this area, while only 34% was accumulated in the grass layer. BGB of the grass layer in the Tibetan Plateau shrublands was larger than that of Tibetan alpine grasslands, indicating that shrubland ecosystem played a critical importance role in carbon cycle on the Tibetan Plateau. The BGB in the grass layer and shrub layer demonstrated different correlations with climatic factors. Specifically, the effects from mean annual temperature on shrub-layer BGB were not significant, similarly to the relationship between mean annual precipitation and grass-layer BGB. But shrub-layer BGB had a significantly positive relationship with mean annual precipitation (p < .05), while grass-layer BGB showed a trend of decrease with increasing mean annual temperature (p < .05). Consequently, the actual and potential increases of BGB varied due to different increases of mean annual precipitation and temperature among different areas of the Tibetan Plateau. Therefore, in the warmer and wetter scenario, due to contrary relationships from mean annual precipitation and temperature on shrub-layer BGB and grass-layer BGB, it is necessary to conduct a long-term monitoring about dynamic changes to increase the precision of assessment of BGB carbon sequestration in the Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nie Xiuqing
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the State Forestry AdministrationResearch Institute of Forestry Chinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Medicine ResearchNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of ScienceXiningChina
- Research Institute of nature protected Area Chinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Dong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the State Forestry AdministrationResearch Institute of Forestry Chinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
- Research Institute of nature protected Area Chinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Yang Lucun
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Medicine ResearchNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of ScienceXiningChina
- Qinghai Key Laboratory of Qing‐Tibet Biological ResourcesXiningChina
| | - Fan Li
- Institute of Qinghai Meteorological Science ResearchXiningChina
| | - Zhou Guoying
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Medicine ResearchNorthwest Institute of Plateau BiologyChinese Academy of ScienceXiningChina
- Qinghai Key Laboratory of Qing‐Tibet Biological ResourcesXiningChina
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16
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Sinclair MN, Woods NN, Zinnert JC. Seasonal facilitative and competitive trade‐offs between shrub seedlings and coastal grasses. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael N. Sinclair
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 W Cary Street Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Natasha N. Woods
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 W Cary Street Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
| | - Julie C. Zinnert
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University 1000 W Cary Street Richmond Virginia 23284 USA
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17
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Avolio ML, Forrestel EJ, Chang CC, La Pierre KJ, Burghardt KT, Smith MD. Demystifying dominant species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1106-1126. [PMID: 30868589 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The pattern of a few abundant species and many rarer species is a defining characteristic of communities worldwide. These abundant species are often referred to as dominant species. Yet, despite their importance, the term dominant species is poorly defined and often used to convey different information by different authors. Based on a review of historical and contemporary definitions we develop a synthetic definition of dominant species. This definition incorporates the relative local abundance of a species, its ubiquity across the landscape, and its impact on community and ecosystem properties. A meta-analysis of removal studies shows that the loss of species identified as dominant by authors can significantly impact ecosystem functioning and community structure. We recommend two metrics that can be used jointly to identify dominant species in a given community and provide a roadmap for future avenues of research on dominant species. In our review, we make the case that the identity and effects of dominant species on their environments are key to linking patterns of diversity to ecosystem function, including predicting impacts of species loss and other aspects of global change on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan L Avolio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21211, USA
| | - Elisabeth J Forrestel
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Cynthia C Chang
- Division of Biology, University of Washington Bothell, 18807 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA, 98011, USA
| | - Kimberly J La Pierre
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Karin T Burghardt
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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18
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Tonin R, Gerdol R, Tomaselli M, Petraglia A, Carbognani M, Wellstein C. Intraspecific Functional Trait Response to Advanced Snowmelt Suggests Increase of Growth Potential but Decrease of Seed Production in Snowbed Plant Species. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:289. [PMID: 30923530 PMCID: PMC6426784 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In ecological theory, it is currently unclear if intraspecific trait responses to environmental variation are shared across plant species. We use one of the strongest environmental variations in alpine ecosystems, i.e., advanced snowmelt due to climate warming, to answer this question for alpine snowbed plants. Snowbeds are extreme habitats where long-lasting snow cover represents the key environmental factor affecting plant life. Intraspecific variation in plant functional traits is a key to understanding the performance and vulnerability of species in a rapidly changing environment. We sampled snowbed species after an above-average warm winter to assess their phenotypic adjustment to advanced snowmelt, based on differences in the natural snowmelt dynamics with magnitudes reflecting predicted future warming. We measured nine functional traits related to plant growth and reproduction in seven vascular species, comparing snowbeds of early and late snowmelt across four snowbed sites in the southern Alps in Italy. The early snowbeds provide a proxy for the advanced snowmelt caused by climatic warming. Seed production was reduced under advanced snowmelt in all seed-forming snowbed species. Higher specific leaf area (SLA) and lower leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were indicative of improved growth potential in most seed-forming species under advanced snowmelt. We conclude, first, that in the short term, advanced snowmelt can improve snowbed species' growth potential. However, in the long term, results from other studies hint at increasing competition in case of ongoing improvement of conditions for plant growth under continued future climate warming, representing a risk for snowbed species. Second, a lower seed production can negatively affect the seed rain. A reduction of propagule pressure can be crucial in a context of loss of the present snowbed sites and the formation of new ones at higher altitudes along with climate warming. Finally, our findings encourage using plant functional traits at the intraspecific level across species as a tool to understand the future ecological challenges of plants in changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Tonin
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Renato Gerdol
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marcello Tomaselli
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Alessandro Petraglia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Michele Carbognani
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Camilla Wellstein
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
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19
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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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20
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Li Z, Pan K, Tariq A, Sun F, Wang S, Zhang L, Sun X, Wu X, Song D. Legume plants may facilitate Zanthoxylum bungeanum tolerance to extreme rainfall. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15996. [PMID: 30375489 PMCID: PMC6207775 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34449-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A complete randomized design was implemented with two watering regimes (extreme rainfall and control) and three different plant combinations (Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Z. bungeanum + Capsicum annum, Z. bungeanum + Glycine max) in order to assess the morphological and physio-biochemical responses of focal and neighbor plants. The results indicated that, extreme rainfall had significantly negative impacts on Z. bungeanum in three intercropping systems. However, intercropping with G. max improved the transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Gs), raised leaf relative water content (LRWC), increased chlorophyll a (Chl a) and carotenoid (Car) content, and enhanced the superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) of Z. bungeanum. After recovery, the Z. bungeanum + G. max mixed culture significantly increased soil NO3−-N, improved the intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci) and Tr, upregulated soluble sugar and proline, and enhanced hydrogen peroxidase activity (CAT). Moreover, the higher root biomass of G. max provided much more nitrogen for Z. bungeanum via the return of organic matter. However, intercropping with C. annum significantly increased active oxygen (ROS). Compared with neighboring species, in intercropping systems, G. max could have improved the tolerance of the focal species Z. bungeanum in response to extreme rainfall and its recovery after extreme rainfall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zilong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaiwen Pan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
| | - Akash Tariq
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Sizhong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoming Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaogang Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Dagang Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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21
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Töpper JP, Meineri E, Olsen SL, Rydgren K, Skarpaas O, Vandvik V. The devil is in the detail: Nonadditive and context-dependent plant population responses to increasing temperature and precipitation. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:4657-4666. [PMID: 29851242 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
In climate change ecology, simplistic research approaches may yield unrealistically simplistic answers to often more complicated problems. In particular, the complexity of vegetation responses to global climate change begs a better understanding of the impacts of concomitant changes in several climatic drivers, how these impacts vary across different climatic contexts, and of the demographic processes underlying population changes. Using a replicated, factorial, whole-community transplant experiment, we investigated regional variation in demographic responses of plant populations to increased temperature and/or precipitation. Across four perennial forb species and 12 sites, we found strong responses to both temperature and precipitation change. Changes in population growth rates were mainly due to changes in survival and clonality. In three of the four study species, the combined increase in temperature and precipitation reflected nonadditive, antagonistic interactions of the single climatic changes for population growth rate and survival, while the interactions were additive and synergistic for clonality. This disparity affects the persistence of genotypes, but also suggests that the mechanisms behind the responses of the vital rates differ. In addition, survival effects varied systematically with climatic context, with wetter and warmer + wetter transplants showing less positive or more negative responses at warmer sites. The detailed demographic approach yields important mechanistic insights into how concomitant changes in temperature and precipitation affect plants, which makes our results generalizable beyond the four study species. Our comprehensive study design illustrates the power of replicated field experiments in disentangling the complex relationships and patterns that govern climate change impacts across real-world species and landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim P Töpper
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Bergen, Norway
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Eric Meineri
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Aix Marseille University, University of Avignon, Marseille, France
| | - Siri L Olsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut Rydgren
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
| | - Olav Skarpaas
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, Norway
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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22
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Carlson LG, Beard KH, Adler PB. Direct effects of warming increase woody plant abundance in a subarctic wetland. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:2868-2879. [PMID: 29531701 PMCID: PMC5838087 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Both the direct effects of warming on a species' vital rates and indirect effects of warming caused by interactions with neighboring species can influence plant populations. Furthermore, herbivory mediates the effects of warming on plant community composition in many systems. Thus, determining the importance of direct and indirect effects of warming, while considering the role of herbivory, can help predict long-term plant community dynamics. We conducted a field experiment in the coastal wetlands of western Alaska to investigate how warming and herbivory influence the interactions and abundances of two common plant species, a sedge, Carex ramenskii, and a dwarf shrub, Salix ovalifolia. We used results from the experiment to model the equilibrium abundances of the species under different warming and grazing scenarios and to determine the contribution of direct and indirect effects to predict population changes. Consistent with the current composition of the landscape, model predictions suggest that Carex is more abundant than Salix under ambient temperatures with grazing (53% and 27% cover, respectively). However, with warming and grazing, Salix becomes more abundant than Carex (57% and 41% cover, respectively), reflecting both a negative response of Carex and a positive response of Salix to warming. While grazing reduced the cover of both species, herbivory did not prevent a shift in dominance from sedges to the dwarf shrub. Direct effects of climate change explained about 97% of the total predicted change in species cover, whereas indirect effects explained only 3% of the predicted change. Thus, indirect effects, mediated by interactions between Carex and Salix, were negligible, likely due to use of different niches and weak interspecific interactions. Results suggest that a 2°C increase could cause a shift in dominance from sedges to woody plants on the coast of western Alaska over decadal timescales, and this shift was largely a result of the direct effects of warming. Models predict this shift with or without goose herbivory. Our results are consistent with other studies showing an increase in woody plant abundance in the Arctic and suggest that shifts in plant-plant interactions are not driving this change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay G. Carlson
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
| | - Karen H. Beard
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
| | - Peter B. Adler
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
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23
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Li X, Zhu X, Wang S, Cui S, Luo C, Zhang Z, Zhang L, Jiang L, Lü W. Responses of biotic interactions of dominant and subordinate species to decadal warming and simulated rotational grazing in Tibetan alpine meadow. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2018; 61:849-859. [DOI: 10.1007/s11427-017-9226-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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24
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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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25
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Competition between native Antarctic vascular plants and invasive Poa annua changes with temperature and soil nitrogen availability. Biol Invasions 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1650-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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26
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Bähner KW, Zweig KA, Leal IR, Wirth R. Robustness of plant-insect herbivore interaction networks to climate change in a fragmented temperate forest landscape. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 107:563-572. [PMID: 28185607 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485317000062] [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] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Forest fragmentation and climate change are among the most severe and pervasive forms of human impact. Yet, their combined effects on plant-insect herbivore interaction networks, essential components of forest ecosystems with respect to biodiversity and functioning, are still poorly investigated, particularly in temperate forests. We addressed this issue by analysing plant-insect herbivore networks (PIHNs) from understories of three managed beech forest habitats: small forest fragments (2.2-145 ha), forest edges and forest interior areas within three continuous control forests (1050-5600 ha) in an old hyper-fragmented forest landscape in SW Germany. We assessed the impact of forest fragmentation, particularly edge effects, on PIHNs and the resulting differences in robustness against climate change by habitat-wise comparison of network topology and biologically realistic extinction cascades of networks following scores of vulnerability to climate change for the food plant species involved. Both the topological network metrics (complexity, nestedness, trophic niche redundancy) and robustness to climate change strongly increased in forest edges and fragments as opposed to the managed forest interior. The nature of the changes indicates that human impacts modify network structure mainly via host plant availability to insect herbivores. Improved robustness of PIHNs in forest edges/small fragments to climate-driven extinction cascades was attributable to an overall higher thermotolerance across plant communities, along with positive effects of network structure. The impoverishment of PIHNs in managed forest interiors and the suggested loss of insect diversity from climate-induced co-extinction highlight the need for further research efforts focusing on adequate silvicultural and conservation approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- K W Bähner
- Plant Ecology and Systematics,University of Kaiserslautern,P.O. Box 3049, 67663 Kaiserslautern,Germany
| | - K A Zweig
- Graph Theory & Complex Network Analysis,University of Kaiserslautern,P.O. Box 3049, 67663 Kaiserslautern,Germany
| | - I R Leal
- Departamento de Botânica,Universidade Federal de Pernambuco,Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, s/n, 50670-901,Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE,Brazil
| | - R Wirth
- Plant Ecology and Systematics,University of Kaiserslautern,P.O. Box 3049, 67663 Kaiserslautern,Germany
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Camac JS, Williams RJ, Wahren CH, Hoffmann AA, Vesk PA. Climatic warming strengthens a positive feedback between alpine shrubs and fire. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:3249-3258. [PMID: 28063181 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is expected to increase fire activity and woody plant encroachment in arctic and alpine landscapes. However, the extent to which these increases interact to affect the structure, function and composition of alpine ecosystems is largely unknown. Here we use field surveys and experimental manipulations to examine how warming and fire affect recruitment, seedling growth and seedling survival in four dominant Australian alpine shrubs. We found that fire increased establishment of shrub seedlings by as much as 33-fold. Experimental warming also doubled growth rates of tall shrub seedlings and could potentially increase their survival. By contrast, warming had no effect on shrub recruitment, postfire tussock regeneration, or how tussock grass affected shrub seedling growth and survival. These findings indicate that warming, coupled with more frequent or severe fires, will likely result in an increase in the cover and abundance of evergreen shrubs. Given that shrubs are one of the most flammable components in alpine and tundra environments, warming is likely to strengthen an existing feedback between woody species abundance and fire in these ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Camac
- The Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., 3086, Australia
| | - Richard J Williams
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., 3086, Australia
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, 0909, Australia
| | - Carl-Henrik Wahren
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., 3086, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., 3086, Australia
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., 3010, Australia
| | - Peter A Vesk
- The Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
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Tullus A, Kupper P, Kaasik A, Tullus H, Lõhmus K, Sõber A, Sellin A. The competitive status of trees determines their responsiveness to increasing atmospheric humidity - a climate trend predicted for northern latitudes. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:1961-1974. [PMID: 27779805 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The interactive effects of climate variables and tree-tree competition are still insufficiently understood drivers of forest response to global climate change. Precipitation and air humidity are predicted to rise concurrently at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. We investigated whether the growth response of deciduous trees to elevated air humidity varies with their competitive status. The study was conducted in seed-originated silver birch and monoclonal hybrid aspen stands grown at the free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) experimental site in Estonia, in which manipulated stands (n = 3 for both species) are exposed to artificially elevated relative air humidity (6-7% over the ambient level). The study period included three growing seasons during which the stands had reached the competitive stage (trees were 7 years old in the final year). A significant 'treatment×competitive status' interactive effect on growth was detected in all years in birch (P < 0.01) and in one year in aspen stands (P = 0.015). Competitively advantaged trees were always more strongly affected by elevated humidity. Initially the growth of advantaged and neutral trees of both species remained significantly suppressed in humidified stands. In the following years, dominance and elevated humidity had a synergistic positive effect on the growth of birches. Aspens with different competitive status recovered more uniformly, attaining similar relative growth rates in manipulated and control stands, but preserved a significantly lower total growth yield due to severe initial growth stress. Disadvantaged trees of both species were never significantly affected by elevated humidity. Our results suggest that air humidity affects trees indirectly depending on their social status. Therefore, the response of northern temperate and boreal forests to a more humid climate in future will likely be modified by competitive relationships among trees, which may potentially affect species composition and cause a need to change forestry practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvo Tullus
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Priit Kupper
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Ants Kaasik
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Hardi Tullus
- Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
| | - Krista Lõhmus
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Anu Sõber
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Arne Sellin
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
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Spatial and temporal changes in leaf coloring date of Acer palmatum and Ginkgo biloba in response to temperature increases in South Korea. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174390. [PMID: 28346534 PMCID: PMC5367789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding shifts in autumn phenology associated with climate changes is critical for preserving forest ecosystems. This study examines the changes in the leaf coloring date (LCD) of two temperate deciduous tree species, Acer palmatum (Acer) and Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo), in response to surface air temperature (Ts) changes at 54 stations of South Korea for the period 1989–2007. The variations of Acer and Ginkgo in South Korea are very similar: they show the same mean LCD of 295th day of the year and delays of about 0.45 days year-1 during the observation period. The delaying trend is closely correlated (correlation coefficient > 0.77) with increases in Ts in mid-autumn by 2.8 days °C-1. It is noted that the LCD delaying and temperature sensitivity (days °C-1) for both tree species show negligible dependences on latitudes and elevations. Given the significant LCD-Ts relation, we project LCD changes for 2016–35 and 2046–65 using a process-based model forced by temperature from climate model simulation. The projections indicate that the mean LCD would be further delayed by 3.2 (3.7) days in 2016–35 (2046–65) due to mid-autumn Ts increases. This study suggests that the mid-autumn warming is largely responsible for the observed LCD changes in South Korea and will intensify the delaying trends in the future.
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Losapio G, Schöb C. Resistance of plant–plant networks to biodiversity loss and secondary extinctions following simulated environmental changes. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianalberto Losapio
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH‐8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Christian Schöb
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH‐8057 Zurich Switzerland
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31
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Anadon-Rosell A, Ninot JM, Palacio S, Grau O, Nogués S, Navarro E, Sancho MC, Carrillo E. Four years of experimental warming do not modify the interaction between subalpine shrub species. Oecologia 2017; 183:1167-1181. [PMID: 28190093 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3830-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Climate warming can lead to changes in alpine plant species interactions through modifications in environmental conditions, which may ultimately cause drastic changes in plant communities. We explored the effects of 4 years of experimental warming with open-top chambers (OTC) on Vaccinium myrtillus performance and its interaction with neighbouring shrubs at the Pyrenean treeline ecotone. We examined the effects of warming on height, above-ground (AG) and below-ground (BG) biomass and the C and N concentration and isotope composition of V. myrtillus growing in pure stands or in stands mixed with Vaccinium uliginosum or Rhododendron ferrugineum. We also analysed variations in soil N concentrations, rhizosphere C/N ratios and the functional diversity of the microbial community, and evaluated whether warming altered the biomass, C and N concentration and isotope composition of V. uliginosum in mixed plots. Our results showed that warming induced positive changes in the AG growth of V. myrtillus but not BG, while V. uliginosum did not respond to warming. Vaccinium myrtillus performance did not differ between stand types under increased temperatures, suggesting that warming did not induce shifts in the interaction between V. myrtillus and its neighbouring species. These findings contrast with previous studies in which species interactions changed when temperature was modified. Our results show that species interactions can be less responsive to warming in natural plant communities than in removal experiments, highlighting the need for studies involving the natural assembly of plant species and communities when exploring the effect of environmental changes on plant-plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Anadon-Rosell
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Josep M Ninot
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sara Palacio
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Nuestra Señora de la Victoria 16, 22700, Jaca, Huesca, Spain
| | - Oriol Grau
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
- 2CREAF, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Salvador Nogués
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Enrique Navarro
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Montañana 1005, 50059, Saragossa, Spain
| | - M Carmen Sancho
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Montañana 1005, 50059, Saragossa, Spain
| | - Empar Carrillo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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32
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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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33
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Kleynhans EJ, Otto SP, Reich PB, Vellend M. Adaptation to elevated CO2 in different biodiversity contexts. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12358. [PMID: 27510545 PMCID: PMC4987528 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In the absence of migration, species persistence depends on adaption to a changing environment, but whether and how adaptation to global change is altered by community diversity is not understood. Community diversity may prevent, enhance or alter how species adapt to changing conditions by influencing population sizes, genetic diversity and/or the fitness landscape experienced by focal species. We tested the impact of community diversity on adaptation by performing a reciprocal transplant experiment on grasses that evolved for 14 years under ambient and elevated CO2, in communities of low or high species richness. Using biomass as a fitness proxy, we find evidence for local adaptation to elevated CO2, but only for plants assayed in a community of similar diversity to the one experienced during the period of selection. Our results indicate that the biological community shapes the very nature of the fitness landscape within which species evolve in response to elevated CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J. Kleynhans
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Sarah P. Otto
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Avenue North, St Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA
- Hawksbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
| | - Mark Vellend
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1
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34
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Direct effects dominate responses to climate perturbations in grassland plant communities. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11766. [PMID: 27273085 PMCID: PMC4899860 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory predicts that strong indirect effects of environmental change will impact communities when niche differences between competitors are small and variation in the direct effects experienced by competitors is large, but empirical tests are lacking. Here we estimate negative frequency dependence, a proxy for niche differences, and quantify the direct and indirect effects of climate change on each species. Consistent with theory, in four of five communities indirect effects are strongest for species showing weak negative frequency dependence. Indirect effects are also stronger in communities where there is greater variation in direct effects. Overall responses to climate perturbations are driven primarily by direct effects, suggesting that single species models may be adequate for forecasting the impacts of climate change in these communities.
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35
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Suzuki RO, Kenta T, Sato M, Masaki D, Kanai R. Continuous harvesting of a dominant bracken alters a cool-temperate montane grassland community and increases plant diversity in Nagano, Japan. Ecol Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-016-1372-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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36
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Olsen SL, Töpper JP, Skarpaas O, Vandvik V, Klanderud K. From facilitation to competition: temperature-driven shift in dominant plant interactions affects population dynamics in seminatural grasslands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:1915-1926. [PMID: 26845378 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Biotic interactions are often ignored in assessments of climate change impacts. However, climate-related changes in species interactions, often mediated through increased dominance of certain species or functional groups, may have important implications for how species respond to climate warming and altered precipitation patterns. We examined how a dominant plant functional group affected the population dynamics of four co-occurring forb species by experimentally removing graminoids in seminatural grasslands. Specifically, we explored how the interaction between dominants and subordinates varied with climate by replicating the removal experiment across a climate grid consisting of 12 field sites spanning broad-scale temperature and precipitation gradients in southern Norway. Biotic interactions affected population growth rates of all study species, and the net outcome of interactions between dominants and subordinates switched from facilitation to competition with increasing temperature along the temperature gradient. The impacts of competitive interactions on subordinates in the warmer sites could primarily be attributed to reduced plant survival. Whereas the response to dominant removal varied with temperature, there was no overall effect of precipitation on the balance between competition and facilitation. Our findings suggest that global warming may increase the relative importance of competitive interactions in seminatural grasslands across a wide range of precipitation levels, thereby favouring highly competitive dominant species over subordinate species. As a result, seminatural grasslands may become increasingly dependent on disturbance (i.e. traditional management such as grazing and mowing) to maintain viable populations of subordinate species and thereby biodiversity under future climates. Our study highlights the importance of population-level studies replicated under different climatic conditions for understanding the underlying mechanisms of climate change impacts on plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siri L Olsen
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349, Oslo, Norway
| | - Joachim P Töpper
- Faculty of Engineering and Science, Sogn og Fjordane University College, P.O. Box 133, N-6851, Sogndal, Norway
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Olav Skarpaas
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, N-5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kari Klanderud
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway
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37
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Environmental Factors and Soil CO 2Emissions in an Alpine Swamp Meadow Ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau in Response to Experimental Warming. J CHEM-NY 2016. [DOI: 10.1155/2016/2573185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the response of soil CO2emissions to warming and environmental control mechanisms in an alpine swamp meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau. Experimental warming treatments were performed in an alpine swamp meadow ecosystem using two open-top chambers (OTCs) 40 cm (OA) and 80 cm (OB) tall. The results indicate that temperatures were increased by 2.79°C in OA and 4.96°C in OB, that ecosystem CO2efflux showed remarkable seasonal variations in the control (CK) and the two warming treatments, and that all three systems yielded peak values in August of 123.6, 142.3, and 166.2 g C m−2 month−1. Annual CO2efflux also showed a gradual upward trend with increased warming: OB (684.1 g C m−2 year−1) > OA (580.7 g C m−2 year−1) > CK (473.3 g C m−2 year−1). Path analysis revealed that the 5 cm depth soil temperature was the most important environmental factor affecting soil CO2emissions in the three systems.
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38
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Kleinhesselink AR, Adler PB. Indirect Effects of Environmental Change in Resource Competition Models. Am Nat 2015; 186:766-76. [DOI: 10.1086/683676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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39
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Temperature, precipitation and biotic interactions as determinants of tree seedling recruitment across the tree line ecotone. Oecologia 2015; 179:599-608. [PMID: 26065402 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3360-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Seedling recruitment is a critical life history stage for trees, and successful recruitment is tightly linked to both abiotic factors and biotic interactions. In order to better understand how tree species' distributions may change in response to anticipated climate change, more knowledge of the effects of complex climate and biotic interactions is needed. We conducted a seed-sowing experiment to investigate how temperature, precipitation and biotic interactions impact recruitment of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings in southern Norway. Seeds were sown into intact vegetation and experimentally created gaps. To study the combined effects of temperature and precipitation, the experiment was replicated across 12 sites, spanning a natural climate gradient from boreal to alpine and from sub-continental to oceanic. Seedling emergence and survival were assessed 12 and 16 months after sowing, respectively, and above-ground biomass and height were determined at the end of the experiment. Interestingly, very few seedlings were detected in the boreal sites, and the highest number of seedlings emerged and established in the alpine sites, indicating that low temperature did not limit seedling recruitment. Site precipitation had an overall positive effect on seedling recruitment, especially at intermediate precipitation levels. Seedling emergence, establishment and biomass were higher in gap plots compared to intact vegetation at all temperature levels. These results suggest that biotic interactions in the form of competition may be more important than temperature as a limiting factor for tree seedling recruitment in the sub- and low-alpine zone of southern Norway.
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40
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Nieto-Lugilde D, Lenoir J, Abdulhak S, Aeschimann D, Dullinger S, Gégout JC, Guisan A, Pauli H, Renaud J, Theurillat JP, Thuiller W, Van Es J, Vittoz P, Willner W, Wohlgemuth T, Zimmermann NE, Svenning JC. Tree cover at fine and coarse spatial grains interacts with shade tolerance to shape plant species distributions across the Alps. ECOGRAPHY 2015; 38:578-589. [PMID: 26290621 PMCID: PMC4538783 DOI: 10.1111/ecog.00954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The role of competition for light among plants has long been recognised at local scales, but its importance for plant species distributions at larger spatial scales has generally been ignored. Tree cover modifies the local abiotic conditions below the canopy, notably by reducing light availability, and thus, also the performance of species that are not adapted to low-light conditions. However, this local effect may propagate to coarser spatial grains, by affecting colonisation probabilities and local extinction risks of herbs and shrubs. To assess the effect of tree cover at both the plot- and landscape-grain sizes (approximately 10-m and 1-km), we fit Generalised Linear Models (GLMs) for the plot-level distributions of 960 species of herbs and shrubs using 6,935 vegetation plots across the European Alps. We ran four models with different combinations of variables (climate, soil and tree cover) at both spatial grains for each species. We used partial regressions to evaluate the independent effects of plot- and landscape-grain tree cover on plot-level plant communities. Finally, the effects on species-specific elevational range limits were assessed by simulating a removal experiment comparing the species distributions under high and low tree cover. Accounting for tree cover improved the model performance, with the probability of the presence of shade-tolerant species increasing with increasing tree cover, whereas shade-intolerant species showed the opposite pattern. The tree cover effect occurred consistently at both the plot and landscape spatial grains, albeit most strongly at the former. Importantly, tree cover at the two grain sizes had partially independent effects on plot-level plant communities. With high tree cover, shade-intolerant species exhibited narrower elevational ranges than with low tree cover whereas shade-tolerant species showed wider elevational ranges at both limits. These findings suggest that forecasts of climate-related range shifts for herb and shrub species may be modified by tree cover dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Nieto-Lugilde
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, Avenida Fuentenueva, E-18071 Granada, Spain
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN, FRE 3498 CNRS-UPJV), Plant Biodiversity Lab, Jules Verne University of Picardie, 1 rue des Louvels, FR-80037 Amiens Cedex 1, France
| | - Sylvain Abdulhak
- Domaine de Charance, Conservatoire Botanique National Alpin, Gap, 05000, France
| | - David Aeschimann
- Laboratoire de Systématique végétale et Biodiversité, Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, 1 Chemin de l’Impératrice, CH-1292 Chambésy, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Dullinger
- Faculty Centre for Biodiversity, Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Institute for Nature Conservation and Analyses, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jean-Claude Gégout
- AgroParisTech, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1092, AgroParisTech-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Laboratoire d’Etude des Ressources Forêt-Bois (LERFoB), Nancy, France
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Harald Pauli
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, c/o Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julien Renaud
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble 1, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-Paul Theurillat
- Centre alpien de Phytogéographie Fondation J.-M. Aubert, CH-1938 Champex-Lac, Switzerland and Section of Biology, University of Geneva, Case postale 60, CH-1292 Chambésy, Switzerland
| | - Wilfried Thuiller
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble 1, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Jérémie Van Es
- Domaine de Charance, Conservatoire Botanique National Alpin, Gap, 05000, France
| | - Pascal Vittoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Willner
- Vienna Institute for Nature Conservation and Analyses, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Wohlgemuth
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Niklaus E. Zimmermann
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Wheeler J, Schnider F, Sedlacek J, Cortés A, Wipf S, Hoch G, Rixen C. With a little help from my friends: Community facilitation increases performance in the dwarf shrub Salix herbacea. Basic Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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42
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Tomiolo S, van der Putten WH, Tielbörger K. Separating the role of biotic interactions and climate in determining adaptive response of plants to climate change. Ecology 2015; 96:1298-308. [DOI: 10.1890/14-1445.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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43
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Modeling rates of life form cover change in burned and unburned alpine heathland subject to experimental warming. Oecologia 2015; 178:615-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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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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45
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Farrer EC, Ashton IW, Knape J, Suding KN. Separating direct and indirect effects of global change: a population dynamic modeling approach using readily available field data. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:1238-1250. [PMID: 24115317 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Two sources of complexity make predicting plant community response to global change particularly challenging. First, realistic global change scenarios involve multiple drivers of environmental change that can interact with one another to produce non-additive effects. Second, in addition to these direct effects, global change drivers can indirectly affect plants by modifying species interactions. In order to tackle both of these challenges, we propose a novel population modeling approach, requiring only measurements of abundance and climate over time. To demonstrate the applicability of this approach, we model population dynamics of eight abundant plant species in a multifactorial global change experiment in alpine tundra where we manipulated nitrogen, precipitation, and temperature over 7 years. We test whether indirect and interactive effects are important to population dynamics and whether explicitly incorporating species interactions can change predictions when models are forecast under future climate change scenarios. For three of the eight species, population dynamics were best explained by direct effect models, for one species neither direct nor indirect effects were important, and for the other four species indirect effects mattered. Overall, global change had negative effects on species population growth, although species responded to different global change drivers, and single-factor effects were slightly more common than interactive direct effects. When the fitted population dynamic models were extrapolated under changing climatic conditions to the end of the century, forecasts of community dynamics and diversity loss were largely similar using direct effect models that do not explicitly incorporate species interactions or best-fit models; however, inclusion of species interactions was important in refining the predictions for two of the species. The modeling approach proposed here is a powerful way of analyzing readily available datasets which should be added to our toolbox to tease apart complex drivers of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Farrer
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, CA, USA
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46
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Carlyle CN, Fraser LH, Turkington R. Response of grassland biomass production to simulated climate change and clipping along an elevation gradient. Oecologia 2013; 174:1065-73. [PMID: 24249117 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2833-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2012] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Changes in rainfall and temperature regimes are altering plant productivity in grasslands worldwide, and these climate change factors are likely to interact with grassland disturbances, particularly grazing. Understanding how plant production responds to both climate change and defoliation, and how this response varies among grassland types, is important for the long-term sustainability of grasslands. For 4 years, we manipulated temperature [ambient and increased using open-top chambers (OTC)], water (ambient, reduced using rainout shelters and increased using hand watering) and defoliation (clipped, and unclipped) in three grassland types along an elevation gradient. We monitored plant cover and biomass and found that OTC reduced biomass by 15%, but clipping and water treatments interacted with each other and their effects varied in different grassland types. For example, total biomass did not decline in the higher elevation grasslands due to clipping, and water addition mitigated the effects of clipping on subordinate grasses in the lower grasslands. The response of total biomass was driven by dominant plant species while subordinate grasses and forbs showed more variable responses. Overall, our results demonstrate that biomass in the highest elevation grassland was least effected by the treatments and the response of biomass tended to be dependent on interactions between climate change treatments and defoliation. Together, the results suggest that ecosystem function of these grasslands under altered climate patterns will be dependent on site-specific management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron N Carlyle
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada,
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47
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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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48
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Spasojevic MJ, Bowman WD, Humphries HC, Seastedt TR, Suding KN. Changes in alpine vegetation over 21 years: Are patterns across a heterogeneous landscape consistent with predictions? Ecosphere 2013. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00133.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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49
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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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50
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Hou Y, Zhou G, Xu Z, Liu T, Zhang X. Interactive effects of warming and increased precipitation on community structure and composition in an annual forb dominated desert steppe. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70114. [PMID: 23894600 PMCID: PMC3716769 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2012] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
To better understand how warming, increased precipitation and their interactions influence community structure and composition, a field experiment simulating hydrothermal interactions was conducted at an annual forb dominated desert steppe in northern China over 2 years. Increased precipitation increased species richness while warming significantly decreased species richness, and their effects were additive rather than interactive. Although interannual variations in weather conditions may have a major affect on plant community composition on short term experiments, warming and precipitation treatments affected individual species and functional group composition. Warming caused C4 grasses such as Cleistogenes squarrosa to increase while increased precipitation caused the proportions of non-perennial C3 plants like Artemisia capillaris to decrease and perennial C4 plants to increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guangsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (GZ); (ZX); (XZ)
| | - Zhenzhu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (GZ); (ZX); (XZ)
| | - Tao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinshi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (GZ); (ZX); (XZ)
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