1
|
Chen X, Zhang Y, Qian L, Zhou R, Sun H, Chen J. Sex-specific facilitation and reproduction of the gynodioecious cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides on the Himalaya-Hengduan mountains, SW China. PLANT DIVERSITY 2024; 46:247-255. [PMID: 38807903 PMCID: PMC11128911 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
When benefiting other beneficiaries, cushion plants may reciprocally receive feedback effects. The feedback effects on different sex morphs, however, remains unclear. In this study, taking the gynodioecious Arenaria polytrichiodes as a model species, we aimed to assess the sex-specific facilitation intensity of cushion plant by measuring the beneficiary cover ratio, and to assess the potential costs in cushion reproductive functions by measuring the flower and fruit cover ratios. The total beneficiary cover ratio was similar between females and hermaphrodites. Females produced much less flowers but more fruits than hermaphrodites. These results suggested that females and hermaphrodites possess similar facilitation intensity, and female cushion A. polytrichoides may allocate more resources saved from pollen production to seed production, while hermaphrodites possibly allocate more resources to pollen production hence reducing seed production. The surface areas covered by beneficiaries produced less flowers and fruits than areas without beneficiaries. In addition, strong negative correlations between beneficiary cover and flower cover were detected for both females and hermaphrodites, but the correlation strength were similar for these two sex morphs. However, the correlation between beneficiary cover and fruit cover was only significantly negative for females, suggesting that beneficiary plants negatively affect fruit reproduction of females while have neutral effects on hermaphrodites. All the results suggest that to facilitate other beneficiaries can induce reproductive costs on cushion A. polytrichoides, with females possibly suffering greater cost than hermaphrodites. Such differentiation in reproductive costs between sex morphs, in long-term perspective, may imply sex imbalance in population dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xufang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yazhou Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Lishen Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Renyu Zhou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Wetland Conservation, Restoration and Ecological Services, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Jianguo Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Alatalo JM, Dai J, Pandey R, Erfanian MB, Ahmed T, Bai Y, Molau U, Jägerbrand AK. Impact of ambient temperature, precipitation and seven years of experimental warming and nutrient addition on fruit production in an alpine heath and meadow community. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 836:155450. [PMID: 35490820 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alpine and polar regions are predicted to be among the most vulnerable to changes in temperature, precipitation, and nutrient availability. We carried out a seven-year factorial experiment with warming and nutrient addition in two alpine vegetation communities. We analyzed the relationship between fruit production and monthly mean, maximum, and min temperatures during the fall of the pre-fruiting year, the fruiting summer, and the whole fruit production period, and measured the effects of precipitation and growing and thawing degree days (GDD & TDD) on fruit production. Nutrient addition (heath: 27.88 ± 3.19 fold change at the end of the experiment; meadow: 18.02 ± 4.07) and combined nutrient addition and warming (heath: 20.63 ± 29.34 fold change at the end of the experiment; meadow: 18.21 ± 16.28) increased total fruit production and fruit production of graminoids. Fruit production of evergreen and deciduous shrubs fluctuated among the treatments and years in both the heath and meadow. Pre-maximum temperatures had a negative effect on fruit production in both communities, while current year maximum temperatures had a positive impact on fruit production in the meadow. Pre-minimum, pre-mean, current mean, total minimum, and total mean temperatures were all positively correlated with fruit production in the meadow. The current year and total precipitation had a negative effect on the fruit production of deciduous shrubs in the heath. GDD had a positive effect on fruit production in both communities, while TDD only impacted fruit production in the meadow. Increased nutrient availability increased fruit production over time in the high alpine plant communities, while experimental warming had either no effect or a negative effect. Deciduous shrubs were the most sensitive to climate parameters in both communities, and the meadow was more sensitive than the heath. The difference in importance of TDD for fruit production may be due to differences in snow cover in the two communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juha M Alatalo
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Junhu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rajiv Pandey
- Division of Forestry Statistics, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun, India
| | - Mohammad Bagher Erfanian
- Quantitative Plant Ecology and Biodiversity Research Lab, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Talaat Ahmed
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | - Yang Bai
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Annika K Jägerbrand
- Department of Environmental and Biosciences, School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability, Halmstad University, P.O. Box 823, SE-301 18 Halmstad, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Steinbauer K, Lamprecht A, Winkler M, Di Cecco V, Fasching V, Ghosn D, Maringer A, Remoundou I, Suen M, Stanisci A, Venn S, Pauli H. Recent changes in high-mountain plant community functional composition in contrasting climate regimes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 829:154541. [PMID: 35302025 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
High-mountain plant communities are strongly determined by abiotic conditions, especially low temperature, and are therefore susceptible to effects of climate warming. Rising temperatures, however, also lead to increased evapotranspiration, which, together with projected shifts in seasonal precipitation patterns, could lead to prolonged, detrimental water deficiencies. The current study aims at comparing alpine plant communities along elevation and water availability gradients from humid conditions (north-eastern Alps) to a moderate (Central Apennines) and a pronounced dry period during summer (Lefka Ori, Crete) in the Mediterranean area. We do this in order to (1) detect relationships between community-based indices (plant functional leaf and growth traits, thermic vegetation indicator, plant life forms, vegetation cover and diversity) and soil temperature and snow duration and (2) assess if climatic changes have already affected the vegetation, by determining directional changes over time (14-year period; 2001-2015) in these indices in the three regions. Plant community indices responded to decreasing temperatures along the elevation gradient in the NE-Alps and the Apennines, but this elevation effect almost disappeared in the summer-dry mountains of Crete. This suggests a shift from low-temperature to drought-dominated ecological filters. Leaf trait (Leaf Dry Matter Content and Specific Leaf Area) responses changed in direction from the Alps to the Apennines, indicating that drought effects already become discernible at the northern margin of the Mediterranean. Over time, a slight increase in vegetation cover was found in all regions, but thermophilisation occurred only in the NE-Alps and Apennines, accompanied by a decline of cold-adapted cushion plants in the Alps. On Crete, xeromorphic shrubs were increasing in abundance. Although critical biodiversity losses have not yet been observed, an intensified monitoring of combined warming-drought impacts will be required in view of threatened alpine plants that are either locally restricted in the south or weakly adapted to drought in the north.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Steinbauer
- GLORIA Coordination, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; UNESCO-Chair on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas, Carinthia University of Applied Science, 9524 Villach, Austria; E.C.O. - Institut für Ökologie, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria.
| | - A Lamprecht
- GLORIA Coordination, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - M Winkler
- GLORIA Coordination, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - V Di Cecco
- Maiella Seed Bank, Maiella National Park, Loc. Colle Madonna, Lama dei Peligni 66010, Italy
| | - V Fasching
- GLORIA Coordination, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - D Ghosn
- Department of Geoinformation in Environmental Management - CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Alsyllio Agrokepiou, 73100 Chania, Greece
| | - A Maringer
- Gesaeuse National Park, 8911 Admont, Austria
| | - I Remoundou
- Department of Geoinformation in Environmental Management - CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Alsyllio Agrokepiou, 73100 Chania, Greece
| | - M Suen
- Gesaeuse National Park, 8911 Admont, Austria
| | - A Stanisci
- Dep. Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Termoli 86039, Italy
| | - S Venn
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - H Pauli
- GLORIA Coordination, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria; GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Alatalo JM, Jägerbrand AK, Dai J, Mollazehi MD, Abdel‐Salam AG, Pandey R, Molau U. Effects of ambient climate and three warming treatments on fruit production in an alpine, subarctic meadow community. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:411-422. [PMID: 33792046 PMCID: PMC8251864 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Climate change is having major impacts on alpine and arctic regions, and inter-annual variations in temperature are likely to increase. How increased climate variability will impact plant reproduction is unclear. METHODS In a 4-year study on fruit production by an alpine plant community in northern Sweden, we applied three warming regimes: (1) a static level of warming with open-top chambers (OTC), (2) press warming, a yearly stepwise increase in warming, and (3) pulse warming, a single-year pulse event of higher warming. We analyzed the relationship between fruit production and monthly temperatures during the budding period, fruiting period, and whole fruit production period and the effect of winter and summer precipitation on fruit production. RESULTS Year and treatment had a significant effect on total fruit production by evergreen shrubs, Cassiope tetragona, and Dryas octopetala, with large variations between treatments and years. Year, but not treatment, had a significant effect on deciduous shrubs and graminoids, both of which increased fruit production over the 4 years, while forbs were negatively affected by the press warming, but not by year. Fruit production was influenced by ambient temperature during the previous-year budding period, current-year fruiting period, and whole fruit production period. Minimum and average temperatures were more important than maximum temperature. In general, fruit production was negatively correlated with increased precipitation. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that predicted increased climate variability and increased precipitation due to climate change may affect plant reproductive output and long-term community dynamics in alpine meadow communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juha M. Alatalo
- Department of Biological and Environmental SciencesCollege of Arts and SciencesQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
- Environmental Science CenterQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
| | - Annika K. Jägerbrand
- Calluna ABHästholmsvägen 28131 30NackaSweden
- Department of Environmental and BiosciencesRydberg Laboratory of Applied Science (RLAS)School of Business, Engineering and ScienceHalmstad UniversityP.O. Box 823SE‐301 18HalmstadSweden
| | - Junhu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and SimulationInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources ResearchChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- China‐Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth SciencesCAS‐HECIslamabad45320Pakistan
| | - Mohammad D. Mollazehi
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and PhysicsCollege of Arts and SciencesQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
| | - Abdel‐Salam G. Abdel‐Salam
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and PhysicsCollege of Arts and SciencesQatar UniversityP.O. Box 2713DohaQatar
| | - Rajiv Pandey
- Division of Forestry StatisticsIndian Council of Forestry Research and EducationDehradunIndia
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of GothenburgP.O. Box 461SE‐405 30GothenburgSweden
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Svensson BM, Carlsson BÅ, Melillo JM. Changes in species abundance after seven years of elevated atmospheric CO 2 and warming in a Subarctic birch forest understorey, as modified by rodent and moth outbreaks. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4843. [PMID: 29868267 PMCID: PMC5982999 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A seven-year long, two-factorial experiment using elevated temperatures (5 °C) and CO2 (concentration doubled compared to ambient conditions) designed to test the effects of global climate change on plant community composition was set up in a Subarctic ecosystem in northernmost Sweden. Using point-frequency analyses in permanent plots, an increased abundance of the deciduous Vaccinium myrtillus, the evergreens V. vitis-idaea and Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum and the grass Avenella flexuosa was found in plots with elevated temperatures. We also observed a possibly transient community shift in the warmed plots, from the vegetation being dominated by the deciduous V. myrtillus to the evergreen V. vitis-idaea. This happened as a combined effect of V. myrtillus being heavily grazed during two events of herbivore attack-one vole outbreak (Clethrionomys rufocanus) followed by a more severe moth (Epirrita autumnata) outbreak that lasted for two growing seasons-producing a window of opportunity for V. vitis-idaea to utilize the extra light available as the abundance of V. myrtillus decreased, while at the same time benefitting from the increased growth in the warmed plots. Even though the effect of the herbivore attacks did not differ between treatments they may have obscured any additional treatment effects. This long-term study highlights that also the effects of stochastic herbivory events need to be accounted for when predicting future plant community changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brita M. Svensson
- Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Bengt Å. Carlsson
- Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jerry M. Melillo
- The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Baruah G, Molau U, Bai Y, Alatalo JM. Community and species-specific responses of plant traits to 23 years of experimental warming across subarctic tundra plant communities. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2571. [PMID: 28566722 PMCID: PMC5451416 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02595-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
To improve understanding of how global warming may affect competitive interactions among plants, information on the responses of plant functional traits across species to long-term warming is needed. Here we report the effect of 23 years of experimental warming on plant traits across four different alpine subarctic plant communities: tussock tundra, Dryas heath, dry heath and wet meadow. Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to passively warm the vegetation by 1.5-3 °C. Changes in leaf width, leaf length and plant height of 22 vascular plant species were measured. Long-term warming significantly affected all plant traits. Overall, plant species were taller, with longer and wider leaves, compared with control plots, indicating an increase in biomass in warmed plots, with 13 species having significant increases in at least one trait and only three species having negative responses. The response varied among species and plant community in which the species was sampled, indicating community-warming interactions. Thus, plant trait responses are both species- and community-specific. Importantly, we show that there is likely to be great variation between plant species in their ability to maintain positive growth responses over the longer term, which might cause shifts in their relative competitive ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Baruah
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurrerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yang Bai
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Juha M Alatalo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Exploring the compass of potential changes induced by climate warming in plant communities. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
10
|
Ali A, Molau U, Bai Y, Jägerbrand AK, Alatalo JM. Diversity-productivity dependent resistance of an alpine plant community to different climate change scenarios. Ecol Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-016-1403-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
11
|
Planning for assisted colonization of plants in a warming world. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28542. [PMID: 27345374 PMCID: PMC4921867 DOI: 10.1038/srep28542] [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: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Assisted colonization is one way of facilitating range shifts for species that are restricted in their ability to move in response to climate change. Here we conceptualize and apply a new decision framework for modelling assisted colonization of plant species prior to in situ realization. Three questions were examined: a) Is species translocation useful in a certain area? b) where, and c) how long will it be successful in the future? Applying our framework to Carex foetida in Italy at the core of its distribution and its southern edge revealed that assisted colonization could be successful in short-term (2010–2039) climate conditions, partially in medium (2040–2069) but not in long-term (2070–2099) scenarios. We show that, for some species, it is likely that assisted colonization would be successful in some portions of the recipient site under current and short-term climate conditions, but over the mid- and long-term, climate changes will make species translocation unsuccessful. The proposed decision framework can help identify species that will need different conservation actions (seed banks and/or botanical gardens) when assisted colonization is unlikely to be successful. Furthermore it has broad applicability, as it can support planning of assisted migration in mountainous areas in the face of climate change.
Collapse
|
12
|
Cao Y, Xiao Y, Huang H, Xu J, Hu W, Wang N. Simulated warming shifts the flowering phenology and sexual reproduction of Cardamine hirsuta under different Planting densities. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27835. [PMID: 27296893 PMCID: PMC4906517 DOI: 10.1038/srep27835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate warming can shift the reproductive phenology of plant, and hence dramatically reduced the reproductive capacity both of density-dependent and -independent plant species. But it is still unclear how climate warming affects flowering phenology and reproductive allocation of plant under different planting densities. Here, we assessed the impact of simulated warming on flowering phenology and sexual reproduction in the ephemeral herb Cardamine hirsuta under four densities. We found that simulated warming delayed the onset of flowering averagely for 3.6 days but preceded the end of flowering for about 1 day, which indicated climate warming shortened the duration of the flowering. And the flowering amplitude in the peak flowering day also dramatically increased in the simulated warming treatment, which caused a mass-flowering pattern. Climate warming significantly increased the weights of the fruits, seeds and seed, but reduced fruit length and sexual reproductive allocation under all the four densities. The duration of flowering was shortened and the weights of the fruits, seeds and seed, and sexual reproductive allocation were reduced under The highest density.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- YuSong Cao
- School of Life sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China
| | - Yian Xiao
- School of Life sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiqun Huang
- School of Life sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiancheng Xu
- School of Life sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenhai Hu
- School of Life sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Wang
- School of Life sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, 343009, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Alatalo JM, Jägerbrand AK, Molau U. Impacts of different climate change regimes and extreme climatic events on an alpine meadow community. Sci Rep 2016; 6:21720. [PMID: 26888225 PMCID: PMC4757884 DOI: 10.1038/srep21720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate variability is expected to increase in future but there exist very few experimental studies that apply different warming regimes on plant communities over several years. We studied an alpine meadow community under three warming regimes over three years. Treatments consisted of (a) a constant level of warming with open-top chambers (ca. 1.9 °C above ambient), (b) yearly stepwise increases in warming (increases of ca. 1.0, 1.9 and 3.5 °C), and (c) pulse warming, a single first-year pulse event of warming (increase of ca. 3.5 °C). Pulse warming and stepwise warming was hypothesised to cause distinct first-year and third-year effects, respectively. We found support for both hypotheses; however, the responses varied among measurement levels (whole community, canopy, bottom layer, and plant functional groups), treatments, and time. Our study revealed complex responses of the alpine plant community to the different experimentally imposed climate warming regimes. Plant cover, height and biomass frequently responded distinctly to the constant level of warming, the stepwise increase in warming and the extreme pulse-warming event. Notably, we found that stepwise warming had an accumulating effect on biomass, the responses to the different warming regimes varied among functional groups, and the short-term perturbations had negative effect on species richness and diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juha M. Alatalo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | - Annika K. Jägerbrand
- VTI, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, Box 55685, 102 15 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bonanomi G, Stinca A, Chirico GB, Ciaschetti G, Saracino A, Incerti G. Cushion plant morphology controls biogenic capability and facilitation effects of
Silene acaulis
along an elevation gradient. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giuliano Bonanomi
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | - Adriano Stinca
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | - Giovanni Battista Chirico
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | | | - Antonio Saracino
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | - Guido Incerti
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gussarova G, Allen GA, Mikhaylova Y, McCormick LJ, Mirré V, Marr KL, Hebda RJ, Brochmann C. Vicariance, long-distance dispersal, and regional extinction-recolonization dynamics explain the disjunct circumpolar distribution of the arctic-alpine plant Silene acaulis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2015; 102:1703-20. [PMID: 26437887 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Many arctic-alpine species have vast geographic ranges, but these may encompass substantial gaps whose origins are poorly understood. Here we address the phylogeographic history of Silene acaulis, a perennial cushion plant with a circumpolar distribution except for a large gap in Siberia. METHODS We assessed genetic variation in a range-wide sample of 103 populations using plastid DNA (pDNA) sequences and AFLPs (amplified fragment length polymorphisms). We constructed a haplotype network and performed Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on plastid sequences. We visualized AFLP patterns using principal coordinate analysis, identified genetic groups using the program structure, and estimated genetic diversity and rarity indices by geographic region. KEY RESULTS The history of the main pDNA lineages was estimated to span several glaciations. AFLP data revealed a distinct division between Beringia/North America and Europe/East Greenland. These two regions shared only one of 17 pDNA haplotypes. Populations on opposite sides of the Siberian range gap (Ural Mountains and Chukotka) were genetically distinct and appear to have resulted from postglacial leading-edge colonizations. We inferred two refugia in North America (Beringia and the southern Rocky Mountains) and two in Europe (central-southern Europe and northern Europe/East Greenland). Patterns in the East Atlantic region suggested transoceanic long-distance dispersal events. CONCLUSIONS Silene acaulis has a highly dynamic history characterized by vicariance, regional extinction, and recolonization, with persistence in at least four refugia. Long-distance dispersal explains patterns across the Atlantic Ocean, but we found no evidence of dispersal across the Siberian range gap.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Galina Gussarova
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway Department of Botany, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Geraldine A Allen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Yulia Mikhaylova
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway Laboratory of Biosystematics and Cytology, Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Laurie J McCormick
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Virginia Mirré
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Kendrick L Marr
- Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville St., Victoria, BC, V8W 9W2, Canada
| | - Richard J Hebda
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville St., Victoria, BC, V8W 9W2, Canada School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Christian Brochmann
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Alatalo JM, Little CJ, Jägerbrand AK, Molau U. Vascular plant abundance and diversity in an alpine heath under observed and simulated global change. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10197. [PMID: 25950370 PMCID: PMC4423496 DOI: 10.1038/srep10197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Global change is predicted to cause shifts in species distributions and biodiversity in arctic tundra. We applied factorial warming and nutrient manipulation to a nutrient and species poor alpine/arctic heath community for seven years. Vascular plant abundance in control plots increased by 31%. There were also notable changes in cover in the nutrient and combined nutrient and warming treatments, with deciduous and evergreen shrubs declining, grasses overgrowing these plots. Sedge abundance initially increased significantly with nutrient amendment and then declined, going below initial values in the combined nutrient and warming treatment. Nutrient addition resulted in a change in dominance hierarchy from deciduous shrubs to grasses. We found significant declines in vascular plant diversity and evenness in the warming treatment and a decline in diversity in the combined warming and nutrient addition treatment, while nutrient addition caused a decline in species richness. The results give some experimental support that species poor plant communities with low diversity may be more vulnerable to loss of species diversity than communities with higher initial diversity. The projected increase in nutrient deposition and warming may therefore have negative impacts on ecosystem processes, functioning and services due to loss of species diversity in an already impoverished environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juha M Alatalo
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
| | - Chelsea J Little
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
| | - Annika K Jägerbrand
- VTI, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, Box 55685, 102 15 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Alatalo JM, Little CJ, Jägerbrand AK, Molau U. Dominance hierarchies, diversity and species richness of vascular plants in an alpine meadow: contrasting short and medium term responses to simulated global change. PeerJ 2014; 2:e406. [PMID: 24883260 PMCID: PMC4034599 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the impact of simulated global change on a high alpine meadow plant community. Specifically, we examined whether short-term (5 years) responses are good predictors for medium-term (7 years) changes in the system by applying a factorial warming and nutrient manipulation to 20 plots in Latnjajaure, subarctic Sweden. Seven years of experimental warming and nutrient enhancement caused dramatic shifts in dominance hierarchies in response to the nutrient and the combined warming and nutrient enhancement treatments. Dominance hierarchies in the meadow moved from a community being dominated by cushion plants, deciduous, and evergreen shrubs to a community being dominated by grasses, sedges, and forbs. Short-term responses were shown to be inconsistent in their ability to predict medium-term responses for most functional groups, however, grasses showed a consistent and very substantial increase in response to nutrient addition over the seven years. The non-linear responses over time point out the importance of longer-term studies with repeated measurements to be able to better predict future changes. Forecasted changes to temperature and nutrient availability have implications for trophic interactions, and may ultimately influence the access to and palatability of the forage for grazers. Depending on what anthropogenic change will be most pronounced in the future (increase in nutrient deposits, warming, or a combination of them both), different shifts in community dominance hierarchies may occur. Generally, this study supports the productivity-diversity relationship found across arctic habitats, with community diversity peaking in mid-productivity systems and degrading as nutrient availability increases further. This is likely due the increasing competition in plant-plant interactions and the shifting dominance structure with grasses taking over the experimental plots, suggesting that global change could have high costs to biodiversity in the Arctic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juha M. Alatalo
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Visby, Sweden
| | - Chelsea J. Little
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Visby, Sweden
| | | | - Ulf Molau
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|