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Cantera I, Carteron A, Guerrieri A, Marta S, Bonin A, Ambrosini R, Anthelme F, Azzoni RS, Almond P, Alviz Gazitúa P, Cauvy-Fraunié S, Ceballos Lievano JL, Chand P, Chand Sharma M, Clague J, Cochachín Rapre JA, Compostella C, Cruz Encarnación R, Dangles O, Eger A, Erokhin S, Franzetti A, Gielly L, Gili F, Gobbi M, Hågvar S, Khedim N, Meneses RI, Peyre G, Pittino F, Rabatel A, Urseitova N, Yang Y, Zaginaev V, Zerboni A, Zimmer A, Taberlet P, Diolaiuti GA, Poulenard J, Thuiller W, Caccianiga M, Ficetola GF. The importance of species addition 'versus' replacement varies over succession in plant communities after glacier retreat. NATURE PLANTS 2024; 10:256-267. [PMID: 38233559 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01609-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying plant succession remain highly debated. Due to the local scope of most studies, we lack a global quantification of the relative importance of species addition 'versus' replacement. We assessed the role of these processes in the variation (β-diversity) of plant communities colonizing the forelands of 46 retreating glaciers worldwide, using both environmental DNA and traditional surveys. Our findings indicate that addition and replacement concur in determining community changes in deglaciated sites, but their relative importance varied over time. Taxa addition dominated immediately after glacier retreat, as expected in harsh environments, while replacement became more important for late-successional communities. These changes were aligned with total β-diversity changes, which were more pronounced between early-successional communities than between late-successional communities (>50 yr since glacier retreat). Despite the complexity of community assembly during plant succession, the observed global pattern suggests a generalized shift from the dominance of facilitation and/or stochastic processes in early-successional communities to a predominance of competition later on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Cantera
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
| | - Alexis Carteron
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Université de Toulouse, Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan, UMR INRAE-INPT DYNAFOR, Toulouse, France
| | - Alessia Guerrieri
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Argaly, Bâtiment CleanSpace, Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac, France
| | - Silvio Marta
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Aurélie Bonin
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Argaly, Bâtiment CleanSpace, Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac, France
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabien Anthelme
- Laboratory AMAP, IRD, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier, France
| | - Roberto Sergio Azzoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra 'Ardito Desio', Milano, Italy
| | - Peter Almond
- Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Pablo Alviz Gazitúa
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Chile
| | | | | | - Pritam Chand
- Department of Geography, School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, VPO- Ghudda, Bathinda, Punjab, India
| | - Milap Chand Sharma
- Centre for the Study of Regional Development - School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - John Clague
- Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Olivier Dangles
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Andre Eger
- Mannaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Soils and Landscapes, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Sergey Erokhin
- Institute of Water Problems and Hydro-Energy, Kyrgyz National Academy of Sciences, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Andrea Franzetti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT), - University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Ludovic Gielly
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
| | - Fabrizio Gili
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Mauro Gobbi
- Research and Museum Collections Office, Climate and Ecology Unit, MUSE-Science Museum, Trento, Italy
| | - Sigmund Hågvar
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (INA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø Museum, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Norine Khedim
- Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, EDYTEM, Chambéry, France
| | - Rosa Isela Meneses
- Herbario Nacional de Bolivia: La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia
- Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Gwendolyn Peyre
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of the Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Francesca Pittino
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT), - University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Antoine Rabatel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), Grenoble, France
| | - Nurai Urseitova
- Institute of Water Problems and Hydro-Energy, Kyrgyz National Academy of Sciences, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Yan Yang
- Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Vitalii Zaginaev
- Mountain Societies Research Institute, University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Andrea Zerboni
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra 'Ardito Desio', Milano, Italy
| | - Anaïs Zimmer
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Pierre Taberlet
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø Museum, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Jerome Poulenard
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Wilfried Thuiller
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
| | - Marco Caccianiga
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Gentile Francesco Ficetola
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
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Zimmer A, Beach T, Riva Regalado S, Salcedo Aliaga J, Cruz Encarnación R, Anthelme F. Llamas (Llama glama) enhance proglacial ecosystem development in Cordillera Blanca, Peru. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15936. [PMID: 37743358 PMCID: PMC10518316 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41458-x] [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: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, mountain glaciers are shrinking rapidly. Consequently, large areas are becoming available for the development of novel alpine ecosystems. These harsh environments, however, delay primary succession. In this study with a local community, we conducted an inclusion experiment to investigate whether Llama glama influences soils and vegetation primary succession following glacial retreat. At the foot of the Uruashraju glacier in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (~ 4680 m.a.s.l.), we established four llama inclusion plots and four control plots that we studied from 2019 to 2022, 24-40 years after deglacierization. After three years, the llama plots had significantly increased soil organic carbon and soil nitrogen. In the llama plots, we found a large, significant increase in vascular plant cover (+ 57%) between the second and third years of experimentation, and we identified four new species that were not present in 2019. Our results suggest that Llama glama, through their latrine behavior and role as a seed disperser, enhances the primary succession and novel ecosystem formation in recently deglacierized landscapes. Our study provides scientific support that rewilding of native Andean camelids may favor adaptation to glacier retreat and inform conservation and management strategies in proglacial landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Zimmer
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Timothy Beach
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Sebastián Riva Regalado
- Laboratorio de Florística, Departamento de Dicotiledóneas, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Jean Salcedo Aliaga
- Departamento de Etnobotánica y Botánica Económica, Museo de Historia Natural. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Rolando Cruz Encarnación
- Área de Evaluación de Glaciares y Lagunas, Autoridad Nacional del Agua, Huaraz, Peru
- Universidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo, Huaraz, Peru
| | - Fabien Anthelme
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, Montpellier, France
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Suárez E, Hribljan JA, Chimbolema S, Harvey K, Triana V, Zurita JE, Jaramillo R, Doskocil LG. Vegetation structure and aboveground biomass of Páramo peatlands along a high-elevation gradient in the northern Ecuadorian Andes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1102340. [PMID: 37223780 PMCID: PMC10200889 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1102340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The high-elevation peatlands of the páramos of the northern Andes constitute a diverse environment that harbors large numbers of species and several types of plant communities along altitudinal, latitudinal, and environmental gradients. However, little is known about the structure and functioning of these ecosystems, including peatland vegetation types and their relative contribution to the production and accumulation of peat soils. In this paper we characterized the structure of peatland plant communities of the humid páramos of northern Ecuador by describing the distribution of plant growth-forms and their aboveground biomass patterns. Along an elevation gradient of 640 m we sampled vegetation in 16 peatlands and aboveground biomass in four peatlands. Three distinct peatland vegetation types were identified: High elevation Cushion peatlands, dominated by Plantago rigida and Distichia muscoides, Sedge and rush peatlands dominated by Carex spp. and Juncus spp., and Herbaceous and shrubby peatlands, with a more heterogenous and structurally complex vegetation. In terms of aboveground biomass, we found an 8-fold reduction in the higher peatlands compared to the lower sites, suggesting that the steep elevational gradients characteristic of Andean environments might be crucial in structuring the physiognomy and composition of peatland vegetation, either through its effects on temperature and other environmental factors, or through its effects on the age and development of soils. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the potential effects of temperature, hydrology, micro-topography, geological setting, and land-use, which are likely to influence vegetation patters in these peatlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Suárez
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - John A. Hribljan
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Segundo Chimbolema
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Katie Harvey
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Victoria Triana
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan E. Zurita
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Ricardo Jaramillo
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lenka G. Doskocil
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Biósfera, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
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Mota JF, Martínez-Hernández F, Salmerón-Sánchez E, Mendoza-Fernández AJ, Pérez-García FJ, Merlo ME. Spontaneous Primary Succession and Vascular Plant Recovery in the Iberian Gypsum Quarries: Insights for Ecological Restoration in an EU Priority Habitat. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1162. [PMID: 36904023 PMCID: PMC10006988 DOI: 10.3390/plants12051162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Gypsum covers a vast area of the Iberian Peninsula, making Spain a leader in its production. Gypsum is a fundamental raw material for modern societies. However, gypsum quarries have an obvious impact on the landscape and biodiversity. Gypsum outcrops host a high percentage of endemic plants and unique vegetation, considered a priority by the EU. Restoring gypsum areas after mining is a key strategy to prevent biodiversity loss. For the implementation of restoration approaches, understanding vegetation's successional processes can be of invaluable help. To fully document the spontaneous succession in gypsum quarries and to evaluate its interest for restoration, 10 permanent plots of 20 × 50 m were proposed, with nested subplots, in which vegetation change was recorded for 13 years in Almeria (Spain). Through Species-Area Relationships (SARs), these plots' floristic changes were monitored and compared to others in which an active restoration was carried out, as well as others with natural vegetation. Furthermore, the successional pattern found was compared to those recorded in 28 quarries distributed throughout the Spanish territory. The results show that an ecological pattern of spontaneous primary auto-succession is widely recurring in Iberian gypsum quarries, which is capable of regenerating the pre-existing natural vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Francisco Mota
- Department of Biology and Geology, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - M. Encarna Merlo
- Department of Biology and Geology, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
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Llambí LD, Melfo A, Gámez LE, Pelayo RC, Cárdenas M, Rojas C, Torres JE, Ramírez N, Huber B, Hernández J. Vegetation Assembly, Adaptive Strategies and Positive Interactions During Primary Succession in the Forefield of the Last Venezuelan Glacier. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.657755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Glaciers are receding at unprecedented rates in the alpine tropics, opening-up new areas for ecosystem assembly. However, little is known about the patterns/mechanisms of primary succession during the last stages of glacier retreat in tropical mountains. Our aim was to analyze soil development and vegetation assembly during primary succession, and the role of changing adaptive strategies and facilitative interactions on these processes at the forefront of the last Venezuelan glacier (Humboldt Peak, 4,940 m asl). We established a chronosequence of four sites where the glacier retreated between 1910 and 2009. We compared soil organic matter (SOM), nutrients and temperatures inside vs. outside biological soil crusts (BSCs) at each site, estimated the cover of lichen, bryophyte and vascular plant species present, and analyzed changes in their growth-form abundance and species/functional turnover. We also evaluated local spatial associations between lichens/bryophytes and the dominant ruderal vascular plant (the grass Poa petrosa). We found a progressive increase in SOM during the first century of succession, while BSCs only had a positive buffering effect on superficial soil temperatures. Early seral stages were dominated by lichens and bryophytes, while vascular plant cover remained low during the first six decades, and was almost exclusively represented by wind dispersed/pollinated grasses. There was a general increase in species richness along the chronosequence, but it declined in late succession for lichens. Lichen and bryophyte communities exhibited a higher species turnover than vascular plants, resulting in the loss of some pioneer specialists as succession progressed. Lichen and bryophyte species were positively associated with safe-sites for the colonization of the dominant ruderal grass, suggesting a possible facilitation effect. Our results indicate that lichens and bryophytes play a key role as pioneers in these high tropical alpine environments. The limited initial colonization of vascular plants and the progressive accumulation of species and growth-forms (i.e., direct succession) could be linked to a combination of severe environmental filtering during early seral stages and limitations for zoochoric seed dispersal and entomophilic/ornithophilic pollination. This could potentially result in a slow successional response of these ecosystems to accelerated glacier loss and climate change.
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Duchicela SA, Cuesta F, Tovar C, Muriel P, Jaramillo R, Salazar E, Pinto E. Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.673655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to warming, changes in microclimatic temperatures have shifted plant community structure and dynamics in tundra and alpine regions. The directionality and magnitude of these changes are less known for tropical alpine ecosystems. To understand the likely trajectory of these shifts in the Andes, we conducted a warming experiment in the northern Andes—using open-top chambers (OTC). In this study, we ask (1) how do OTCs affect air and soil temperatures in microclimates of tropical alpine regions, year-round and during the dry season? (2) What are the effects of 7 years of warming on (a) the aboveground biomass (AGB) and (b) the plant taxonomic and growth form diversity? We installed five monitoring blocks in 2012 at ca. 4,200 m asl with 20 OTCs and 50 control plots randomly distributed within each block. We measured AGB, plant community diversity, and growth form diversity between 2014 and 2019. After 7 years of warming, we found significant increases in mean monthly (+0.24°C), daily (+0.16°C), and night air temperatures (+0.33°C) inside the OTCs, and the OTCs intensified microclimatic conditions during the dry season. Additionally, OTCs attenuated extreme temperatures—particularly in the soil—and the number of freezing events. AGB significantly increased in OTCs, and by 2019, it was 27% higher in OTCs than in control. These changes were driven mainly by a progressive increment of tussock grasses such as Calamagrostis intermedia, typical of lower elevations. The increase of tussocks led to a significant decrease in species diversity and evenness inside OTCs, but not in species richness after accounting by sampling time. Furthermore, cushions and herbs decreased inside OTCs. Our results show that experimental warming using OTCs in equatorial regions leads to decreased daily thermal amplitude and night temperatures rather than the level of increase in mean temperatures observed in temperate regions. The increase of tussocks and decrease in diversity of species and growth forms due to prolonged modifications in microclimatic temperature might be a step toward shrub-dominated ecosystems. Further research on this topic would help understand shifts in growth form dominance and the direction and rate of change of the system.
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