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Clarke CL, Edwards ME, Gielly L, Ehrich D, Hughes PDM, Morozova LM, Haflidason H, Mangerud J, Svendsen JI, Alsos IG. Persistence of arctic-alpine flora during 24,000 years of environmental change in the Polar Urals. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19613. [PMID: 31873100 PMCID: PMC6927971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55989-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants adapted to extreme conditions can be at high risk from climate change; arctic-alpine plants, in particular, could "run out of space" as they are out-competed by expansion of woody vegetation. Mountain regions could potentially provide safe sites for arctic-alpine plants in a warmer climate, but empirical evidence is fragmentary. Here we present a 24,000-year record of species persistence based on sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye (Polar Urals). We provide robust evidence of long-term persistence of arctic-alpine plants through large-magnitude climate changes but document a decline in their diversity during a past expansion of woody vegetation. Nevertheless, most of the plants that were present during the last glacial interval, including all of the arctic-alpines, are still found in the region today. This underlines the conservation significance of mountain landscapes via their provision of a range of habitats that confer resilience to climate change, particularly for arctic-alpine taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- C L Clarke
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | - M E Edwards
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - L Gielly
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), Université Grenoble Alpes, C2 40700 38058, Grenoble, Cedex 9, France
| | - D Ehrich
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, NO-9037, Norway
| | - P D M Hughes
- School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - L M Morozova
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | - H Haflidason
- Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, Bergen, 5007, Norway
| | - J Mangerud
- Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, Bergen, 5007, Norway
| | - J I Svendsen
- Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, Bergen, 5007, Norway
| | - I G Alsos
- Tromsø University Museum, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
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Anderson K, Bennie JJ, Milton EJ, Hughes PDM, Lindsay R, Meade R. Combining LiDAR and IKONOS data for eco-hydrological classification of an ombrotrophic peatland. J Environ Qual 2010; 39:260-273. [PMID: 20048314 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2009.0093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Remote sensing techniques have potential for peatland monitoring, but most previous work has focused on spectral approaches that often result in poor discrimination of cover types and neglect structural information. Peatlands contain structural "microtopes" (e.g., hummocks and hollows) which are linked to hydrology, biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and information on surface structure is thus a useful proxy for peatland condition. The objective of this work was to develop and test a new eco-hydrological mapping technique for ombrotrophic (rain-fed) peatlands using a combined spectral-structural remote sensing approach. The study site was Wedholme Flow, Cumbria, UK. Airborne light dectection and ranging (LiDAR) data were used with IKONOS data in a combined multispectral-structural approach for mapping peatland condition classes. LiDAR data were preprocessed so that spatial estimates of minimum and maximum land surface height, variance and semi-variance (from semi-variogram analysis) were extracted. These were assimilated alongside IKONOS data into a maximum likelihood classification procedure, and thematic outputs were compared. Ecological survey data were used to validate the results. Considerable improvements in thematic separation of peatland classes were achieved when spatially-distributed measurements of LiDAR variance or semi-variance were included. Specifically, the classification accuracy improved from 71.8% (IKONOS data only) to 88.0% when a LiDAR semi-variance product was used. Of note was the improved delineation of management classes (including Eriophorum bog, active raised bog and degraded raised bog). The application of a combined textural-optical approach can improve land cover mapping in areas where reliance on purely spectral discrimination approaches would otherwise result in considerable thematic uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Anderson
- School of Geography, Univ. of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Tremough, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ.
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