Climate Change & Alpine Plants: Effects of temperature and precipitation on alpine grasslands Western Norway Pascale Michel*, Vigdis Vandvik, Olav Skarpaas, Kari Klanderud * Ecology and Environmental Change Research Group Department of Biology
People & Acknowledgments Project leader Vigdis Vandvik (UiB) Collaborators Kari Klanderud (UMB) Olav Skarpaas (NINA) Øyvind Nordli (met.no) Matt I. Daws (RBG Kew) Zuzana Munzbergova (Charles Univ) Deborah Goldberg (Univ. of Michigan) Postdoc Pascale Michel Graduate students PhD: Eric Minieri; Joachim Spindelbock; Siri L. Olsen; Serge Farinas; John Guittar MSc: Tessa Bergmann; Astrid Berge; Christine Pötsch Funding NFR NORKLIMA Norwegian Research Council
The climatic grid temperature precipitation Spatial gradients: ~400 km 0 2100 m above sea level
The transplants temperature precipitation
The measurements Temperature (2m, 30cm, 0cm, -5cm) Precipitation (growing season) UVB radiation Soil moisture (temporal, spatial) Soil nutrients (N, C, P, stocks and rates) Biomass (annual cut) Environmental data
The measurements Demography of four species Plant community composition, fertility, cover, Seedling recruitment, seedbanks, seedrain, Seedsowing survival / invasibility Removal experiments (vegetation, graminoids) Microbial community composition & activity Biotic data
-1.0 1.0 SeedClim Vegetation Abiotic & biotic factors on vegetation composition Abiotic Soil ph, moisture and organic content Precipitation Temperature Biotic % cover vascular spp % cover of bryophytes, litter, and bare soil Mean vegetation height Precipitation Moisture ph ph LOI LOI Bryo Height Temperature Temp Litter -1.0 1.5 Vascular plant composition alpine intermediate lowland Precipitation levels very low Low Intermediate High
Vegetation Biotic & abiotic factors on vegetation composition Abiotic Soil ph, moisture and organic content Biotic % cover of bryophytes and litter; mean vegetation height Temperature Temperature Precipitation Precipitation
Vegetation Biotic & abiotic factors on species richness Abiotic Soil ph, moisture and organic content Biotic % cover of bryophytes and litter; mean vegetation height Temperature Temperature Precipitation Precipitation
Vegetation Biotic & abiotic factors on vegetation Plant composition in the landscape primarily driven by climate (temperature & precipitation) secondary driven by a set of biotic & abiotic factors Climate change is likely to act on these interactions: strong effect of temperature weak effect of precipitation biotic factors more important towards warmer sites, abiotic factors more important towards colder sites Plant composition and species richness responding more to % vegetation cover and height as temperature increases species competition and interactions
Seedling recruitment Gap + shelter Gap 25 cm x 25 cm Control Gap: facititate natural regeneration Seed shelter: prevent seedrain to germinate in the gaps Berge A. 2010. MSc Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway
Seedling recruitment 126 gaps and 63 seed-shelters Map of vegetation in a 10 m radius Seedlings tagged and identified to sp. Recordings: winter survival in June new seedlings late August Berge A. 2010. MSc Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway
Number Germinated SeedClim Seedling recruitment in closed vegetation Treatment Control 50 40 0-27 seedlings per plot Very Low Low Intermediate High 30 20 10 0 6 7 8 9 10 Astrid Berge, MSc Tetraterm temperature Berge A. 2010. MSc Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway
Seedling recruitment Number Germinated in disturbed vegetation (non sheltered) Treatment Gap 200 150 0-221 seedlings per plot 47% higher in driest than wettest Very Low Low Intermediate High 100 50 0 Astrid Berge, MSc 6 7 8 9 10 Tetraterm temperature Berge A. 2010. MSc Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway
Seedling recruitment in closed vegetation Highest in cold or dry climate By 2050: warmer, wetter 27% dispersal, colonisation inhibited in disturbed vegetation Highest in warm dry climate By 2050: warmer, wetter +51% dispersal, colonisation facilitated Astrid Berge, MSc control by degree of competition in surrounding vegetation Berge A. 2010. MSc Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway
Seedling recruitment Astrid Berge, MSc Impacts of climate + grazing control by degree of competition in surrounding vegetation Berge A. 2010. MSc Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway
Plant growth Generalist Veronica officinalis Heath speedwell Alpine Viola palustris Marsh violet Carex pallescens Pale sedge Veronica alpina Alpine speedwell Viola biflora Arctic yellow violet Drawing from Klimešová & Klimeš (1998), and Mossberg, B. et al. (1995) Carex capillaris Hair sedge Bergmann T 2009. MSc thesis and Pötsch C 2010. MSc thesis, University of Bergen
Plant growth 14-30 individuals Inflorescences Stems Leaves Roots Total biomass Variation in plant parts were in all cases more strongly related to total biomass than any of the other variables Total biomass - lower in alpine plants than lowland plants - higher in Carex than in Viola and Veronica Larger plants generally had more roots, stems, leaves and potential fruits Small plants have the largest variability of all plant Skarpaas et al. (submited manuscript)
log2( leaf biomass (mg) ) 0 5 10 log2( reproductive biomass (mg) ) 0 5 10 log2( root biomass (mg) ) 0 5 10 log2( stem biomass (mg) ) 0 5 10 SeedClim Plant growth Species Alpine Lowland Veronica alpina Veronica officinalis Viola biflora Viola palustris Carex capillaris Carex pallescens Root allometry Total annual precipitation 1000 mm 2500 mm Total annual precipitation 1000 mm 2500 mm Stem allometry Root Stem 0 5 10 Leaf allometry Mean summer temperature 6 11 log2( total biomass (mg) ) 0 5 10 Mean summer temperature 6 11 log2( Flower total biomass allometry (mg) ) Leaf 0 5 10 Log log2( 2 (total biomass biomass (mg) ) (mg)) 0 5 10 Log 2 (total log2( total biomass (mg) (mg)) ) Flower Skarpaas et al. (submited manuscript)
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 L F 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 S R SeedClim Resource allocation Root allocation Root Stem allocation Total annual precipitation 1000 2500 Habitat affinity Alpine Lowland Stem Leaf allocation 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Leaf Mean summer temperature 5 6 7 Flower 8 allocation 9 10 11 12 Flower Mean summer temperature 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Temperature ( C) Mean summer temperature 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Temperature ( C) Mean summer temperature Skarpaas et al. (submited manuscript)
Plant growth & Resource allocation TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION sp that allocate more to roots (alpine) Effects of both temperature and precipitation total plant biomass (20% per C) size of leaves size of flowers Community level: sp that allocate more to leaves (lowland) Individual species level: Leaf allocation Root allocation Stem allocation Flower allocation ALLOMETRY ALLOCATION Skarpaas et al. (submited manuscript)
Summary & Conclusions Effects of both temperature & precipitation act a different stages of plant life Plant growth & resource allocation Larger and heavier plants, with larger leaves Species that allocate more to leaves and less to roots Increase in allocation to flower Plant community: increased biomass and more important role of biotic interactions Reduced seedling recruitment Climate effects induced by changes in productivity and species interactions Grazing affects vegetation responses
Thank you for your attention Astrid Berge, MSc