Climate change and oceanic mountain vegetation: a case study of the montane heath and associated plant communities in western Irish mountains

Hodd, R. L.; Skeffington, M. J. Sheehy

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511974540.022

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Associated with shallow mineral soils, the heaths are also found on areas of loose rock and coarse sediment on mountaintops and ridges (Zaghi 2008). Alpine heaths develop above the natural altitudinal tree line, whereas boreal heaths develop below the tree line in gaps among scrubby high-altitude woodland, although this distinction is not clear in oceanic areas (Hodd & Sheehy Skeffington 2011a).…”

Section: Alpine and Boreal Heathsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, projections from different climate models vary markedly, and local processes for upland regions are poorly captured (Coll 2010; hence, more localised modelling studies are required to inform management decisions. The oceanic upland habitats of Ireland and Scotland and their associated oceanic species and vegetation are of high conservation value but are also considered vulnerable to climate change , 2014a, Hodd & Sheehy Skeffington 2011a. Heathlands are typically communities that flourish in oceanic climates both at altitudes above the tree line and at sea level (Crawford 2008).…”

Section: Conservation Importance Of Maritime Uplandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heathlands are typically communities that flourish in oceanic climates both at altitudes above the tree line and at sea level (Crawford 2008). A fuller account of species assemblages for Irish montane heaths is provided in Hodd & Sheehy Skeffington (2011a), and a review of drivers of change for heaths in Fagúndez (2013). Heath communities have a restricted global distribution and support many species of limited distribution in Europe; consequently, Ireland has a special responsibility under the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) to conserve them (Holden et al 2007).…”

Section: Conservation Importance Of Maritime Uplandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alpine and boreal heath in good condition is typically dominated by a range of low-growing, wind-clipped dwarf shrubs, but in oceanic areas, dwarf shrub cover is often low, with the moss Racomitrium lanuginosum becoming dominant (Hodd & Sheehy Skeffington 2011a, Perrin et al 2014. Irish alpine and boreal heath is confined largely to the mountain areas, with a limited distribution in Northern Ireland (Fig.…”

Section: Alpine and Boreal Heathsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Model-based results from Scotland also indicate major shifts in seasonal isotherms associated with upland zones (Coll 2007. However, while some tree encroachment into the sub-alpine zone is possible, this is unlikely to occur since tree lines in Ireland are significantly affected by wind (Hodd & Sheehy Skeffington 2011a). Thus, the interaction between local topography and possible wind field changes is likely to remain a more significant local control for Ireland, while future management regimes, particularly grazing levels, will also be important.…”

Section: Alpine and Boreal Heathsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Projected climate change impacts on upland heaths in Ireland

Coll¹,

Bourke²,

Hodd³

et al. 2016

Clim. Res.

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Heathland habitats in Ireland occur primarily in an oceanic setting which is strongly influenced by changes in the climate. Because of the oceanic environment, Ireland has a high proportion of the northern Atlantic wet heaths and alpine and boreal heaths of high conservation value within Europe. Future climate change is widely expected to place additional pressure on these systems. Seven bioclimatic envelope modelling techniques implemented in the BIOMOD modelling framework were used to model wet heath and alpine and boreal heath distributions in Ireland. The 1961-1990 baseline models closely matched the observed distribution and emphasise the strong dependency on climate. Mean winter precipitation, mean winter temperature and elevation were found to be important model components. The fitted model's discrimination ability was assessed using the area under the curve; a receiver operating characteristic plot; the true skill statistic; and Cohen's kappa. A BIOMOD ensemble prediction from all the models was used to project changes based on a climate change scenario for 2031-2060 dynamically downscaled from the Hadley Centre HadCM3-Q16 global climate model. The climate change projections for the individual models change markedly from the consistent baseline predictions. Although the consensus models project gains in climate space for both habitats in other parts of the country, new habitat formation in these areas is unlikely, as current (and hence near-future) land use and other conditions are not likely to favour expansion.

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Section: Alpine and Boreal Heathsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Conservation Importance Of Maritime Uplandsmentioning

confidence: 99%