Geomorphic Determinants of Species Composition of Alpine Tundra, Glacier National Park, U.S.A.

Malanson, George P.; Bengtson, Lindsey E.; Fagre, Daniel B.

doi:10.1657/1938-4246-44.2.197

Cited by 30 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Indeed, many studies have found that the alpine flora is moving upwards likely as a result of climate warming (Grabherr et al 1994, Walther et al 2005, Jurasinski and Kreyling 2007, Lenoir et al 2008, Parolo and Rossi 2008, Felde et al 2012. However, variability in responses across mountain systems has caused some to challenge the assumption that climate change will cause a general uphill migration of plant species (Randin et al 2009, Engler et al 2011, Malanson et al 2012. One reason for the call to refine the uphill migration paradigm is that alpine plant species distributions are limited by a complex suite of environmental factors rather than solely by temperature (Callaghan et al 2011, Gottfried et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in alpine vegetation over 21 years: Are patterns across a heterogeneous landscape consistent with predictions?

et al. 2013

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Abstract. One significant unanswered question about biotic responses to climate change is how plant communities within topographically complex landscapes will respond to climate change. Alpine plant communities are strongly influenced by topographic microclimates which can either buffer or compound the effects of more regional climatic changes. Here, we analyzed species changes over 20þ years in a complex alpine landscape with pronounced gradients in microtopography and consequently large variation in temperatures, snow depths, and nitrogen availability across small (10 m) scales. Using data from long-term monitoring plots from six community types, we asked how species composition and functional diversity changed over time in these different areas of the landscape, and whether fine-scale heterogeneity allowed species to move in response to temporal changes in the environment. We found sitewide patterns of increasing species and functional diversity. However, the majority of variability in composition over time was non-directional, both within and between community types. Within community types, Carex-dominated snow banks and wet meadow communities were the most variable in composition over time, while Sibbaldia-dominated snow banks, fellfield, dry meadow and moist meadow exhibited moderate change. Over forty percent of the plots also transitioned between community types during the census intervals, but these also were largely transient, with a shift occurring in one time interval and then shifting back in the next interval. Thus, even with evidence of directional change over time in climate, N deposition, and release from grazing, vegetation is tracking finer-scale variability both in time and space. Environmental heterogeneity may allow vegetation to track this finer-scale variability and enhance resilience to underlying directional changes in alpine and other topographically-complex environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in alpine vegetation over 21 years: Are patterns across a heterogeneous landscape consistent with predictions?

et al. 2013

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“…Soil temperature and soil moisture are key drivers of ecosystem functioning (Johnson and Billings, 1962;Bertoldi et al, 2010;Cahoon et al, 2012), geomorphological activity (Broll et al, 1999;French, 2007;Malanson et al, 2012) and human activities (Post et al, 2009) in arctic-alpine environments. Soil temperature and moisture have fundamental effects on the abiotic and biotic processes determining, for example, microbial activity, biochemical and carbon cycling, nutrient availability, plant growth and reproduction, and earth surface processes (Chapin, 1983;Lloyd and Taylor, 1994;Hodkinson et al, 1999;French, 2007;Starr et al, 2008;Pape et al, 2009;Saito et al, 2009;Legates et al, 2010;Olefeldt et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation Mediates Soil Temperature and Moisture in Arctic-Alpine Environments

Aalto

Roux

Luoto

2013

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…Changes in high-elevation tree cover will, thus, result from modifications on any of these controlling processes. Although topography and geomorphology have been identified as important in setting the observed heterogeneity of highelevation mountain tree cover (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), the effect of geomorphology on present and future high-elevation tree cover remains unquantified, and site-based studies overwhelmingly treat terrain physiognomy as a uniform neutral background. To address these questions, we conducted a statistical modeling exercise of tree presence at high spatial resolution (10 m) over a ∼100-km 2 area comprising the geologic and geomorphic diversity found in the Front Ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains of Alberta ( Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

Warming-induced upslope advance of subalpine forest is severely limited by geomorphic processes

Macias‐Fauria

Johnson

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

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Forests are expected to expand into alpine areas because of climate warming, causing land-cover change and fragmentation of alpine habitats. However, this expansion will only occur if the present upper treeline is limited by low-growing season temperatures that reduce plant growth. This temperature limitation has not been quantified at a landscape scale. Here, we show that temperature alone cannot realistically explain high-elevation tree cover over a >100-km 2 area in the Canadian Rockies and that geologic/geomorphic processes are fundamental to understanding the heterogeneous landscape distribution of trees. Furthermore, upslope tree advance in a warmer scenario will be severely limited by availability of sites with adequate geomorphic/topographic characteristics. Our results imply that landscape-to-regional scale projections of warming-induced, high-elevation forest advance into alpine areas should not be based solely on temperature-sensitive, site-specific upper-treeline studies but also on geomorphic processes that control tree occurrence at long (centuries/millennia) timescales.biogeoscience | forest ecology | climate change | niche modeling | remote sensing I n line with observations of significant temperature-related upward shifts in plant and animal species optimum elevation during the 20th century (1), future climate warming in mountain ecosystems is expected to cause an upward movement of tree cover. This upward forest expansion would effectively shrink the extent of alpine tundra, possibly causing species loss and ecosystem degradation through greater fragmentation (2-4), as well as a minor feedback on climate through increased carbon sequestration in subalpine forests (2). These predictions stem from upper treeline studies (5-8), which dominate research on tree cover in the alpine/subalpine region of mountain landscapes and overwhelmingly focus on the physiological temperature (T) limitation of tree growth (6, 9, 10) on specific kinds of sites. Although seldom described, typical site-based upper treeline studies have been performed away from cliffs, talus slopes, avalanche paths, incisive features, and bedrock and on gentle to moderately steep colluvium-mantled slopes with regolith where fieldwork is feasible and the climate signal maximized.Tree presence depends on successful recruitment, establishment, and growth (11,12), and these demographic processes are largely controlled by the availability and stability of substrate and the local energy and hydrological budgets. Changes in high-elevation tree cover will, thus, result from modifications on any of these controlling processes. Although topography and geomorphology have been identified as important in setting the observed heterogeneity of highelevation mountain tree cover (13-19), the effect of geomorphology on present and future high-elevation tree cover remains unquantified, and site-based studies overwhelmingly treat terrain physiognomy as a uniform neutral background. To address these questions, we conducted a statistical modeling exercise o...

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Geomorphic Determinants of Species Composition of Alpine Tundra, Glacier National Park, U.S.A.

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 30 publications

References 74 publications

Changes in alpine vegetation over 21 years: Are patterns across a heterogeneous landscape consistent with predictions?

Changes in alpine vegetation over 21 years: Are patterns across a heterogeneous landscape consistent with predictions?

Vegetation Mediates Soil Temperature and Moisture in Arctic-Alpine Environments

Warming-induced upslope advance of subalpine forest is severely limited by geomorphic processes

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