Methods for measuring arctic and alpine shrub growth: A review

Myers‐Smith, Isla H.; Hallinger, Martin; Blok, Daan; Sass‐Klaassen, Ute; Rayback, Shelly A.; Weijers, Stef; Trant, Andrew J.; Tape, Ken D.; Naito, Adam T.; Wipf, Sonja; Rixen, Christian; Dawes, Melissa A.; Wheeler, Julia A.; Buchwał, Agata; Baittinger, Claudia; Macias‐Fauria, Marc; Forbes, Bruce C.; Lévesque, Esther; Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie; Beil, Ilka; Ravolainen, Virve; Wilmking, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2014.10.004

Cited by 132 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…In these treeless areas, shrubs are the only woody species that have been shown to record changes in climatic conditions in their growth rings (Walker, 1987;Srur and Villalba, 2009;García-Cervigón et al, 2012;Gazol and Camarero, 2012;Liang et al, 2012;Rayback et al, 2012;Myers-Smith et al, 2015). However, studies on willows have mainly focused on the High Arctic where shrub encroachment has been taken as a response to climate warming (Sturm et al, 2001;Forbes et al, 2010;Schmidt et al, 2010;Blok et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Summer Temperature Drives Radial Growth of Alpine Shrub Willows on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Huang

Wang

et al. 2016

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, little is known about the growth performance of alpine willow and their responses to climate (cf. Myers-Smith et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Summer Temperature Drives Radial Growth of Alpine Shrub Willows on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Huang

Wang

et al. 2016

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…Dendrochronology is a useful tool to explore the longterm relationship between climate and shrub growth and expansion (Bär et al 2008;Myers-Smith et al 2011, 2015b. Woody plants living under extreme conditions, such as shrubs in the Arctic, usually respond sensitively to climatic variability in their vertical and radial growth (Bradley and Jones 1992;Mäkinen et al 2003;MyersSmith et al 2015a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of summer precipitation and summer temperature in establishment and growth of dwarf shrub Betula nana in northeast Siberian tundra

Heijmans

Berendse

et al. 2015

Polar Biol

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It is widely believed that deciduous tundrashrub dominance is increasing in the pan-Arctic region, mainly due to rising temperature. We sampled dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) at a northeastern Siberian tundra site and used dendrochronological methods to explore the relationship between climatic variables and local shrub dominance. We found that establishment of shrub ramets was positively related to summer precipitation, which implies that the current high dominance of B. nana at our study site could be related to high summer precipitation in the period from 1960 to 1990. The results confirmed that early summer temperature is most influential to annual growth rates of B. nana. In addition, summer precipitation stimulated shrub growth in years with warm summers, suggesting that B. nana growth may be co-limited by summer moisture supply. The dual controlling role of temperature and summer precipitation on B. nana growth and establishment is important to predict future climate-driven vegetation dynamics in the Arctic tundra.

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“…These techniques were first developed for trees (Stokes and Smiley 1968), but dendrochronological methods can also be applied to shrubs and even herbaceous plants if appropriate protocols are employed (Schweingruber and Poschlod 2005). Interest in shrub dendrochronology has increased rapidly in recent years, especially for alpine and arctic ecosystems experiencing shrub invasion related to global warming (Myers-Smith et al 2015). Recent studies on shrubs of arid and semi-arid ecosystems are less common (e.g., Milton et al 1997, Seligman and Zelman 2000, Poore et al 2009, Srur and Villalba 2009, Olano et al 2011, Eugenio et al 2012, Génova et al 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms for maintenance of dominance in a nonclonal desert shrub

2015

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Abstract. Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae) is a slow-growing, non-clonal shrub that is regionally dominant on xeric, shallow soils in the North American Mojave Desert-Great Basin transition zone and southern Colorado Plateau. Blackbrush seed production is concentrated in mast years, and most seeds are cached and later consumed by heteromyid rodents. Vegetation histories show that blackbrush stands can persist apparently unchanged for over a century. We used dendrochronological techniques to examine plant age distributions, recruitment patterns and growth rates, to ascertain how blackbrush achieves this long-term population stability. Our study addressed the following questions: (1) What is the role of within-clump recruitment in long-term patterns of clump persistence? Do blackbrush clumps accrue new cohorts through time? (2) How does recruitment vary temporally, specifically in relation to years of mast seed production and climate variability? (3) What impact does intra-specific competition have on plant growth rates? To address these questions, we aged stems from 208 clumps in five Mojave Desert and four Colorado Plateau populations. Individual plant age estimates ranged from 3 to 122 years. Clumps comprised of multiple-aged cohorts were ubiquitous. Within clumps, plant and cohort number increased with clump age, suggesting a steady accumulation of new cohorts over time. Clumps in Colorado Plateau populations accumulated cohorts at a significantly faster rate than clumps in Mojave Desert populations. Recruitment occurred in relatively frequent pulses. It was only partially synchronized with mast years, with some seedling establishment following years of low seed production. Individuals that recruited into established clumps averaged half the radial growth rate of individuals that recruited into openings. Blackbrush recruitment is bimodal, with initial colonization of open spaces from rodent caches but with long-term clump persistence a product of periodic, within-clump recruitment of new plants. This dual recruitment strategy provides a mechanism for continued community dominance in an abiotically stressful environment under low levels of disturbance.

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Methods for measuring arctic and alpine shrub growth: A review

Cited by 132 publications

References 95 publications

Summer Temperature Drives Radial Growth of Alpine Shrub Willows on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Summer Temperature Drives Radial Growth of Alpine Shrub Willows on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The role of summer precipitation and summer temperature in establishment and growth of dwarf shrub Betula nana in northeast Siberian tundra

Mechanisms for maintenance of dominance in a nonclonal desert shrub

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