Plant ecology above timber line on Mt Ruapehu, North Island, New Zealand

Scott, D.

doi:10.1080/0028825x.1977.10432546

Cited by 14 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Phenological patterns of both species reflected known differences in snowmelt patterns among communities and agree with previous studies. The close relationship between snowmelt and phenology probably represents an adaptation to limitations in both moisture and growing season length (Billings and Bliss 1959, Fareed and Caldwell 1975, Owen 1976, Scott 1977, Jackson and Bliss 1984, Ram et al 1988). Preformed leaves and flower buds assure that leaf-out and flowering occur soon after snowmelt.…”

Section: Acomastylis Rossii Bistorta Bistortoidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Any one of these may limit growth even if the others are abundant. Although many tundra species are well adapted to growth even at very low temperatures (Chapin and Shaver 1985), these species are still temperature-limited in the sense that increases in temperature often result in increased growth and greater stature (Scott 1977, Walker 1987. Water stress may be severe in alpine ecosystems, particularly in fellfield environments (Mooney et al 1965, Ehleringer and Miller 1975, Bell and Bliss 1979, Oberbauer and Billings 1981, Jackson and Bliss 1982, 1984.…”

Section: Acomastylis Rossiimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Interannual Climate Variation on Phenology and Growth of Two Alpine Forbs

Walker¹,

Ingersoll²,

Webber³

1995

Ecology

159

133

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Variations in growth, flowering, and phenology of two forbs, Acomastylis rossii and Bistorta bistortoides, were compared among six years (I 983-I 988) and five plant communities (fellfield, dry meadow, moist meadow, wet meadow, snowbed) at an alpine site in the Front Range of Colorado. The purpose was to determine the extent to which the phenological patterns of these species varied among plant communities and how interannual climate variability affects phenology and growth. There were significant differences in growth among communities for both species. In B. bistortoides, there were also significant differences among years, due primarily to the influence of a single year (1983) when leaf length increased by =I 0% and the average number of B. bistortoides leaves nearly doubled. Key phenological events of both species (initiation of growth, date of maximum leaf length, leaf number, and flower number) were related to snowmelt patterns, resulting in differences among communities. There were also significant differences among years, again primarily related to the single year I 983, the year of a major EI Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event that produced high snowfall amounts at the site. The increased leaf length in a high snow year is counterintuitive to the commonly accepted notion that alpine species may be limited by season length. We hypothesize that changes in phenology related to changes in snowfall or snowmelt will cause detectable changes in growth, but that these will not be predicted simply from phenology alone. Rather, the timing of snowmelt in relation to nutrient availability, soil moisture,, and air temperature will be critical in determining how individual species respond.

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Section: Acomastylis Rossii Bistorta Bistortoidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Acomastylis Rossiimentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Interannual Climate Variation on Phenology and Growth of Two Alpine Forbs

Walker¹,

Ingersoll²,

Webber³

1995

Ecology

159

133

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The first was 432 observation sets containing at least ten species (Table 4). These were 230 from New Zealand Journal of Ecology Vols 1-30 (various measures); 58 from Rothamsted Park Grass plots (above-ground biomass -Williams, 1978); 52 from various New Zealand vegetations (various (Wardle, 1991)); others from personal sources; 48 from alpine tundra (above-ground biomass (Scott & Billings, 1963)); 12 from subalpine shrubland/grassland (height-frequency = volume (Scott, 1965(Scott, , 1977; 32 from tussock grasslands (cover (Scott et al, 1988)). The second was 110 observation containing 5 species and used earlier investigating the SADs in improved grazed pasture composition (Scott, 2006).…”

Section: Comparison Between Models and Empiricalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analogue Particle and Random Packing Models of Ecological Community Formation

Scott¹

2014

JPS

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The apparent constancy of the near linear relationship between logarithm of a specie's abundance in a community and their rank order led to a brief review of existing species abundance distribution (SAD) models; a proposal of three further classes of analogue models; and an evaluation of a meta data set of empirical vegetation composition data.A new class of models is proposed considered particle packing of circles (2D) or spheres (3D) as representing individuals of species which under different scenarios of arrival, growth, displacement and mortality determine community maximum packing and SAD.Besides the existing random models treating each species as an entity, two further classes are added which considered dismantling rather than assembly models, or retaining identity of taxa species through successive stages of assembly or dismantling models.In each of the models, the resulting form of the SAD was dependent on which metric of an individual (density, area, volume etc) was used as a measure of abundance.A comparison was made between the resulting 576 different models and 432 sets of 10 species and 110 sets of 5 species empirical observations. There was a wide variation in species proportions and a lack of clustering around a particular model.In those comparisons, the particle packing models of individuals were as good as the random models treating species as an entity and did offer a functional explanation of the formation of the SAD.In most models and empirical data the species ranking is done retrospectively so there will always be a high negative correlation between abundance and rank implying a need for a revaluation of the ecological significance of the relationship.

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Effects of Long-Term Preconditioning on Growth and Flowering of Some Snow Tussock (Chionochloa Spp.) Populations in Otago, New Zealand

Greer¹

1979

Aust. J. Bot.

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Clone members of each of three altitudinal populations (910-1590 m) of two ecologically important snow tussocks (Chionochloa macra and C. rigida) reciprocally transplanted to four sites (10-1590 m) in 1960 were further subdivided and re-reciprocally transplanted to the same four sites in 1974 and their subsequent growth and flowering behaviour followed over two seasons. Interpopulation differences in stature and growth rates remained distinct after the 14-year intervening period, reinforcing earlier evidence for some genetic control of these characters. In contrast, the flowering of each population at each site had converged towards that of the resident plants, which indicated some adjustment to the critical threshold temperature for flowering. Interpopulation differences in flowering behaviour could not, therefore, be strictly controlled genetically as had been previously assumed. No interpopulation differences emerged as a result of 14 years of preconditioning in diverse environments. Furthermore, the preconditioning had a negligible effect on the subsequent perfor- mance of each population in a wide range of temperature environments. Distinct differences in growth rates between a lowland coastal population of C. rigida and its alpine counterparts appear adaptive, suggesting differentiation of a lowland ecotype. The high degree of physiological plasticity inherent in all populations of snow tussock studied may have its origin in the climatically diverse post-Pleistocene period when genotypes with maximum flexibility may have been selected preferentially. Since then, probably as a result of expansion of snow tussock grasslands within the last millenium, local adaptive variants have evolved.

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Plant ecology above timber line on Mt Ruapehu, North Island, New Zealand

Cited by 14 publications

References 30 publications

Effects of Interannual Climate Variation on Phenology and Growth of Two Alpine Forbs

Effects of Interannual Climate Variation on Phenology and Growth of Two Alpine Forbs

Analogue Particle and Random Packing Models of Ecological Community Formation

Effects of Long-Term Preconditioning on Growth and Flowering of Some Snow Tussock (Chionochloa Spp.) Populations in Otago, New Zealand

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