Plant production and nitrogen accumulation above- and belowground in low and tall birch tundra communities: the influence of snow and litter

Vankoughnett, Mathew R.; Grogan, Paul

doi:10.1007/s11104-016-2921-2

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Additionally, the increased input of more easily decomposed deciduous plant litter increases carbon (C) turnover rates, and in fact appears to be more important for nutrient cycling than higher soil temperatures (DeMarco, Mack, & Bret-Harte, 2014;Vankoughnett & Grogan, 2016). Betula nana leaf litter, for instance, has been found to decompose faster than that of other typical competing tundra species (the evergreen shrubs Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Rhododendron palustre as well as the graminoid Eriophorum vaginatum) (McLaren et al, 2017).…”

Section: The E Xpan S I On Of Deciduous S Hru Bsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of evergreen shrub expansion in the Arctic

Vowles

Björk

2018

Journal of Ecology

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Arctic shrub expansion is occurring across large parts of the tundra biome and its potential ecological repercussions have been widely discussed. But while the term “shrub expansion” often implicitly refers to an increase in tall, deciduous species such as birch and willow, several studies have also found a strong increase in evergreen dwarf shrubs in response to warming, a fact which has received far less attention. The effects of an evergreen dwarf shrub expansion are markedly different from the effects of an increase in taller, deciduous species. While deciduous shrubs may increase carbon (C) cycling through changes in albedo, litter input, and snow depth, the low stature of evergreen dwarf shrubs means that they are unlikely to influence snow cover. They also produce more recalcitrant litter, which reduces microbial activity. Furthermore, recent research suggests that ericoid mycorrhiza associated with evergreen shrubs may help to decelerate litter and soil organic matter turnover rates through the production of melanized hyphae that resist decomposition. Through selective browsing, herbivores may promote evergreen shrubs and facilitate C storage. Synthesis. In this mini review, we argue that basing predictions of how shrub expansion will affect tundra ecosystems on characteristics only applicable to tall deciduous shrubs hampers our understanding of the complex feedbacks related to Arctic vegetation shifts.

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Section: The E Xpan S I On Of Deciduous S Hru Bsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of evergreen shrub expansion in the Arctic

Vowles

Björk

2018

Journal of Ecology

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“…We relied primarily on published field measurements of plant and shrub AGB to develop empirical relationships between AGB and Landsat NDVI (Raynolds et al 2002, Walker et al 2003a, Copass et al 2007a, Copass et al 2007b, Vankoughnett and Grogan 2016. These field measurements were derived from clip harvests at tundra sites on the North Slope (n = 14), the Seward Peninsula (n = 7), and in northern Canada (n = 3).…”

Section: Plant Biomass Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These field measurements were derived from clip harvests at tundra sites on the North Slope (n = 14), the Seward Peninsula (n = 7), and in northern Canada (n = 3). With the exception of one Canadian site (Vankoughnett and Grogan 2016), the measurements were made as part of the NSF-sponsored Arctic Transitions in the Land-Atmosphere System project (Walker et al 2003a) and subsequent International Polar Year Greening of the Arctic initiative . Biomass was harvested during the period of peak AGB (mid-June to mid-August).…”

Section: Plant Biomass Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

Berner

Jantz

Tape

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…, Preece et al. , Vankoughnett and Grogan ), the sensitivity of tundra shrubs to gradual levels of snow conditions has been experimentally tested on a very limited basis. The distribution of species and plant communities along mesotopographic gradients has been documented world‐wide in tundra regions (see Vestergren , Braun‐Blanquet , Dahl , Stanton et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although several studies investigated the effect of altered snow regime on tundra structure and function (see, for instance, Wahren et al 2005, Bokhorst et al 2009, Preece et al 2012, Vankoughnett and Grogan 2016, the sensitivity of tundra shrubs to gradual levels of snow conditions has been experimentally tested on a very limited basis. The distribution of species and plant communities along mesotopographic gradients has been documented world-wide in tundra regions (see Vestergren 1902, Braun-Blanquet 1923, Dahl 1957, Stanton et al 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What if plant functional types conceal species‐specific responses to environment? Study on arctic shrub communities

Saccone

Hoikka

Virtanen

2017

Ecology

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Plant functional types (PFT) are increasingly used to outline biome-scale plant-environment relationship and predict global change effects on community structure. However, the potentials and limitations of the PFT approach have to be tested as they can be less sensitive than trait-based or species-level approaches. Here, we compare the responses of deciduous-evergreen shrub PFTs and species to gradual snow-related environmental conditions by also considering effects of aboveground architectural traits and neighboring shrubs. Five deciduous species and four evergreen dwarf shrub species were transplanted to be exposed to four levels of winter snow cover across mesotopographic gradients in northern Fennoscandian tundra. The survival and growth of individually tagged shoots were monitored over one year, and the change in cover of shrubs was monitored over four years. Evergreen species showed higher resistance to environmental severity and generally benefitted from higher abundance of neighboring shrubs. Deciduous species exhibited negligible to drastic responses to snow thickness and neighboring shrubs tended to have a negative effect on their performance and survival. Tall shoots of deciduous shrubs survived poorly under the thinnest snow cover. Overall, deciduous and evergreen PFTs showed modest differences in their performances along the gradient. Our results show that deciduous-evergreen leaf phenology categories predict shrub responses to changing environmental conditions only to a limited extent. Our findings highlight strong species-specific responses especially among deciduous shrubs, and a differential role of plant-plant interactions for shrubs. Our results emphasize that distribution patterns of arctic-alpine shrubs and shrub community responses to altered snow regimes depend on species-level plant functional attributes, species interactions and species-specific sensitivities to environmental severity.

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Plant production and nitrogen accumulation above- and belowground in low and tall birch tundra communities: the influence of snow and litter

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Implications of evergreen shrub expansion in the Arctic

Implications of evergreen shrub expansion in the Arctic

Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

What if plant functional types conceal species‐specific responses to environment? Study on arctic shrub communities

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