Vegetation of the Central Great Caucasus Along W-E and N-S Transects

Nakhutsrishvili, George; Abdaladze, Otar

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-55777-9_2

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…However, the glacier tongue´s location coincided with sharp changes in the share of solitary plants. This might be a coincidence, the tongue lying exactly in the zone where multi-species patches give way to solitary plants (Kikvidze & Nakhutsrishvili 1998;Körner & Paulsen 2017;Nakhutsrishvili & Abdaladze 2017a), or the glacier could somewhat contribute to the abruptness of this change. The described sharp shift from multi-species to solitary plant patches also also implications for the Stress-Gradient Hypothesis (SGH), which states that interspecific plant interactions -competition and facilitation -are in dynamic tension in plant communities (Brooker et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4000 m a.s.l. -the upper limit of vascular plant distribution in the region, only one species -Cerastium kasbek -occurring at this limit (Nakhutsrishvili & Abdaladze 2017a).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…1). The range of this transect was from 3000 to 3900 m a.s.l., i.e., from the alpine-nival ecotone to almost the snowline (Nakhutsrishvili 2013), including the subnival and nival zones (sensu Nagy & Grabherr 2009;Gottfried et al 2011). At an elevation of 3400-3500 m, the transect is crossed by a tongue of glacier ( Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, glaciers and snow-covered areas often are excluded from vegetation sampling on large-scale gradients such as the elevation gradient (Cuesta et al 2017). Vegetation in the subnival and nival zones is patchy, and patches can contain several species at lower elevations, and yet the share of single-species patches (solitary plants) becomes higher with increasing elevation (Kikvidze & Nakhutsrishvili 1998;Körner & Paulsen 2017;Nakhutsrishvili & Abdaladze 2017a). A glacier could affect this trend too, with implications for the stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH), an important model in plant community ecology (Brooker et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nakhutsrishvili 2013; Nakhutsrishvili & Abdaladze 2017b). The vegetation patches are formed mostly by growth forms adapted to the harsh conditions of high elevations: cushions, prostrate plants, etc (Nakhutsrishvili & Gamtsemlidze 1984;Körner & Larcher 1988;Körner 2003.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Jumping the barrier: Does a glacier tongue affect species distribution along the elevation gradient in the subnival and nival belts? A case study on Mt. Kazbegi, Georgia, Central Great Caucasus Mountains

et al. 2020

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Glaciers are a prominent feature in high mountains and can affect plant distribution along the gradients. However, the possible effect of glaciers on plant community structure at landscape scale has been little studied. We asked: if a glacier tongue crosses a slope laterally and potentially blocks dispersal and migrations, how can this affect vegetation structure and species composition below and above this barrier? A suitable study system is offered by slopes on Mt. Kazbegi, where we established a transect through the subnival and nival belts. We sampled vegetation below and above the glacier tongue and conducted direct gradient analyses to reveal possible effects of the glacier on patterns of species distribution and vegetation structure such as the ratio of solitary plants in vegetation patches. The obtained results indicate that the glacier tongue in our study does not cause a ?vegetation switch? in the usual sense of this phrase. However, it might contribute to an abrupt change in the share of solitary plants, as well as to a very rapid decline of plant abundance and species numbers above the glacier.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4000 m a.s.l. -the upper limit of vascular plant distribution in the region, only one species -Cerastium kasbek -occurring at this limit (Nakhutsrishvili & Abdaladze 2017a).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%