Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient
Climate warming is projected to alter the vegetation community composition of arctic and alpine ecosystems including an increase in the relative abundance and cover of deciduous shrubs. This change in plant functional group dominance will likely alter tundra ecosystem structure and function. We cond...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
2018-09-01
|
| Series: | Arctic Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2017-0026 |
| _version_ | 1818663560276869120 |
|---|---|
| author | Anna L. Crofts Dennise O. Drury Jennie R. McLaren |
| author_facet | Anna L. Crofts Dennise O. Drury Jennie R. McLaren |
| author_sort | Anna L. Crofts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate warming is projected to alter the vegetation community composition of arctic and alpine ecosystems including an increase in the relative abundance and cover of deciduous shrubs. This change in plant functional group dominance will likely alter tundra ecosystem structure and function. We conducted an observational study to quantify how the understory vegetation community and ecosystem properties varied along a shrub density and altitudinal gradient in a tundra alpine ecosystem in south-west Yukon. Although there was weak association between shrub density and species richness of understory community, there were large differences in functional group abundance between the different shrub densities; forb cover increased at lower elevations with higher shrub density at the expense of cryptogam and dwarf shrub cover. Litter mass, light interception, and soil carbon:nitrogen ratios all increased with shrub density. Sites with shrubs had higher summer soil temperatures, lower summer soil moisture, and lower percent soil nitrogen than the shrub-free site, although there was no difference in available nutrients among sites. This study presents findings from a nonmanipulated, model system where shrubification has been documented and suggests that direct and indirect effects of increasing shrub dominance are likely to affect the surrounding vegetation and abiotic environment controls. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T05:18:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2db9c9f8f3524b9696e0fbdb4f9cebf4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T05:18:47Z |
| publishDate | 2018-09-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-2db9c9f8f3524b9696e0fbdb4f9cebf42022-12-21T22:02:02ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602018-09-014448549810.1139/as-2017-0026Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradientAnna L. Crofts0Dennise O. Drury1Jennie R. McLaren2Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.Climate warming is projected to alter the vegetation community composition of arctic and alpine ecosystems including an increase in the relative abundance and cover of deciduous shrubs. This change in plant functional group dominance will likely alter tundra ecosystem structure and function. We conducted an observational study to quantify how the understory vegetation community and ecosystem properties varied along a shrub density and altitudinal gradient in a tundra alpine ecosystem in south-west Yukon. Although there was weak association between shrub density and species richness of understory community, there were large differences in functional group abundance between the different shrub densities; forb cover increased at lower elevations with higher shrub density at the expense of cryptogam and dwarf shrub cover. Litter mass, light interception, and soil carbon:nitrogen ratios all increased with shrub density. Sites with shrubs had higher summer soil temperatures, lower summer soil moisture, and lower percent soil nitrogen than the shrub-free site, although there was no difference in available nutrients among sites. This study presents findings from a nonmanipulated, model system where shrubification has been documented and suggests that direct and indirect effects of increasing shrub dominance are likely to affect the surrounding vegetation and abiotic environment controls.https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2017-0026deciduous shrubsalpine tundraecosystem propertiesplant functional group abundance |
| spellingShingle | Anna L. Crofts Dennise O. Drury Jennie R. McLaren Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient Arctic Science deciduous shrubs alpine tundra ecosystem properties plant functional group abundance |
| title | Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient |
| title_full | Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient |
| title_fullStr | Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient |
| title_short | Changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient |
| title_sort | changes in the understory plant community and ecosystem properties along a shrub density gradient |
| topic | deciduous shrubs alpine tundra ecosystem properties plant functional group abundance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2017-0026 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annalcrofts changesintheunderstoryplantcommunityandecosystempropertiesalongashrubdensitygradient AT denniseodrury changesintheunderstoryplantcommunityandecosystempropertiesalongashrubdensitygradient AT jenniermclaren changesintheunderstoryplantcommunityandecosystempropertiesalongashrubdensitygradient |