Small shifts in microsite occupation could mitigate climate change consequences for mountain top endemics: a test analyzing saxicolous lichen distribution patterns

The extent to which small shifts among local topographic microsites could mitigate the effects of larger-scale climate change in arctic–alpine systems including mountain top organisms is largely unknown. This study is among the first to evaluate the relative contribution of microsite and altitude as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biodiversity and Conservation
Main Authors: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel, Renison, Daniel, Filippini, Edith Raquel, Estrabou, Cecilia
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer
Subjects:
ARGENTINA
LICHEN COMMUNITIES
SPECIES RICHNESS
LICHEN COVER
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Arctic
Argentina
Edith
Rodriguez
Renison
Climate change
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/40892
Description
Summary:The extent to which small shifts among local topographic microsites could mitigate the effects of larger-scale climate change in arctic–alpine systems including mountain top organisms is largely unknown. This study is among the first to evaluate the relative contribution of microsite and altitude as a proxy for climate change on saxicolous lichen communities. We registered 107 lichen species in 54 boulders ranging from 900 to 2700 m.a.s.l. and in a large array of microsites in central Argentina. Communities ordinated along NMS multivariate analysis axes 1, 2 and 3 presented a cumulative R2 of 80%. The three axes were explained by altitude with axis 1 only being explained by altitude. Axis 2 was also explained by slope and aspect whereas axis 3 was explained by the interaction of altitude with aspect indicating that aspect was important only at lower altitudes but not at the mountain top. Lichen cover and richness were similar throughout the altitudinal gradient. We interpret that under a climate warming scenario, lower altitude species occupying pole ward facing slopes will have to migrate upwards while at the mountain top—for most communities-there still is scope for microsite segregation to compensate climate change. Fil: Rodriguez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina Fil: Renison, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina Fil: Filippini, Edith Raquel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico ...

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