High arctic vegetation after 70 years: a repeated analysis from Svalbard
The mapping did not reveal changes in vegetation over the past 70 years that could be attributed to climate change; but some successional changes were due to erosion-accumulation processes connected especially to stream activity. This may be probably explained by either (i) a lack of significant cha...
| Published in: | Polar Biology |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2010
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0739-6 http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0192514 |
| Summary: | The mapping did not reveal changes in vegetation over the past 70 years that could be attributed to climate change; but some successional changes were due to erosion-accumulation processes connected especially to stream activity. This may be probably explained by either (i) a lack of significant change in climate when comparing the 1930s and the 2000s or (ii) the slow ecological response of constituent plants in such a harsh environment. We argued in favour of the latter explanation. Moreover, geographic isolation may limit establishment and expansion of new species. |
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