Effects of long-term experimental warming on three High Arctic plant communities ...

• Main Author: Edwards, Marc
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2012
• Subjects: Arctic; Ellesmere Island; Canada
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0072736; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0072736

Arctic regions are experiencing faster rates of atmospheric warming than any other biome. Increasing temperatures will affect the biomass, phenology, and composition of Arctic vegetation, which in turn will alter ecosystem functions such as greenhouse gas flux and nutrient cycling. These functional changes are likely to affect feedbacks to terrestrial and atmospheric systems. Responses are expected to occur at a range of scales and are likely to show close coupling to environmental conditions. In this thesis I compare ecosystem response in three plant communities after 18 years of experimental warming on Ellesmere Island, Canada. Warming response was measured at peak season in a dry, mesic and wet community. Biomass, height, and composition were measured using a point-intercept method and CO₂ flux was measured using an infrared gas analyzer and a custom made chamber. Environmental and NDVI data were collected from all three communities as well as being sampled across the entire lowland to map environmental ...