(Table 1) Effects of experimental warming on plant cover and diversity indices in an evergreen shrub at Alexandra Fiord ...

• Main Authors: Hudson, James M G, Henry, Gregory HR
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: DATE/TIME; Treatment; Dissimilarity index; Dissimilarity, standard deviation; Shrubs; Standard deviation; Bryophyta; Lichen; Grass and sedges; Forbs; Shannon Diversity Index; Simpson index of diversity; Species richness; Evenness of species; Height; Sampling by hand; Open-top chamber OTC warming experiment, in situ; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Alexandra Fiord; International Polar Year; IPY; Nunavut; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.811359; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.811359

1. Identifying plant communities that are resistant to climate change will be critical for developing accurate, wide-scale vegetation change predictions. Most northern plant communities, especially tundra, have shown strong responses to experimental and observed warming.2. Experimental warming is a key tool for understanding vegetation responses to climate change. We used open-top chambers to passively warm an evergreen-shrub heath by 1.0-1.3 °C for 15 years at Alexandra Fiord, Nunavut, Canada (79 °N). In 1996, 2000 and 2007, we measured height, plant composition and abundance with a point-intercept method.3. Experimental warming did not strongly affect vascular plant cover, canopy height or species diversity, but it did increase bryophyte cover by 6.3% and decrease lichen cover by 3.5%. Temporal changes in plant cover were more frequent and of greater magnitude than changes due to experimental warming.4. Synthesis. This evergreen-shrub heath continues to exhibit community-level resistance to long-term ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...