Community and species-specific responses to simulated global change in two subarctic-alpine plant communities ...

• Main Authors: Little, Chelsea J., Jägerbrand, Annika K., Molau, Ulf, Alatalo, Juha M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2015
• Subjects: Calamagrostis lapponica; Carex bigelowii; Global change; Heath; Latnjajaure, Sweden; Meadow; Nutrient addition; Plant community composition; Subalpine tundra; Vaccinium vitis-idaea; Warming; Arctic; Climate change; Northern Sweden; Subarctic; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000110920; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/110920

Long‐term observational studies have detected greening and shrub encroachment in the subarctic attributed to current climate change, while global change simulations have showed that community composition and productivity may shift drastically in arctic, subarctic, and alpine tundra plant communities in the future. However, responses to global change can be highly species‐ and context‐dependent. We examined community‐level and species‐specific responses to a six‐year factorial temperature and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) amendment experiment in two alpine plant communities in northern Sweden: a species‐poor dwarf shrub heath, and a more species‐rich meadow. We hypothesized that abundance responses to global change would be variable within commonly defined vascular plant functional groups (e.g., forbs, evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs) and that new species would appear in experimental plots over time due to the ameliorated growing conditions. We found that within most functional groups, species were ... : Ecosphere, 6 (11) ...