Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland
Due to warming, changes in microclimatic temperatures have shifted plant community structure and dynamics in tundra and alpine regions. The directionality and magnitude of these changes are less known for tropical alpine ecosystems. To understand the likely trajectory of these shifts in the Andes, w...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:8505cc662e424fb5af22b99ad27db6ea 2023-05-15T18:40:44+02:00 Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland Sisimac A. Duchicela Francisco Cuesta Carolina Tovar Priscilla Muriel Ricardo Jaramillo Edison Salazar Esteban Pinto 2021-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.673655 https://doaj.org/article/8505cc662e424fb5af22b99ad27db6ea EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.673655/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X 2296-701X doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.673655 https://doaj.org/article/8505cc662e424fb5af22b99ad27db6ea Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 9 (2021) climatic conditions field experiments mountain ecosystems temperature functional trait Andes Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.673655 2022-12-31T16:25:38Z Due to warming, changes in microclimatic temperatures have shifted plant community structure and dynamics in tundra and alpine regions. The directionality and magnitude of these changes are less known for tropical alpine ecosystems. To understand the likely trajectory of these shifts in the Andes, we conducted a warming experiment in the northern Andes—using open-top chambers (OTC). In this study, we ask (1) how do OTCs affect air and soil temperatures in microclimates of tropical alpine regions, year-round and during the dry season? (2) What are the effects of 7 years of warming on (a) the aboveground biomass (AGB) and (b) the plant taxonomic and growth form diversity? We installed five monitoring blocks in 2012 at ca. 4,200 m asl with 20 OTCs and 50 control plots randomly distributed within each block. We measured AGB, plant community diversity, and growth form diversity between 2014 and 2019. After 7 years of warming, we found significant increases in mean monthly (+0.24°C), daily (+0.16°C), and night air temperatures (+0.33°C) inside the OTCs, and the OTCs intensified microclimatic conditions during the dry season. Additionally, OTCs attenuated extreme temperatures—particularly in the soil—and the number of freezing events. AGB significantly increased in OTCs, and by 2019, it was 27% higher in OTCs than in control. These changes were driven mainly by a progressive increment of tussock grasses such as Calamagrostis intermedia, typical of lower elevations. The increase of tussocks led to a significant decrease in species diversity and evenness inside OTCs, but not in species richness after accounting by sampling time. Furthermore, cushions and herbs decreased inside OTCs. Our results show that experimental warming using OTCs in equatorial regions leads to decreased daily thermal amplitude and night temperatures rather than the level of increase in mean temperatures observed in temperate regions. The increase of tussocks and decrease in diversity of species and growth forms due to prolonged modifications in ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Tundra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9 |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
climatic conditions field experiments mountain ecosystems temperature functional trait Andes Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
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climatic conditions field experiments mountain ecosystems temperature functional trait Andes Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 Sisimac A. Duchicela Francisco Cuesta Carolina Tovar Priscilla Muriel Ricardo Jaramillo Edison Salazar Esteban Pinto Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland |
topic_facet |
climatic conditions field experiments mountain ecosystems temperature functional trait Andes Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Due to warming, changes in microclimatic temperatures have shifted plant community structure and dynamics in tundra and alpine regions. The directionality and magnitude of these changes are less known for tropical alpine ecosystems. To understand the likely trajectory of these shifts in the Andes, we conducted a warming experiment in the northern Andes—using open-top chambers (OTC). In this study, we ask (1) how do OTCs affect air and soil temperatures in microclimates of tropical alpine regions, year-round and during the dry season? (2) What are the effects of 7 years of warming on (a) the aboveground biomass (AGB) and (b) the plant taxonomic and growth form diversity? We installed five monitoring blocks in 2012 at ca. 4,200 m asl with 20 OTCs and 50 control plots randomly distributed within each block. We measured AGB, plant community diversity, and growth form diversity between 2014 and 2019. After 7 years of warming, we found significant increases in mean monthly (+0.24°C), daily (+0.16°C), and night air temperatures (+0.33°C) inside the OTCs, and the OTCs intensified microclimatic conditions during the dry season. Additionally, OTCs attenuated extreme temperatures—particularly in the soil—and the number of freezing events. AGB significantly increased in OTCs, and by 2019, it was 27% higher in OTCs than in control. These changes were driven mainly by a progressive increment of tussock grasses such as Calamagrostis intermedia, typical of lower elevations. The increase of tussocks led to a significant decrease in species diversity and evenness inside OTCs, but not in species richness after accounting by sampling time. Furthermore, cushions and herbs decreased inside OTCs. Our results show that experimental warming using OTCs in equatorial regions leads to decreased daily thermal amplitude and night temperatures rather than the level of increase in mean temperatures observed in temperate regions. The increase of tussocks and decrease in diversity of species and growth forms due to prolonged modifications in ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sisimac A. Duchicela Francisco Cuesta Carolina Tovar Priscilla Muriel Ricardo Jaramillo Edison Salazar Esteban Pinto |
author_facet |
Sisimac A. Duchicela Francisco Cuesta Carolina Tovar Priscilla Muriel Ricardo Jaramillo Edison Salazar Esteban Pinto |
author_sort |
Sisimac A. Duchicela |
title |
Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland |
title_short |
Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland |
title_full |
Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland |
title_fullStr |
Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microclimatic Warming Leads to a Decrease in Species and Growth Form Diversity: Insights From a Tropical Alpine Grassland |
title_sort |
microclimatic warming leads to a decrease in species and growth form diversity: insights from a tropical alpine grassland |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.673655 https://doaj.org/article/8505cc662e424fb5af22b99ad27db6ea |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_source |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 9 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.673655/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X 2296-701X doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.673655 https://doaj.org/article/8505cc662e424fb5af22b99ad27db6ea |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.673655 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
9 |
_version_ |
1766230154428809216 |