Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra
Questions Changes in climate and herbivory pressure affect northern alpine ecosystems through woody plant encroachment, altering their composition, structure and functioning. The encroachment often occurs at unequal rates across heterogeneous landscapes, hinting at the importance of habitat-specific...
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ftunivgent:oai:archive.ugent.be:8741393 2023-06-11T04:11:19+02:00 Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra Marsman, Floor Nystuen, Kristin O. Opedal, Øystein H. Foest, Jessie J. Sørensen, Mia Vedel De Frenne, Pieter Graae, Bente Jessen Limpens, Juul 2021 application/pdf https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8741393 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12948 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393/file/8741394 eng eng https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8741393 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12948 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393/file/8741394 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0) info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE ISSN: 1100-9233 ISSN: 1654-1103 Biology and Life Sciences above-ground competition alpine tundra exclosure herbivory invasibility microclimate Pinus sylvestris shrub encroachment PINUS-SYLVESTRIS POSITIVE INTERACTIONS PLANT-COMMUNITIES SHRUB EXPANSION CLIMATE-CHANGE TALL SHRUB FACILITATION RECRUITMENT RESPONSES COMPETITION journalArticle info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2021 ftunivgent https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12948 2023-04-19T22:10:38Z Questions Changes in climate and herbivory pressure affect northern alpine ecosystems through woody plant encroachment, altering their composition, structure and functioning. The encroachment often occurs at unequal rates across heterogeneous landscapes, hinting at the importance of habitat-specific drivers that either hamper or facilitate woody plant establishment. Here, we assess: (1) the invasibility of three distinct alpine plant community types (heath, meadow andSalixshrubland) byPinus sylvestris(Scots pine); and (2) the relative importance of biotic (above-ground interactions with current vegetation, herbivory and shrub encroachment) and microclimate-related abiotic (soil temperature, moisture and light availability) drivers of pine seedling establishment success. Location Dovrefjell, Central Norway. Methods We conducted a pine seed sowing experiment, testing how factorial combinations of above-ground removal of co-occurring vegetation, herbivore exclusion and willow transplantation (simulated shrub encroachment) affect pine emergence, survival and performance (new stem growth, stem height and fraction of healthy needles) in three plant communities, characteristic of alpine tundra, over a period of five years. Results Pine seedling emergence and survival were similar across plant community types. Herbivore exclusion and vegetation removal generally increased pine seedling establishment and seedling performance. Within our study, microclimate had minimal effects on pine seedling establishment and performance. These results illustrate the importance of biotic resistance to seedling establishment. Conclusion Pine seedlings can easily establish in alpine tundra, and biotic factors (above-ground plant interactions and herbivory) are more important drivers of pine establishment in alpine tundra than abiotic, microclimate-related, factors. Studies aiming to predict future vegetation changes should thus consider local-scale biotic interactions in addition to abiotic factors. Article in Journal/Newspaper Dovrefjell Tundra Ghent University Academic Bibliography Dovrefjell ENVELOPE(13.500,13.500,79.000,79.000) Norway Journal of Vegetation Science 32 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Ghent University Academic Bibliography |
op_collection_id |
ftunivgent |
language |
English |
topic |
Biology and Life Sciences above-ground competition alpine tundra exclosure herbivory invasibility microclimate Pinus sylvestris shrub encroachment PINUS-SYLVESTRIS POSITIVE INTERACTIONS PLANT-COMMUNITIES SHRUB EXPANSION CLIMATE-CHANGE TALL SHRUB FACILITATION RECRUITMENT RESPONSES COMPETITION |
spellingShingle |
Biology and Life Sciences above-ground competition alpine tundra exclosure herbivory invasibility microclimate Pinus sylvestris shrub encroachment PINUS-SYLVESTRIS POSITIVE INTERACTIONS PLANT-COMMUNITIES SHRUB EXPANSION CLIMATE-CHANGE TALL SHRUB FACILITATION RECRUITMENT RESPONSES COMPETITION Marsman, Floor Nystuen, Kristin O. Opedal, Øystein H. Foest, Jessie J. Sørensen, Mia Vedel De Frenne, Pieter Graae, Bente Jessen Limpens, Juul Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
topic_facet |
Biology and Life Sciences above-ground competition alpine tundra exclosure herbivory invasibility microclimate Pinus sylvestris shrub encroachment PINUS-SYLVESTRIS POSITIVE INTERACTIONS PLANT-COMMUNITIES SHRUB EXPANSION CLIMATE-CHANGE TALL SHRUB FACILITATION RECRUITMENT RESPONSES COMPETITION |
description |
Questions Changes in climate and herbivory pressure affect northern alpine ecosystems through woody plant encroachment, altering their composition, structure and functioning. The encroachment often occurs at unequal rates across heterogeneous landscapes, hinting at the importance of habitat-specific drivers that either hamper or facilitate woody plant establishment. Here, we assess: (1) the invasibility of three distinct alpine plant community types (heath, meadow andSalixshrubland) byPinus sylvestris(Scots pine); and (2) the relative importance of biotic (above-ground interactions with current vegetation, herbivory and shrub encroachment) and microclimate-related abiotic (soil temperature, moisture and light availability) drivers of pine seedling establishment success. Location Dovrefjell, Central Norway. Methods We conducted a pine seed sowing experiment, testing how factorial combinations of above-ground removal of co-occurring vegetation, herbivore exclusion and willow transplantation (simulated shrub encroachment) affect pine emergence, survival and performance (new stem growth, stem height and fraction of healthy needles) in three plant communities, characteristic of alpine tundra, over a period of five years. Results Pine seedling emergence and survival were similar across plant community types. Herbivore exclusion and vegetation removal generally increased pine seedling establishment and seedling performance. Within our study, microclimate had minimal effects on pine seedling establishment and performance. These results illustrate the importance of biotic resistance to seedling establishment. Conclusion Pine seedlings can easily establish in alpine tundra, and biotic factors (above-ground plant interactions and herbivory) are more important drivers of pine establishment in alpine tundra than abiotic, microclimate-related, factors. Studies aiming to predict future vegetation changes should thus consider local-scale biotic interactions in addition to abiotic factors. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Marsman, Floor Nystuen, Kristin O. Opedal, Øystein H. Foest, Jessie J. Sørensen, Mia Vedel De Frenne, Pieter Graae, Bente Jessen Limpens, Juul |
author_facet |
Marsman, Floor Nystuen, Kristin O. Opedal, Øystein H. Foest, Jessie J. Sørensen, Mia Vedel De Frenne, Pieter Graae, Bente Jessen Limpens, Juul |
author_sort |
Marsman, Floor |
title |
Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
title_short |
Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
title_full |
Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
title_fullStr |
Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
title_full_unstemmed |
Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
title_sort |
determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8741393 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12948 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393/file/8741394 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(13.500,13.500,79.000,79.000) |
geographic |
Dovrefjell Norway |
geographic_facet |
Dovrefjell Norway |
genre |
Dovrefjell Tundra |
genre_facet |
Dovrefjell Tundra |
op_source |
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE ISSN: 1100-9233 ISSN: 1654-1103 |
op_relation |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8741393 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12948 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8741393/file/8741394 |
op_rights |
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0) info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12948 |
container_title |
Journal of Vegetation Science |
container_volume |
32 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1768386270433640448 |