The use of open-top chambers in forests for evaluating warming effects on herbaceous understorey plants

• Published in: Ecological Research
• Main Authors: De Frenne, Pieter, De Schrijver, An, Graae, Bente, Gruwez, Robert, Tack, Wesley, Vandelook, Filip, Hermy, Martin, Verheyen, Kris
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Ecological Society of Japan 2010
• Subjects: Anemone nemorosa L; ; Climate change; Experimental warming; Herbaceous forest species; Open-top chambers; Wood anemone; Tundra
• Online Access: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/306536; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-009-0640-3

Open-top chambers (OTCs) are widely used experimental warming devices in open-field ecosystems such as tundra and alpine heath. However, knowledge of their performance in temperate deciduous forest ecosystems is largely lacking. The application of OTCs in forests might become important in the future since the effects of climate warming on growth, reproduction, and future distribution of understorey forest herbs have rarely been investigated. Therefore, polycarbonateOTCs coveredwith (OTCs+GF) and without permeable polypropylene GardenFleece (OTCsGF) were installed in a temperate deciduous forest to create an experimental warming gradient. Short-term responses in phenology, growth, and reproduction of amodel understorey forest herb (Anemone nemorosa L.) to OTC installation were determined. In a second growing season, an in-depth study of multiple abiotic conditions inside OTCsGF was performed. Both OTCs+GF and OTCsGF raised air and soil temperature in a realistic manner (ca. +0.4C to+1.15C), but OTCsGF only in the leafless period (up to +1.5C monthly average soil temperature). The early flowering forest herb A. nemorosa also showed a clear phenotypic response to OTC installation. Based on these facts and the large ecological drawbacks associated with OTCs+GF (mostly in connection with a higher relative air humidity and a lower light quantity) and very modest abiotic changes in OTCsGF, we encourage the use of OTCsGF in deciduous forest ecosystems for evaluating climatewarming effects on early flowering understorey forest herbs. There is also a potential to use this warmingmethod on later flowering species, but this needs further research. status: published