Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming
In the high Arctic, plant community species composition generally responds slowly to climate warming, whereas less is known about the community functional trait responses and consequences for ecosystem functioning. The slow species turnover and large distribution ranges of many Arctic plant species...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3056470 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 |
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ftunivmob:oai:nmbu.brage.unit.no:11250/3056470 2023-05-15T14:48:25+02:00 Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming Jonsdottir, Ingibjørg Halbritter Rechsteiner, Aud Helen Christiansen, Casper Tai Althuizen, Inge Haugum, Siri Vatsø Henn, Jonathan J. Björnsdóttir, Katrín Maitner, Brian Salvin Malhi, Yadvinder Michaletz, Sean T. Roos, Ruben Erik Klanderud, Kari Lee, Hanna Enquist, Brian J. Vandvik, Vigdis 2022-12-13T13:50:51Z application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3056470 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 eng eng Norges forskningsråd: 294948 Norges forskningsråd: 274831 Norges forskningsråd: 246080 Ecological Monographs. 2022, 93 (1), . urn:issn:0012-9615 https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3056470 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 cristin:2092580 21 93 Ecological Monographs 1 Peer reviewed Journal article 2022 ftunivmob https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 2023-03-08T23:45:19Z In the high Arctic, plant community species composition generally responds slowly to climate warming, whereas less is known about the community functional trait responses and consequences for ecosystem functioning. The slow species turnover and large distribution ranges of many Arctic plant species suggest a significant role of intraspecific trait variability in functional responses to climate change. Here we compare taxonomic and functional community compositional responses to a long-term (17-year) warming experiment in Svalbard, Norway, replicated across three major high Arctic habitats shaped by topography and contrasting snow regimes. We observed taxonomic compositional changes in all plant communities over time. Still, responses to experimental warming were minor and most pronounced in the drier habitats with relatively early snowmelt timing and long growing seasons (Cassiope and Dryas heaths). The habitats were clearly separated in functional trait space, defined by 12 size- and leaf economics-related traits, primarily due to interspecific trait variation. Functional traits also responded to experimental warming, most prominently in the Dryas heath and mostly due to intraspecific trait variation. Leaf area and mass increased and leaf δ15N decreased in response to the warming treatment. Intraspecific trait variability ranged between 30% and 71% of the total trait variation, reflecting the functional resilience of those communities, dominated by long-lived plants, due to either phenotypic plasticity or genotypic variation, which most likely underlies the observed resistance of high Arctic vegetation to climate warming. We further explored the consequences of trait variability for ecosystem functioning by measuring peak season CO2 fluxes. Together, environmental, taxonomic, and functional trait variables explained a large proportion of the variation in net ecosystem exchange (NEE), which increased when intraspecific trait variation was accounted for. In contrast, even though ecosystem respiration and gross ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Svalbard Open archive Norwegian University of Life Sciences: Brage NMBU Arctic Svalbard Norway Ecological Monographs 93 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Open archive Norwegian University of Life Sciences: Brage NMBU |
op_collection_id |
ftunivmob |
language |
English |
description |
In the high Arctic, plant community species composition generally responds slowly to climate warming, whereas less is known about the community functional trait responses and consequences for ecosystem functioning. The slow species turnover and large distribution ranges of many Arctic plant species suggest a significant role of intraspecific trait variability in functional responses to climate change. Here we compare taxonomic and functional community compositional responses to a long-term (17-year) warming experiment in Svalbard, Norway, replicated across three major high Arctic habitats shaped by topography and contrasting snow regimes. We observed taxonomic compositional changes in all plant communities over time. Still, responses to experimental warming were minor and most pronounced in the drier habitats with relatively early snowmelt timing and long growing seasons (Cassiope and Dryas heaths). The habitats were clearly separated in functional trait space, defined by 12 size- and leaf economics-related traits, primarily due to interspecific trait variation. Functional traits also responded to experimental warming, most prominently in the Dryas heath and mostly due to intraspecific trait variation. Leaf area and mass increased and leaf δ15N decreased in response to the warming treatment. Intraspecific trait variability ranged between 30% and 71% of the total trait variation, reflecting the functional resilience of those communities, dominated by long-lived plants, due to either phenotypic plasticity or genotypic variation, which most likely underlies the observed resistance of high Arctic vegetation to climate warming. We further explored the consequences of trait variability for ecosystem functioning by measuring peak season CO2 fluxes. Together, environmental, taxonomic, and functional trait variables explained a large proportion of the variation in net ecosystem exchange (NEE), which increased when intraspecific trait variation was accounted for. In contrast, even though ecosystem respiration and gross ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jonsdottir, Ingibjørg Halbritter Rechsteiner, Aud Helen Christiansen, Casper Tai Althuizen, Inge Haugum, Siri Vatsø Henn, Jonathan J. Björnsdóttir, Katrín Maitner, Brian Salvin Malhi, Yadvinder Michaletz, Sean T. Roos, Ruben Erik Klanderud, Kari Lee, Hanna Enquist, Brian J. Vandvik, Vigdis |
spellingShingle |
Jonsdottir, Ingibjørg Halbritter Rechsteiner, Aud Helen Christiansen, Casper Tai Althuizen, Inge Haugum, Siri Vatsø Henn, Jonathan J. Björnsdóttir, Katrín Maitner, Brian Salvin Malhi, Yadvinder Michaletz, Sean T. Roos, Ruben Erik Klanderud, Kari Lee, Hanna Enquist, Brian J. Vandvik, Vigdis Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
author_facet |
Jonsdottir, Ingibjørg Halbritter Rechsteiner, Aud Helen Christiansen, Casper Tai Althuizen, Inge Haugum, Siri Vatsø Henn, Jonathan J. Björnsdóttir, Katrín Maitner, Brian Salvin Malhi, Yadvinder Michaletz, Sean T. Roos, Ruben Erik Klanderud, Kari Lee, Hanna Enquist, Brian J. Vandvik, Vigdis |
author_sort |
Jonsdottir, Ingibjørg |
title |
Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
title_short |
Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
title_full |
Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
title_fullStr |
Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
title_full_unstemmed |
Intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high Arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
title_sort |
intraspecific trait variability is a key feature underlying high arctic plant community resistance to climate warming |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3056470 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard Norway |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard Norway |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Svalbard |
op_source |
21 93 Ecological Monographs 1 |
op_relation |
Norges forskningsråd: 294948 Norges forskningsråd: 274831 Norges forskningsråd: 246080 Ecological Monographs. 2022, 93 (1), . urn:issn:0012-9615 https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3056470 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 cristin:2092580 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1555 |
container_title |
Ecological Monographs |
container_volume |
93 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1766319495103643648 |