Abstract
The snowmelt timing is a major factor controlling plant phenology in alpine regions. Presently, the warming is pushing forward snowmelt timing which may influence species’ seasonal cycle throughout the alpine landscape of Himalaya. Nevertheless, very few studies have studied the response of species’ phenology to advanced snowmelt in the Himalayas. The present study investigated different alpine species’ responses to early snowmelt present in different alpine communities. Five communities were identified and two sites were selected in each community (early snowmelt: ES, late snowmelt: LS) with a 50 × 50 m plot marked permanently for species monitoring. The observations for phenophase initiation and durations of all species were recorded fortnightly. Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to examine species-specific differences in phenophase durations. Pairwise differences were tested with Dunn’s post hoc test. The present study hypothesized early snowmelt advances and lengthens phenophases timing and duration in all alpine species. The results showed that phenophases initiations and duration were earlier and longer in ES sites for the majority of species but no significant relationship was found between snowmelt timing and species’ phenophase duration. Many species showed two distinctive phenophases (reproductive and fruiting). The divergence was higher in the reproductive phenophase than in other phenological stages. Hence, it seems that the early snowmelt is an important driver influencing the early spring phenology of herb species, the species-specific effects of already happening phenological adjustment for higher reproductive success in the current warming of alpine meadows points towards other limiting factors too that remain to be better understood.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Director and Dean, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for providing necessary facilities and Uttarakhand Forest Department for granting permission to conduct field work in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. We also thank Prof. S. P. Singh for his suggestions. We would also like to thank Sachin MH and Manish Bisht for their help during the field work.
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This study was funded by the National Mission on Himalayan Studies, MoEF & CC, New Delhi.
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Conceptualization was done by RK and BSA. Data curation, formal analysis, and writing were done by RK. Methodology was done by BSA and RK. Supervision and review were done by BSA.
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Kumar, R., Adhikari, B.S. Snowmelt influence on phenological events of herbaceous plants in alpine region of West Himalaya. Braz. J. Bot 46, 1041–1054 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-023-00939-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-023-00939-z