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Snow cover consistently affects growth and reproduction of Empetrum hermaphroditum across latitudinal and local climatic gradients

  • VEGETATION IN COLD ENVIRONMENTS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE
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Abstract

Arctic ecosystems face strong changes in snow conditions due to global warming. In contrast to habitat specialists, species occupying a wide range of microhabitats under different snow conditions may better cope with such changes. We studied how growth and reproduction of the dominant dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum varied among three habitat types differing in winter snow depth and summer irradiation, and whether the observed patterns were consistent along a local climatic gradient (sub-continental vs. sub-oceanic climates) and along a latitudinal gradient (northern Sweden vs. central Norway). Habitat type explained most of the variation in growth and reproduction. Shoots from shallow snow cover and high summer irradiation habitats had higher numbers of flowers and fruits, lower ramet heights, shorter shoot segments, lower numbers of lateral shoots and total biomass but higher leaf density and higher relative leaf allocation than shoots from habitats with higher snow depth and lower summer irradiation. In addition, biomass, leaf allocation and leaf life expectancy were strongly affected by latitude, whereas local climate had strong effects on seed number and seed mass. Empetrum showed high phenotypic trait variation, with a consistent match between local habitat conditions and its growth and reproduction. Although study areas varied strongly with respect to latitude and local climatic conditions, response patterns of growth and reproduction to habitats with different environmental conditions were consistent. Large elasticity of traits suggests that Empetrum may have the potential to cope with changing snow conditions expected in the course of climate change.

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Acknowledgments

Field assistance was provided by Josef Scholz-vom Hofe, Sigrid Lindmo, Ingvil Kålås and Emmanuel Gardiner. We further thank Gabriel Schachtel for statistical advice, the director and staff of the Abisko Scientific Research Station for climate data, logistic support and accommodation. We are very grateful to Sonja Wipf and all anonymous reviewers for fruitful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript, and to Darya Anderson and Christina Puzzolo for checking the English. Financial support was obtained from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, grant EC209/9-1). All help is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Wolf L. Eiserhardt

    Present address: Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity Group, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Build 1540, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition (IFZ), Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany

    Miriam J. Bienau, Lena Kretz, Annette Otte & R. Lutz Eckstein

  2. Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, 35032, Marburg, Germany

    Dirk Hattermann

  3. Faculty of Nature and Technology (Faculty 5), University of Applied Sciences Bremen, Neustadtswall 30, 28199, Bremen, Germany

    Michael Kröncke

  4. Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Wolf L. Eiserhardt & Bente J. Graae

  5. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Climate Impacts Research Centre, Umeå University, 98107, Abisko, Sweden

    Ann Milbau

  6. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Walter Durka

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Correspondence to Miriam J. Bienau.

Additional information

This article is part of the special issue Vegetation in cold environments under climate change.

Electronic supplementary material

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Electronic Supplementary Material S1.

To Bienau MJ, Hattermann D, Kröncke M, Kretz L, Otte A, Eiserhardt WL, Milbau A, Graae BJ, Durka W, Eckstein RL (2014) Snow cover consistently affects morphological traits in Empetrum hermaphroditum across latitudinal and local climatic gradients. Alpine Botany.

Corresponding author: Miriam Bienau, Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition (IFZ), Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich- Buff-Ring 26-32, DE-35392 Giessen, Germany, E-Mail: Miriam.J.Bienau@umwelt.uni-giessen.de; Phone: +49 641 99 37188; Fax: +49 641 99 37169.

Graphs show temperature curves of North-SC, South-SC, North-SO and South-SO from 1st of April to 27th of June 2013. Temperature was measured at the soil surface with data loggers (micro-T, DS1922L; NexSens Technology, Alpha, Ohio, U.S.A.) in each plot (N = 120) every three hours. Solid line represents birch forest, dashed line alpine tundra with deep snow cover and dot-dashed line alpine tundra with shallow snow cover.

Electronic Supplementary Material S2.

To Bienau MJ, Hattermann D, Kröncke M, Kretz L, Otte A, Eiserhardt WL, Milbau A, Graae BJ, Durka W, Eckstein RL (2014) Snow cover consistently affects morphological traits in Empetrum hermaphroditum across latitudinal and local climatic gradients. Alpine Botany.

Corresponding author: Miriam Bienau, Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition (IFZ), Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich- Buff-Ring 26-32, DE-35392 Giessen, Germany, E-Mail: Miriam.J.Bienau@umwelt.uni-giessen.de; Phone: +49 641 99 37188; Fax: +49 641 99 37169.

Photographs showing Empetrum shoots from the sub-alpine birch forest (left), low alpine tundra with deep snow cover (middle) and low alpine tundra with shallow snow cover (right).

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Bienau, M.J., Hattermann, D., Kröncke, M. et al. Snow cover consistently affects growth and reproduction of Empetrum hermaphroditum across latitudinal and local climatic gradients. Alp Botany 124, 115–129 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-014-0137-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-014-0137-8

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