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107 results for “mountain climate”
Climate velocities and species tracking in global mountain regions
<p>Mountain ranges harbor high concentrations of endemic species and are indispensable refugia for lowland species under anthropogenic climate change<sup>1,2</sup>. Forecasting biodiversity redistribution hinges on assessing whether species can track shifting isotherms as climate warms<sup>3,4</sup>. However, a global analysis of isotherm shift velocities along elevation gradients is hindered by the scarcity of weather stations in mountainous regions<sup>5</sup>. We address this by mapping the lapse rate of temperature (LRT) across mountain regions globally using satellite data (SLRT) and laws of thermodynamics to account for water vapour<sup>6</sup> (i.e., the moist adiabatic lapse rate: MALRT). Dividing the rate of surface warming from 1971 to 2020 by either the SLRT or MALRT, we provide the first maps of vertical isotherm shift velocities. We identify 17 mountain regions with exceptionally high vertical isotherm shift velocities (> 11.67 m/yr for the SLRT, > 8.25 m/yr for the MALRT), predominantly in dry areas but also in wet regions with shallow lapse rates like Northern Sumatra, the Brazilian Highlands, and Southern Africa. By linking these velocities to species range shift velocities, we report instances of close tracking in mountains with lower climate velocities. However, many species lag behind, suggesting persisting range shift dynamics even if we manage to curb climate change trajectories. Our findings are vital for devising global conservation strategies, particularly in the 17 high-velocity mountain regions we identified.</p> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <ol> <li>Rahbek, C.<em> et al.</em> Building mountain biodiversity: Geological and evolutionary processes. <em>Science</em> 365, 1114-1119 (2019).</li> <li>Rahbek, C.<em> et al.</em> Humboldt's enigma: What causes global patterns of mountain biodiversity? <em>Science</em> 365, 1108-1113 (2019).</li> <li>Chen, I. C., Hill, J. K., Ohlemuller, R., Roy, D. B. & Thomas, C. D. Rapid Range Shifts of Species Associated with High Levels of Climate Warming. <em>Science</em> 333, 1024-1026 (2011).</li> <li>Lenoir, J.<em> et al.</em> Species better track climate warming in the oceans than on land. <em>Nature Ecology & Evolution</em>, 1-16 (2020).</li> <li>Pepin, N.<em> et al.</em> Elevation-dependent warming in mountain regions of the world. <em>Nat Clim Change</em> 5, 424-430 (2015).</li> <li>Holton, J. R. & Hakim, G. J. <em>An introduction to dynamic meteorology</em>. Vol. 88 (Academic press, 2012).</li> </ol>
Vegetation changes with climate change in the Grandes Rousses mountain range
<p><strong><em>Questions:</em></strong> We assessed interactions between climate change, bedrock types and snow cover duration on the trajectories of taxonomic and functional composition of subalpine plant communities. We predict (i) an increase in species richness on siliceous bedrock due to a reduced competition and a decrease in richness on calcareous bedrock due to increasing drought stress, (ii) decreasing snow cover duration should induce a higher shrub encroachment in hollows as compared to ridges (iii) increasing growing season temperature should induce taller sizes and more conservative growth traits, in particular in hollows.</p> <p><strong><em>Location: </em></strong>Subalpine belt of the Grandes Rousses mountain range, south western Alps (France).</p> <p><strong><em>Methods:</em></strong> 189 vegetation plots were sampled in 1997 and 2017-2018. The duration of snow cover was assessed during two years in 1995-1997 and five functional traits were measured on 108 species in 2021. We performed multivariate analyses, quantified community weighted-means (CWM) of traits and used ANOVAs to detect responses to local-scale factors and changes in snow cover, temperature and precipitation since 1997 according to a nearby meteorological station.</p> <p><strong><em>Results:</em></strong> Overall, taxonomic composition weakly changed and changes were more dependent on the position of communities along the snow cover duration gradient than on their bedrock type. The abundance of drought-tolerant species increased at the border of hollows and there was, over all communities, a slight increase in the abundance of dwarf shrubs and tall herbaceous species, a strong decrease in short herbaceous species and, thus, an overall decrease in species richness. There were important overall changes in CWM of size traits, in particular leaf area which increased the most in hollows irrespective of bedrock types.</p> <p><strong><em>Conclusion:</em></strong> In this subalpine site the effects of decreasing snow cover duration overwhelmed the effects of bedrocks, which may explain the overall increase in competitive species and decrease in species richness.</p>
Disturbance and indirect effects of climate warming support a plant invader in mountains
<p><strong>ABSTRACT </strong>from the connected paper [Haider, S., Palm, S., Bruelheide, H., de Villemereuil, Menzel, A. & Lachmuth, S. (2022): Disturbance and indirect effects of climate warming support a plant invader in mountains. Oikos, https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08783]:</p> <p>Climate warming and increased disturbance (resulting from intensified land use) are expected to enhance the invasibility of plant communities and the performance of exotic species also at high elevations, and thus pose additional threats to mountain ecosystems. The invasion success of introduced genotypes will also depend on their degree of pre-adaption to high elevation climatic conditions, which may vary intra-specifically across source populations. For populations currently spreading in the lowlands, climate warming might reduce the climatic distance to high-elevation sites and thus remove a barrier to upwards spread.</p> <p>Here, we investigated the various facets of mountain invasions in a single, integrative experimental study. We applied a community transplant approach between high- and low-elevation sites in the European Alps to address effects of climate warming and disturbance through land use on community invasibility and the performance of the exotic species <em>Senecio inaequidens</em>, a potential future plant invader in the Alps. Additionally, the transplant sites served as common gardens to test the influence of climatic pre-adaptation to current (high site) and future (low site) climatic conditions on the performance of <em>S. inaequidens</em> in the transplanted communities. The 16 invasive Central and Western European <em>S. inaequidens</em> source population locations covered a wide geographic range, and thus a wide amplitude of climatic distances and presumed pre-adaptation to our gardens.</p> <p>Our results attest to a strong effect of disturbance, which increased community invasibility, and promoted the performance of the exotic species. Contrary to our expectation, experimentally induced climate warming did not increase community invasibility. However, the performance of the <em>S. inaequidens</em> populations was positively related to their pre-adaptation to the climatic conditions of our common gardens. Climate warming might thus promote the invasion of exotic species by reducing the climatic distance between mountain ranges and locations of potential source populations.</p> <p><strong>DESCRIPTION </strong>of the data can be found in the Material and methods section of the paper, and in the meta-data sheet included in each data file.</p>
Elevational and local climate variability predicts thermal breadth of mountain tropical tadpoles
<p>The climate variability hypothesis posits that increased environmental thermal variation should promote species with broader thermal tolerance breadths, while stable environments should promote thermal specialists. This hypothesis has been tested on large spatial scales, such as latitude and elevation, but less so on smaller scales which reflect the experienced microclimate. Here, we estimated thermal tolerance limits of 75 species of amphibian tadpoles from an aseasonal tropical mountain range of the Ecuadorian Andes, distributed along a 3500 m elevational range, to test the climatic variability hypothesis at a large (elevation) and a small (microhabitat) scales. We show how species from less variable thermal habitats, such as lowlands and those restricted to streams, exhibit narrower thermal tolerance breadths than highland and pond-dwelling species respectively. Interestingly, while broader thermal tolerance breadths at large scales are driven by higher cold tolerance variation (heat-invariant hypothesis), at local scales they are driven by higher heat tolerance variation. This contrasting pattern may result from divergent selection on both thermal limits to face environmental thermal extremes at different scales. Specifically, within the same elevational window, exposure to extreme maximum temperatures could be avoided through habitat shifts from temporary ponds to permanent ponds or streams, while minimum peak temperatures remained invariable between habitats but steadily decreased with elevation. Therefore addressing the effects of habitat conversion is crucial for future research on resilience to climate change.</p>
Data from: Underlying geology and climate interactively shape climate change refugia in mountain streams
<p>Identifying climate-change refugia is a key adaptation strategy for reducing global warming impacts. Knowledge of the effects of underlying geology on thermal regime along climate gradients and the ecological responses to the geology-controlled thermal regime is essential to plan appropriate climate adaptation strategies. In the present study, the dominance of volcanic rocks in the watershed is used as a landscape-scale surrogate for cold groundwater inputs to clarify the importance of underlying geology in stream ecosystems along climate gradients. First, using hundreds of monitoring stations distributed across multiple catchments, we explored the relationship between watershed geology and the mean summer water temperature of mountain streams along climate gradients in the Japanese archipelago. Mean summer water temperature was explained by the interaction between the watershed geology and climate in addition to independent effects. The cooling effect supported by volcanic rocks reached up to 3.3°C among study regions, which was more pronounced in streams with less summer precipitation or lower air temperatures. Next, we examined the function of volcanic streams as cold refugia under contemporary and future climatic conditions. Community composition analyses revealed that volcanic streams hosted distinct stream communities composed of more cold-water species compared with non-volcanic streams. Scenario analyses based on multiple GCMs and RCPs revealed a geology-related pattern of thermal habitat loss for cold-water species. Non-volcanic streams rapidly declined in thermally suitable habitats for lotic sculpins even under the lowest emission scenario (RCP 2.6). In contrast, most volcanic streams will be sustained below the thermal threshold, especially for low and mid-level emission scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5). However, the distinct stream community in volcanic streams and geology-dependent habitat loss for lotic sculpins was not uniform and was more pronounced in streams with less summer precipitation or lower air temperatures. These findings highlight that underlying geology, climate variability, and their interaction should be considered simultaneously for effective management of climate-change refugia in mountain streams. </p>
Impact of mountains in Southern China on the Eocene climates of East Asia
<p>These files contain the model outputs from Noresm1-F that are used to draw the main parts of Figures in our paper entitled "Impact of mountains in Southern China on the Eocene climates of East Asia".</p>
Data for: Modeling the distribution of the endangered Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) in relation to geology, topography, and climate
<p>The Jemez Mountains salamander (<em>Plethodon neomexicanus</em>; hereafter JMS) is an endangered salamander restricted to the Jemez Mountains in north-central New Mexico, United States. This strictly terrestrial species requires moist surface conditions for mating and foraging. Threats to its current habitat include fire suppression and ensuing severe fires, changes in forest composition, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. Forest composition changes resulting from reduced fire frequency and increased tree density suggest that its current aboveground habitat does not mirror its historically successful habitat regime. We hypothesized that geology and topography might play a significant role in the current distribution of the salamander. We modeled the distribution of the JMS using a machine learning algorithm to assess how geology, topography, and climate variables influence its distribution. Our habitat suitability map reveals low uncertainty in model predictions, and we found slight discrepancies between the designated critical habitat and the most suitable areas for the JMS. Because geological features are important to its distribution, we recommend that geological and topographical data are considered, both during survey design and in the description of localities of JMS records once detected.</p>
Taking stock of climate-driven risks to mountain biodiversity
<p>Mountain biodiversity is rapidly reorganizing as species migrate upslope to track climate warming. Despite the potential threats of mountaintop extirpation, range shift gaps, and lowland biodiversity attrition, empirical evidence of these risks remains scarce. We analyzed 8,800 records of historical and modern elevational range limits for 440 animals and 1,629 plant species and found that the risk of mountaintop extirpation did not exceed random expectations. Upper limits expanded for species with narrow ranges or lowland affinities, but lower limits showed little contraction, implying scant risk to date of these threats, even in the tropics. Yet the predominance of upslope expansion combined with delayed mountaintop extirpations points to a biotic homogenization, which may profoundly alter biotic interactions in mountain ecosystems with increasing warming.</p>
Data from: Climate drives body mass changes in a mountain ungulate: Shorter winters lead to heavier Alpine ibex
<p>Climate affects seasonality and plant phenology, which can influence seasonal body mass dynamics of herbivores in temperate environments. We investigated long-term trends of seasonal body mass changes in male Alpine ibex (<em>Capra ibex</em>). We used SEM to test direct and indirect relationships between body mass, mass changes and environmental and climatic variables. Individually recognizable Alpine ibex were weighed repeatedly between 2000 and 2022 in Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy). Autumn mass increased substantially over these two decades, up to 15% in some age classes. Over the same time frame, both summer mass gain and winter mass loss decreased, suggesting that heavier autumn body mass was due to the cumulative effects of reduced mass loss over several winters. The environmental factor with the strongest effects on winter mass changes was the starting date of vegetation green-up at low altitude, where ibex gather after winter to feed on new growth vegetation. Early springs led to lower winter mass loss, likely because ibex relied on stored fat for a shorter period and had greater access to forage. High population density also increased winter mass loss. Environmental conditions and resource availability, possibly also influenced by density in winter and early spring seem therefore to directly affect the body mass dynamics of male Alpine ibex, while the effect of summer conditions appears less relevant. By affecting seasonal body mass dynamics, climate change may have consequences for life history and population dynamics of mountain herbivores, for example via earlier access of young males to reproduction.</p>
Data: Large old trees increase growth under shifting climatic constraints: Aligning tree longevity and individual growth dynamics in primary mountain spruce forests
<p>In a world of accelerating changes in environmental conditions driving tree growth, tradeoffs between tree growth rate and longevity could curtail the abundance of large, old trees (LOTs), with potentially dire consequences for biodiversity and carbon storage. However, the influence of tree-level tradeoffs on forest structure at landscape scales will also depend on disturbances, which shape tree size and age distribution, and on whether LOTs can benefit from improved growing conditions due to climate warming.</p> <p>We analyzed temporal and spatial variation in radial growth patterns from ~5000 Norway spruce (<em>Picea abies </em>(L.) H. Karst) live and dead trees from the Western Carpathian primary spruce forest stands. We applied mixed-linear modeling to quantify the importance of LOT growth histories and stand dynamics (i.e. competition and disturbance factors) on lifespan. Finally, we assessed regional synchronization in radial growth variability over the 20<sup>th</sup> century, and modelled the effects of stand dynamics and climate on LOTs recent growth trends.</p> <p>Tree age varied considerably among forest stands, implying an important role of disturbance as an age constraint. Slow juvenile growth and longer period of suppressed growth prolonged tree lifespan, while increasing disturbance severity and shorter time since last disturbance decreased it. The highest age was not achieved only by trees with continuous slow growth, but those with slow juvenile growth followed by subsequent growth releases. Growth trend analysis demonstrated an increase in absolute growth rates in response to climate warming, with late summer temperatures driving the recent growth trend. Contrary to our expectation that LOTs would eventually exhibit declining growth rates, the oldest LOTs (>400 years) continuously increase growth throughout their lives, indicating a high phenotypic plasticity of LOTs for increasing biomass, and a strong carbon sink role of primary spruce forests under rising temperatures, intensifying droughts, and increasing bark beetle outbreaks.</p>
Assessing Future Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change on High-Mountain Central Asia: Insights from a Stochastic Soil Moisture Water Balance Model
<p>Dataset accompanying the publication "Assessing Future Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change on High-Mountain Central Asia: Insights from a Stochastic Soil Moisture Water Balance Model"</p> <p> </p>
Climatic forcing and individual heterogeneity in a resident mountain bird: legacy data reveal effects on reproductive strategies
<p><span>Optimization of clutch size and timing of reproduction </span><span>have substantial effects on lifetime reproductive success in vertebrates, and b</span><span>oth </span><span>individual quality and </span><span>environmental variation may impact </span><span>life history strategies</span><span>. </span><span>We tested hypotheses related to maternal investment and timing of reproduction</span><span>, using 17 years (1978-1994) of individual-based life history data on willow ptarmigan (<em>Lagopus l. lagopus</em>, </span><span>n=290 breeding females with n=319 breeding attempts</span><span>) in central Norway. We analysed whether climatic variation and individual state variables (age and body mass) affected number of offspring and timing of reproduction, and individual repeatability in strategies</span><span>. The results suggest that willow ptarmigan share a common optimal clutch size that is largely independent of measured individual states. While we found no clear direct weather effects on clutch size, higher spring temperatures advanced onset of breeding, and early breeding was followed by an increased number of offspring. Warmer springs were positively related to maternal mass, and mass interacted with clutch size in production of hatchlings. Finally, clutch size and timing of reproduction were highly repeatable within individuals, indicating that individual quality guided trade-offs in reproductive effort. Our results demonstrate how climatic forcing and individual heterogeneity in combination influenced life history traits in a resident montane keystone species.</span></p>
Data for: Increases in functional diversity of mountain plant communities is mainly driven by species turnover under climate change
<p><span>Warming in mountain regions is projected to be three times faster than the global average. Pronounced climate change will likely lead to species reshuffling in mountain plant communities and consequently change ecosystem resilience and functioning. Yet, little is known about</span><span> the role of inter- versus intraspecific changes of plant traits and their consequences for functional richness and evenness of mountain plant communities under climate change. </span></p> <p><span>We performed a downslope translocation experiment of intact plant-soil mesocosms from an alpine pasture and a subalpine grassland in the Swiss and Austrian Alps to simulate an abrupt shift in climate and removal of dispersal barriers. Translocated plant communities experienced warmer and dryer climatic conditions. </span><span>We found a considerable shift from resource conservative to resource acquisitive leaf-economy in the two climate change scenarios. However, shifts in leaf-economy were mainly attributable to species turnover, namely colonization by novel lowland species with trait expressions for a wider range of resource use. We also found an increase in vegetative height of the warmed and drought-affected alpine plant community, while trait plasticity to warming and drought was limited to few graminoid species of the subalpine plant community. </span><span>Our results highlight the contrast between the strong competitive potential of novel lowland species in quickly occupying available niche space and native species' lack of both the intraspecific trait variability and the plant functional trait expressions needed to increase functional richness under warming and drought. This is particularly important for the trailing range of many mountain species (i.e. subalpine zone) where upward moving lowland species are becoming more abundant and abiotic climate stressors are likely to become more frequent in the near future. </span><span>Our study emphasizes mountain plant communities' vulnerability to novel climates and biotic interactions under climate change and highlights graminoid species as potential winners of a warmer and dryer future.</span></p>
Climate change accelerates ecosystem restoration in the mountain forests of Central Europe
<ol> <li>Restoring degraded forest ecosystems is an important element in the ongoing challenge to sustain the integrity and functioning of the biosphere. However, the evaluation of restoration success is hampered by long lead times of management measures in forests. Moreover, forest change is accelerating in the absence of management because of ongoing climate change. Yet, because a counterfactual is frequently missing, it remains unclear whether restoration measures are aided or impeded by climate change. </li> <li>Here, we analyzed the pace and success of forest restoration under climate change, combining field data and simulation modelling. We focused on the management zone of Berchtesgaden National Park (BGNP), Germany, where restoration aims to restore homogeneous Norway spruce (<em>Picea abies</em>) forests to structurally diverse mixed mountain forests. We evaluated three alternative restoration strategies: Two active strategies focused on planting the currently underrepresented silver fir (<em>Abies alba</em>) and European beech (<em>Fagus</em> <em>sylvatica</em>) but differing in the creation of gap-cuts, and a third passive restoration strategy without interventions. Strategies were simulated with the forest landscape model iLand from 2020 to 2100 under different climate scenarios (historic, RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5).</li> <li>The forests of BGNP developed into structurally diverse and mixed forests under all evaluated management strategies, and differences between active and passive restoration were generally small. While restoration goals for forest structure were largely met by 2100, forest composition remained far from target in all strategies. Climate change aided restoration by significantly increasing the prevalence of silver fir and European beech (+104.2 % to +258.6 %). Field data on short-term restoration effects were in line with simulated long-term trajectories.</li> <li> <em>Synthesis and applications</em>. We here show that forest restoration efforts in Central European mountain forests will likely be accelerated by climate change. Nonetheless, the slow pace of restoration underscores the need for taking action. Our study highlights that active restoration measures such as tree planting can bring the system closer to restoration targets. However, it also demonstrates that passive restoration (no intervention) is a viable option for management, highlighting the need to evaluate restoration measures against the counterfactual of a no-intervention strategy.</li> </ol>
Data from: Climate change shifts natural selection and the adaptive potential of the perennial forb Boechera stricta in the Rocky Mountains
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Climate velocities and species tracking in global mountain regions
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Local climatic effects on colonisation and extinction drive changes in mountain butterfly communities
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Elevational and local climate variability predicts thermal breadth of mountain tropical tadpoles
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Code from: Climate, ecological dynamics, and the seasonal distribution of birds in mountains
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Drivers and mechanisms that contribute to microbial β-diversity patterns and range sizes in mountains across a climatic variability gradient
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Allen Brain Atlas
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