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1,723 results for “Alpine”
Phenological changes offset the warming effects on biomass production in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
<p>1. Phenology is an important indicator of plant response to environmental changes and is closely correlated with biomass production. However, how changes of phenological events affect plant biomass production when exposed to changing temperature and precipitation remains unclear.</p> <p>2. We conducted a four-year manipulative experiment of warming and precipitation addition to explore phenology-biomass interactions under climate change in a dry alpine meadow on the central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2015 to 2018.</p> <p>3. In dry and warm years, warming delayed phenology and precipitation addition advanced them. Warming decreased biomass of Kobresia pygmaea in 2018 and biomass of Poa pratensis in 2015, 2017 and 2018. However, precipitation addition significantly increased the biomass of Poa pratensis and Potentilla multifida in most of the experimental years. Phenological changes regulated the responses of biomass to treatments. Specifically, delay of green up of P. pratensis and delay of withering of K. pygmaea induced by warming can increase biomass production, but it can be offset by the direct negative effects of warming on biomass.</p> <p>4. Synthesis. Here we show how warming induced drought tend to decrease biomass production of graminoids and the negative effects of warming on biomass of P. pratensis and K. pygmaea were partially offset by green up postponement and withering postponement, respectively. Our results highlights phenology is a crucial regulator for biomass production under climate change. Hence, both direct and indirect effects of warming and precipitation addition on phenology and biomass cannot be ignored when predicting biomass responses to climate change.</p>
Thermal niche traits of high alpine plant species and communities across the tropical Andes and their vulnerability to global warming
<a name="_Hlk10643461">Aim</a> <p>The Climate Variability Hypothesis (CVH) predicts that locations with reduced seasonal temperature variation select for species with narrower thermal ranges. Here we (1) test the CVH by assessing the effect of latitude and elevation on the thermal ranges of Andean vascular plant species and communities, and (2) assess tropical alpine plants vulnerability to warming based on their thermal traits.</p> Location <p>Tropical Andes</p> Taxon <p>Vascular plants</p> Methods <p>Temperature data for 505 vascular plant species from alpine communities on 49 summits, were extracted from 29,627 geo-referenced occurrences. Species thermal niche traits (TNTs) were estimated using bootstrapping for: minimum temperature, optimum (mean) temperature, and breadth (maximum-minimum). Plant community-weighted scores were estimated using the TNTs of their constituent species. CVH was tested for species, biogeographic species groups and communities. Vulnerability to global warming was assessed for species, biogeographic species groups and communities.</p> Results <p>Species restricted to the equator showed narrower thermal niche breadth than species whose ranges stretch far from the equator, however, no difference in niche breadth was found across summits' elevation. Biogeographic species groups distributed close to the equator and restricted to alpine regions showed narrower niche breadth than those with broader ranges. Community weighted-scores of thermal niche breadth were positively related to distance from equator but not to elevation. Based on their TNTs, species restricted to equatorial latitudes and plant communities dominated by these species were identified as the most vulnerable to the projected 1.5 °C warming, due to a potentially higher risk of losing thermal niche space.</p> Main conclusions <p>Our study confirms that the CVH applies to high tropical Andean plant species and communities, where latitude had a strong effect on the thermal niche breadth. TNTs are identified as suitable indicators of species' vulnerability to warming and are suggested to be included in long-term biodiversity monitoring in the Andes.</p>
Spatial variation in early-winter snow cover determines local dynamics in a network of alpine butterfly populations
<p>Snow cover is an extremely variable but critical component of alpine environments. We use long term population data on multiple small populations of the alpine butterfly <i>Parnassius smintheus</i>, combined with high-resolution satellite imagery of meadows, to show a strong link between fine-scale spatial and temporal variation in early-winter snow cover and annual change in butterfly population size, accounting for up to 80 percent of the variation in annual population change. Snow cover in early winter for each meadow is the best predictor of annual adult population change, despite being estimated for a relatively short time-window in late November. We identify a means by which subpopulation response to a local, short-term weather variable can be assessed over a large spatial extent, but also at a resolution relevant to the biology and local dynamics of this alpine species.</p>
Data from: Spatial dynamics of alpine treelines under global warming: what explains the mismatch between tree densification and elevational upward shifts at the treeline ecotone?
<p><b>Aim</b></p> <p>Most studies focusing on the alpine treeline responses to climate warming have used either the tree densification within the ecotone or its elevational upshift as indicators. However, it is acknowledged that the relation between densification and upshift is spatially heterogeneous, making inferences and comparability among studies tricky. The lack of consistent empirical evidence on this potential mismatch and its drivers leads us to focus on this issue in this study. The aim was twofold: (i) to quantify the mismatch between the two processes at a regional scale, and (ii) to identify its site-specific determinants.</p> <p><b>Location</b></p> <p>French eastern Pyrenees</p> <p><b>Time period</b></p> <p>1953-2015</p> <p><b>Major taxa studied </b></p> <p><i>Pinus</i><i> uncinata </i>(Ramond ex DC)</p> <p><b>Methods</b></p> <p>An object-oriented supervised classification procedure was performed on historical (1953) and current (2015) air-photos. Based on the resulting rasters, densification of the treeline ecotone and upward shift of the treeline were estimated at the two dates in 191 sites, then standardized, before finally being compared. Three site clusters were derived (no mismatch, densification prevalence, upshift prevalence). After having characterized their spatial patterns through join count statistics, a multinomial logistic regression model was computed to identify the correlates of these clusters among a list of site variables.</p> <p><b>Results</b></p> <p>No spatial pattern among the categories of responses emerges at a local scale, but buffers with no mismatch tend to aggregate at a larger scale. Changes in minimum air temperatures, site elevation, mean slope, slope morphometry and lithology appear as significant drivers of the observed mismatch, implying that the relation between densification and elevational upshift is context-specific.</p> <p><b>Main conclusions</b></p> <p><a name="_Hlk17817327">Our findings suggest that both </a><a name="_Hlk17816517">densification and upshift </a>should be considered in quantitative analyses of treeline spatial dynamics, since these two ecological processes are not controlled by the same drivers.</p>
Data used in: "Impacts of predator-mediated interactions along a climatic gradient on the population dynamics of an alpine bird"
<p>Data for:<br> Impacts of predator-mediated interactions along a climatic gradient on the population dynamics of an alpine bird</p> <p>doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2653</p> <p>Diana E. Bowler, Mikkel A. J. Kvasnes, Hans C. Pedersen, Brett K. Sandercock, Erlend B. Nilsen</p> <p>Questions to: diana.e.bowler@gmail.com or erlend.nilsen@nina.no</p>
Data from: Does rapid glacial recession affect feeding habits of alpine stream insects?
<p>1. Glacial retreat, accompanied by shifts in riparian vegetation and glacier meltwater inputs, alters the energy supply and trophic structure of alpine stream food webs. Our goal in this study was to enhance understanding of dietary niches of macroinvertebrates inhabiting different alpine streams with contrasting glacial and non-glacial (groundwater, precipitation, snowmelt) water inputs in conjunction with seasonal and habitat-specific variation in basal resource availability. </p> <p>2. We measured a range of stream physico-chemical attributes as well as carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ<sup>13</sup>C, δ<sup>15</sup>N) of macroinvertebrates and primary food sources at seven sites across seasons within a Swiss glaciated catchment (Val Roseg) undergoing rapid glacial retreat (1-2 km between years 1997–2014). Sampling sites corresponded to streams used in a previous (1997/1998) study within the same alpine catchment.</p> <p>3. Physico-chemical attributes showed wide variation in environmental conditions across streams and seasons. Significant correlation among physico-chemical proxies of glacier meltwater (P-PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3-</sup>, TIC, conductivity, turbidity) and macroinvertebrate δ<sup>13</sup>C, δ<sup>15</sup>N and SEA<sub>c</sub> (a proxy for feeding niche width) values showed that the extent of glacial water input shapes the energy base among alpine streams. Feeding niche differences among common alpine stream insect taxa (Chironomidae, Baetidae, Heptageniidae) were not significant, indicating that these organisms likely are plastic in feeding behaviour, opportunistically relying on food resources available in a particular stream and season.</p> <p>4. Seasonal trends in macroinvertebrate δ<sup>13</sup>C largely followed patterns in periphyton δ<sup>13</sup>C values, indicating that autochthonous resources were the main consumer energy source within the stream network, as shown previously. The overall range in macroinvertebrate δ<sup>13</sup>C (-33.5 to -18.4 ‰) and δ<sup>15</sup>N (-6.9 to 6.7 ‰) values also corresponded to values measured in the previous study, suggesting that macroinvertebrates altered diets in line with changes in environmental conditions and food resources during a period of rapid glacial retreat. Our results suggest that environmental changes brought on by rapid glacial retreat have not yet caused a profound change in the trophic structure within these fluvial networks.</p>
Nitrogen economy of alpine plants on the north Tibetan Plateau: nitrogen conservation by resorption rather than open sources through biological symbiotic fixation
<p>Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important factors limiting plant productivity, and N fixation by legume species is an important source of N input into ecosystems. Meanwhile, N resorption from senescent plant tissues conserves nutrients taken up in the current season, which may alleviate ecosystem N limitation. N fixation was assessed by the <sup>15</sup>N dilution technique in four types of alpine grasslands along the precipitation and soil nutrient gradients. The N resorption efficiency (NRE) was also measured in these alpine grasslands. The aboveground biomass in the alpine meadow was 4–6 times higher than in the alpine meadow-steppe, alpine steppe, and alpine desert-steppe. However, the proportion of legume species to community biomass in the alpine steppe and the alpine desert steppe was significantly higher than the proportion in the alpine meadow. N fixation by the legume plants in the alpine meadow was 0.236 g N m<sup>-2</sup>, which was significantly higher than N fixation in other alpine grasslands (0.041 to 0.089 g N m<sup>-2</sup>). The NRE in the alpine meadows was lower than in the other three alpine grasslands. Both the aboveground biomass and N fixation of the legume plants showed decreasing trends with the decline of precipitation and soil N gradients from east to west, while the NRE of alpine plants showed increasing trends along the gradients, which indicates that alpine plants enhance the NRE to adapt to the increasing droughts and nutrient-poor environments. The opposite trends of N fixation and NRE along the precipitation and soil nutrient gradients indicate that alpine plants adapt to precipitation and soil nutrient limitation by promoting NRE (conservative nutrient use by alpine plants) rather than biological N fixation (open sources by legume plants) on the north Tibetan Plateau.</p>
Data from: Riparian hunting spiders do not rely on aquatic subsidies from intermittent alpine streams
<p>Drying in alpine streams might decrease aquatic-terrestrial trophic linkages by reducing terrestrial predation on aquatic prey. We tested this hypothesis by investigating whether a common riparian predator (hunting spiders) in alpine environments assimilated a lower proportion of aquatic prey with increasing stream intermittency. We used high temporal-resolution data from electrical resistance sensors to map patterns of naturally-occurring flow intermittency across 30 headwater streams of Val Roseg, a glacierized catchment in the Swiss Alps. We collected riparian hunting spiders, as well as potential terrestrial and aquatic macroinvertebrate prey, from streams and their associated riparian zones across two seasons (Alpine spring and summer). We estimated aquatic contributions to spider diets (<i>p</i><sub>A</sub>) using (i) a gradient approach with aquatic invertebrate and spider carbon stable isotope ratio values (<i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C), and (ii) Bayesian carbon and nitrogen (<i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N) isotope mixing models. Spider <i>p</i><sub>A</sub> from the gradient method were not statistically different from zero in spring (0.08 ± 0.10) and low in summer (0.16 ± 0.04). Mixing models also estimated low dependence on aquatic prey in both seasons, although with potentially higher contributions in summer. Spider diet did not vary with increasing flow intermittency in either season. Our results suggested that alpine hunting spiders obtain most of their carbon from terrestrial prey. The slight increase in spider <i>p</i><sub>A</sub> during summer may correlate with peak emergence periods for aquatic insects, indicating opportunistic feeding by this riparian predator.</p>
Herbivores reduce seedling recruitment in alpine plant communities
<p>Through changes in climate and other environmental factors, alpine tundra ecosystems are subject to increased cover of erect shrubs, reduced predictability of rodent dynamics, and changes in wild and domesticated herbivore densities. To predict the dynamics of these ecosystems, we need to understand how these simultaneous changes affect alpine vegetation. In the long term, vegetation dynamics may depend critically on seedling recruitment. To study drivers of alpine plant seedling recruitment, we set up a field experiment where we manipulated the opportunity for plant-plant interactions through vegetation removal and introduction of willow transplants, the occurrence of herbivory through caging of plots, and then sowed 14 species into the plots. We replicated the experiment in three common alpine vegetation types (heath, meadow, and willow shrub) and recorded seedling emergence and survival over five years. Strong effects of vegetation removal and substantial differences in recruitment among dominant vegetation types suggested important effects of local vegetation on the recruitment success of vascular-plant seedlings. Similarly, herbivore exclusion had strong positive effects on recruitment success. This effect arose primarily via reduced seedling mortality in plots from which herbivores had been experimentally excluded and became noticeably stronger over time. In contrast, we detected no consistent effects of experimental willow shrub introduction on seedling recruitment. These results demonstrate that large and small herbivores can affect alpine plant seedling recruitment negatively by trampling and feeding on seedlings. Importantly, the effects became stronger over time, suggesting that effects of herbivory on seedling recruitment accumulates over time and may relate to recruitment phases beyond initial seedling emergence.</p>
Data from: Indirect effects of global change accumulate to alter plant diversity but not ecosystem function in alpine tundra
1. Environmental change can affect species directly by altering their physical environment and indirectly by altering the abundance of interacting species. A key challenge at the interface of community ecology and conservation biology is to predict how direct and indirect effects combine to influence response in a changing environment. In particular, little is known about how direct and indirect effects on biodiversity develop over time or their potential to influence ecosystem function. 2. We studied how nitrogen (N), winter precipitation (snow), and warming influenced diversity and ecosystem function over six years in alpine tundra. We used path analyses to partition direct effects of environmental manipulations from indirect effects due to changes in the abundance of two dominant plants. We hypothesize that 1) indirect effects will develop more slowly but will become stronger than direct effects over time, and 2) after six years, indirect effects will more strongly influence diversity while direct effects will influence ecosystem function. 3. Indirect effects of N on diversity were consistently stronger than direct effects and actually developed quickly, prior to direct effects. Direct effects of snow on diversity were detected in year two but then subsequently were reversed, while indirect effects were detected in year four and grew stronger over time. Overall in year six, indirect effects were much stronger than direct effects. 4. Direct effects predominated for three of four ecosystem functions we measured (productivity, N mineralization, winter N availability). The only indirect effects we found were that N and snow indirectly affected microbial biomass N by influencing Geum abundance. Across all four ecosystem measures, indirect effects were infrequent and weaker than direct effects. 5. Synthesis. Increasing indirect effects on diversity over time indicate that short-term experiments or monitoring of natural systems may underestimate the full magnitude of global change effects on plant communities. Explicitly accounting for changes in dominant plant abundance may be necessary for forecasting plant community response to environmental change. Conversely, weak indirect effects for ecosystem processes suggest that predicting ecosystem function without knowledge of plant responses to global change may be possible.
Data from: Geographical parthenogenesis and population genetic structure in the alpine species Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae)
Geographical parthenogenesis describes the enigmatic phenomenon that asexual organisms have larger distribution areas than their sexual relatives, especially in previously glaciated areas. Classical models suggest temporary advantages to asexuality in colonization scenarios because of uniparental reproduction and clonality. We analyzed population genetic structure and self-fertility of the plant species Ranunculus kuepferi on 59 populations from the whole distribution area (European Alps, Apennines and Corsica). Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and five microsatellite loci revealed individual genotypes for all populations and mostly insignificant differences between diploid sexuals and tetraploid apomicts in all measures of genetic diversity. Low frequencies of private AFLP fragments/simple sequence repeat alleles, and character incompatibility analyses suggest that facultative recombination explains best the unexpectedly high genotypic diversity of apomicts. STRUCTURE analyses using AFLPs revealed a higher number of partitions and a stronger geographical subdivision for diploids than for tetraploids, which contradicts expectations of standard gene flow models, but indicates a reduction of genetic structure in asexuals. Apomictic populations exhibited high admixture near the sexual area, but appeared rather uniform in remote areas. Bagging experiments and analyses of pollen tube growth confirmed self-fertility for pollen-dependent apomicts, but self-sterility for diploid sexuals. Facultative apomixis combines advantages of both modes of reproduction: uniparental reproduction allows for rapid colonization of remote areas, whereas facultative sexuality and polyploidy maintains genetic diversity within apomictic populations. The density dependence of outcrossing limits range expansions of sexual populations.
Data from: Habitat selection predicts genetic relatedness in an alpine ungulate
Landscape heterogeneity plays an integral role in shaping ecological and evolutionary processes. Despite links between the two disciplines, ecologists and population geneticists have taken different approaches to evaluating habitat selection, animal movement, and gene flow across the landscape. Ecologists commonly use statistical models such as resource selection functions (RSFs) to identify habitat features disproportionately selected by animals, while population genetic approaches model genetic differentiation according to the distribution of habitat variables. We combined ecological and genetic approaches by using RSFs and step-selection functions (SSFs) to predict genetic relatedness across a heterogeneous landscape. We constructed sex and season-specific resistance surfaces based on RSFs and SSFs estimated using data from 102 GPS radiocollared mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in southeast Alaska. Based on mountain goat ecology, we hypothesized that summer and male surfaces would be the best predictors of relatedness. All individuals were genotyped at 22 microsatellite loci, which we used to estimate genetic relatedness. Summer resistance surfaces derived from RSFs were the best predictors of genetic relatedness, and winter models the poorest. Male and female specific surfaces were similar, except for winter where male habitat selection better predicted genetic relatedness. The null models of isolation-by-distance and barrier only outperformed the winter models. This study merges high-resolution individual locations through GPS telemetry and genetic data, that can be used to validate and parameterize landscape genetics models, and further elucidates the relationship between landscape heterogeneity and genetic differentiation.
Data from: Competitor or facilitator? The ambiguous role of alpine grassland for the early establishment of tree seedlings at treeline
Alpine treelines are expected to move upslope with a warming climate. However, so far treelines have responded inconsistently and future shifts remain difficult to predict since many factors unrelated to temperature, such as biotic interactions, affect responses at the local scale. Especially during the earliest regeneration stages, trees can be strongly influenced by alpine vegetation via both competition and facilitation. We aimed to understand the relative importance of these two types of interaction in different vegetation structures for treeline regeneration dynamics. Effects of herbaceous alpine vegetation on seedling emergence and first-year performance were studied in a field experiment in the French Alps (2100 m a.s.l.) with five important European treeline tree species: Larix decidua, Picea abies, Pinus cembra, Pinus uncinata and Sorbus aucuparia. Total emergence and locally-germinated seedling survival were not affected, but for seedlings planted at two months of age, negative vegetation impacts dominated for all response parameters: first-year survival, growth and carbohydrate accumulation. However, in the winter half-year, evergreen tree seedlings increased carbohydrate reserves under the protection of senescent herbs. Also, responses of locally-germinated seedlings suggest facilitative vegetation effects in the first two months after emergence. Thus, the interaction switched between competition and facilitation according to ontogenetic stage and seasons. Still, the net outcome after one year was negative, but species differed in their susceptibilities. Because initial establishment is the first bottleneck determining whether treelines remain stable or move upslope, understanding establishment, including site-, life-stage and species-specific processes, is essential for understanding observed treeline spatial patterns and dynamics. When developing predictive models of treeline dynamics, all these 'local' aspects should be incorporated in addition to more global drivers like changes in temperature.
Data from: Spatial analyses of two color polymorphisms in an alpine grasshopper reveal a role of small‐scale heterogeneity
Discrete color polymorphisms represent a fascinating aspect of intraspecific diversity. Color morph ratios often vary clinally, but in some cases, there are no marked clines and mixes of different morphs occur at appreciable frequencies in most populations. This poses the questions of how polymorphisms are maintained. We here study the spatial and temporal distribution of a very conspicuous color polymorphism in the club‐legged grasshopper Gomphocerus sibiricus. The species occurs in a green and a nongreen (predominately brown) morph, a green–brown polymorphism that is common among Orthopteran insects. We sampled color morph ratios at 42 sites across the alpine range of the species and related color morph ratios to local habitat parameters and climatic conditions. Green morphs occurred in both sexes, and their morph ratios were highly correlated among sites, suggesting shared control of the polymorphism in females and males. We found that in at least 40 of 42 sites green and brown morphs co‐occurred with proportions of green ranging from 0% to 70% with significant spatial heterogeneity. The proportion of green individuals tended to increase with decreasing summer and winter precipitations. Nongreen individuals can be further distinguished into brown and pied individuals, and again, this polymorphism is shared with other grasshopper species. We found pied individuals at all sites with proportions ranging from 3% to 75%, with slight, but significant variation between years. Pied morphs show a clinal increase in frequency from east to west and decreased with altitude and lower temperatures and were more common on grazed sites. The results suggest that both small‐scale and large‐scale spatial heterogeneity affects color morph ratios. The almost universal co‐occurrence of all three color morphs argues against strong effects of genetic drift. Instead, the data suggest that small‐scale migration–selection balance and/or local balancing selection maintain populations polymorphic.
Data from: Pseudo-parallel patterns of disjunctions in an Arctic-alpine plant lineage
Disjunct distributions have intrigued biologists for centuries. Investigating these biogeographic patterns provides insight into speciation and biodiversity at multiple spatial and phylogenetic scales. Some disjunctions have been intensively studied, yet others have been largely overlooked and remain poorly understood. Among the lesser-known disjunction patterns is that between the mountain ranges of western North America. Flora and fauna endemic to the mountains of this region provide important systems for investigating causes and results of disjunctions, given the relatively recent geological formation of this area and the intense climatic fluctuations that have occurred since its formation. In Micranthes (Saxifragaceae), which has high rates of montane endemism, two species, M. bryophora and M. tolmiei, show this biogeographical pattern. By reconstructing a time-calibrated phylogeny based on 518 low-copy nuclear markers and including multiple populations of each species from the Coast Ranges, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and Rocky Mountains, this study provides a biogeographical and temporal framework for the evolution of Micranthes in western North America. Strongly supported east-west differentiated clades are recovered for M. bryophora and M. tolmiei in both maximum likelihood and coalescent-based species tree reconstructions. Biogeographic analysis suggests different patterns of dispersal for both taxa and the dating analyses recovered contrasting ages for each clade. Due to both the different geographic patterns and the timing of the initial diversification of each taxon corresponding to different geologic and climatic events, the disjunction patterns shown for these taxa are suggested to be an example of biogeographical pseudocongruence.
Data from: Pivotal effect of early-winter temperatures and snowfall on population growth of alpine Parnassius smintheus butterflies
Geographic range shifts in species' distributions, due to climate change, imply altered dynamics at both their northern and southern range limits, or at upper and lower elevational limits. There is therefore a need to identify specific weather or climate variable(s), and life stages or cohorts on which they act, and how these affect population growth. Identifying such variables permits prediction of population increase or decline under a changing climate, and shifts in a species' geographic range. For relatively well studied groups, such as butterflies, geographic range shifts are well documented, but weather variables and mechanisms causing those shifts are not well known. The Holarctic butterfly genus Parnassius (Papilionidae) inhabits northern and alpine environments subject to variable and extreme weather. As such, Parnassius species are vulnerable not only to long-term changes in average conditions but especially to short-term extreme weather events. We use population growth estimates for the alpine butterfly, Parnassius smintheus, from 21 populations in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, over a 20-year interval, combined with techniques of machine learning (randomForests) and parametric modeling to identify the important weather variables determining population growth. We do this to determine the seasons and life-stages of P. smintheus most affected by climate change. Extreme minimum and maximum temperatures in November, in combination with November snowfall, affect annual population growth most, more so than do mean temperatures in November, and more so than weather at any other time of year. Populations decline both in years with low extreme minimum temperatures in November, and especially in years with high extreme maximum temperatures in November, indicating that overwintering eggs are particularly vulnerable to early-winter weather. Snowfall ameliorates the negative effects of extreme temperatures, particularly for extreme warm events. Results provide insight into biological mechanisms by which over-wintering eggs might be affected by early winter weather. Short-term extreme weather in November, acting on a single pivotal life-stage (egg) is a far better predictor of population change of alpine Parnassius smintheus butterflies than is the general index of climate, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).
Data from: Getting ready for the winter: timing and determinants of molt in an alpine ungulate
Because growth of new hairs entails energetic costs, individual condition and access to food should determine the timing of molt. Previous studies on the timing of molt in ungulates have mostly focused on the influence of age-class and reproductive status, but the effects of body condition and environmental phenology have not been evaluated. Our goal was to assess how intrinsic traits and environmental conditions determine the timing of winter coat shedding in a mountain goat population monitored for 27 years. The date of molt completion followed a U-shape with age, suggesting that senescence occurs in terms of the molting process in mountain goats. Juveniles of both sexes delayed molting in a similar fashion, but molt timing differed between sexes during adulthood. Males molted progressively earlier until reaching age when reproduction peaked, after which they started delaying molting again. Females reached earliest molt dates at age of first reproduction and then progressively delayed molt date. Lactating females molted 10 days later than barren females on average, but this only occurred in females in good condition. Thus, although it has been shown that reproduction delays molt in ungulates, our results indicate that body condition can override this effect. Overall, our results revealed that access to both extrinsic and intrinsic resources is one of the key mechanisms driving molting processes in a mammalian herbivore.
Data from: Contrasting microbial biogeographical patterns between anthropogenic subalpine grasslands and natural alpine grasslands
The effect of plant species composition on soil microbial communities was studied at the multiregional level. We compared the soil microbial communities of alpine natural grasslands dominated by Carex curvula and anthropogenic subalpine pastures dominated by Nardus stricta. We conducted paired sampling across the Carpathians and the Alps and used Illumina sequencing to reveal the molecular diversity of soil microbes. We found that bacterial and fungal communities exhibited contrasting regional distributions and that the distribution in each grassland is well discriminated. Beta diversity of microbial communities was much higher in C. curvula grasslands due to a marked regional effect. The composition of grassland-type core microbiomes suggest that C. curvula, and N. stricta to a lesser extent, tend to select a cohort of microbes related to antibiosis/exclusion, pathogenesis and endophytism. We discuss these findings in light of the postglacial history of the studied grasslands, the habitat connectivity and the disturbance regimes. Human-induced disturbance in the subalpine belt of European mountains has led to homogeneous soil microbial communities at large biogeographical scales. Our results confirm the overarching role of the dominant grassland plant species in the distribution of microbial communities and highlight the relevance of biogeographical history.
Data from: The geographical and environmental determinants of genetic diversity for four alpine conifers of the European Alps
Climate is one of the most important drivers of local adaptation in forest tree species. Standing levels of genetic diversity and structure within and among natural populations of forest trees are determined by the interplay between climatic heterogeneity and the balance between selection and gene flow. To investigate this interplay single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 24 to 37 populations from four subalpine conifers, Abies alba Mill., Larix decidua L., Pinus cembra L. and Pinus mugo Turra, across their natural ranges in the Italian Alps and Apennines. Patterns of population structure were apparent using a Bayesian clustering program, STRUCTURE, which identified three to five genetic groups per species. Geographical correlates to these patterns, however, were only apparent for P. cembra. Multivariate environmental variables (i.e. principal components) were subsequently tested for association with SNPs using a Bayesian generalized linear mixed model. The majority of the SNPs, ranging from six in L. decidua to 18 in P. mugo, were associated with PC1, corresponding to winter precipitation and seasonal minimum temperature. In A. alba, four SNPs were associated with PC2, corresponding to the seasonal minimum temperature. Functional annotation of those genes with the orthologs in Arabidopsis revealed several genes involved in abiotic stress response. This study provides a detailed assessment of population structure and its association to environment and geography in four coniferous species in the Italian mountains.
Data from: Extensive variation, but not local adaptation in an Australian alpine daisy
Alpine plants often occupy diverse habitats within a similar elevation range, but most research on local adaptation in these plants has focused on elevation gradients. In testing for habitat-related local adaptation, local effects on seed quality and initial plant growth should be considered in designs that encompass multiple populations and habitats. We tested for local adaptation across alpine habitats in a morphologically variable daisy species, Brachyscome decipiens, in the Bogong High Plains in Victoria, Australia. We collected seed from different habitats, controlled for maternal effects through initial seed size estimates, and characterized seedling survival and growth in a field transplant experiment. We found little evidence for local adaptation for survival or plant size, based on three adaptation measures: Home versus Away, Local versus Foreign, and Sympatric versus Allopatric (SA). The SA measure controlled for planting site and population (site-of-origin) effects. There were significant differences due to site-of-origin and planting site effects. An important confounding factor was the size of plants directly after transplantation of seedlings, which had a large impact on subsequent seedling survival and growth. Initial differences in plant width and height influenced subsequent survival across the growing season but in opposing directions: wide plants had higher survival, but tall plants had lower survival. In an additional controlled garden experiment at Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, site-of-origin effects detected in the field experiments disappeared under more benign homogeneous conditions. Although B. decipiens from different source areas varied significantly when grown across a range of alpine habitats, these differences did not translate into a local or habitat-related fitness advantage. This lack of local advantage may signal weak past selection, and/or weak adaptive transgeneration (plasticity) effects.
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