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Small-scale plant species distribution in snowbeds and its sensitivity to climate change

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Abstract

Alpine snowbeds are characterized by a long-lasting snow cover and low soil temperature during the growing season. Both these key abiotic factors controlling plant life in snowbeds are sensitive to anthropogenic climate change and will alter the environmental conditions in snowbeds to a considerable extent until the end of this century. In order to name winners and losers of climate change among the plant species inhabiting snowbeds, we analyzed the small-scale species distribution along the snowmelt and soil temperature gradients within alpine snowbeds in the Swiss Alps. The results show that the date of snowmelt and soil temperature were relevant abiotic factors for small-scale vegetation patterns within alpine snowbed communities. Species richness in snowbeds was reduced to about 50% along the environmental gradients towards later snowmelt date or lower daily maximum temperature. Furthermore, the occurrence pattern of the species along the snowmelt gradient allowed the establishment of five species categories with different predictions of their distribution in a warmer world. The dominants increased their relative cover with later snowmelt date and will, therefore, lose abundance due to climate change, but resist complete disappearance from the snowbeds. The indifferents and the transients increased in species number and relative cover with higher temperature and will profit from climate warming. The snowbed specialists will be the most suffering species due to the loss of their habitats as a consequence of earlier snowmelt dates in the future and will be replaced by the avoiders of late-snowmelt sites. These forthcoming profiteers will take advantage from an increasing number of suitable habitats due to an earlier start of the growing season and increased temperature. Therefore, the characteristic snowbed vegetation will change to a vegetation unit dominated by alpine grassland species. The study highlights the vulnerability of the established snowbed vegetation to climate change and requires further studies particularly about the role of biotic interactions in the predicted invasion and replacement process.

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Acknowledgements

This research was made possible by the “Stiftung zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung” of the University of Bern. We thank the University of Teacher Education Bern and the Institute of Plant Sciences (University of Bern) for infrastructural and financial support. We are grateful to W. and S. Loretan for accommodation at the Berghotel Wildstrubel, to C. Vonlanthen, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, for her contributions in the field, to M. Puscas, University Babes-Bolaii, Cluj, Romania, for the classification of Carex curvula by DNA-analysis, to D. Mihajlovic, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, for sharing his unpublished results with us, to J. Hüsler, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, University of Bern, for statistical advice, to N. Arn for language review, and to two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 12, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Christian Schöb & Heinz Veit

  2. Biology Department, University of Teacher Education, Gertrud-Wokerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Peter M. Kammer

  3. Station Alpine J. Fourier UMS 2925 UJF-CNRS, University of Grenoble, 38041, Grenoble, France

    Philippe Choler

  4. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine UMR 5553 UJF-CNRS, University of Grenoble, 38041, Grenoble, France

    Philippe Choler

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  1. Christian Schöb
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Correspondence to Christian Schöb.

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Schöb, C., Kammer, P.M., Choler, P. et al. Small-scale plant species distribution in snowbeds and its sensitivity to climate change. Plant Ecol 200, 91–104 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-008-9435-9

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