Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming

Sarah C. Elmendorf; Gregory H R Henry; Robert D. Hollister; Robert G. Björk; Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe; Elisabeth J. Cooper; Johannes H C Cornelissen; Thomas Day; Ellen Dorrepaal; Tatiana G. Elumeeva; Mike Gill; William A. Gould; John Harte; David S. Hik; Annika Hofgaard; David R. Johnson; Jill F. Johnstone; Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir; Janet C. Jorgenson; Kari Klanderud; Julia A. Klein; Saewan Koh; Gaku Kudo; Mark Lara; Esther Lévesque; Borgthor Magnússon; Jeremy L. May; Joel A. Mercado-Díaz; Anders Michelsen; Ulf Molau; Isla H. Myers-Smith; Steven F. Oberbauer; Vladimir G. Onipchenko; Christian Rixen; Niels Martin Schmidt; Gaius R. Shaver; Marko J. Spasojevic; Póra Ellen Pórhallsdóttir; Anne Tolvanen; Tiffany Troxler; Craig E. Tweedie; Sandra Villareal; Carl Henrik Wahren; Xanthe Walker; Patrick J. Webber; Jeffrey M. Welker; Sonja Wipf

doi:10.1038/nclimate1465

Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming

Sarah C. Elmendorf, Gregory H R Henry, Robert D. Hollister, Robert G. Björk, Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe, Elisabeth J. Cooper, Johannes H C Cornelissen, Thomas Day, Ellen Dorrepaal, Tatiana G. Elumeeva, Mike Gill, William A. Gould, John Harte, David S. Hik, Annika Hofgaard, David R. Johnson, Jill F. Johnstone, Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir, Janet C. Jorgenson, Kari KlanderudJulia A. Klein, Saewan Koh, Gaku Kudo, Mark Lara, Esther Lévesque, Borgthor Magnússon, Jeremy L. May, Joel A. Mercado-Díaz, Anders Michelsen, Ulf Molau, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Steven F. Oberbauer, Vladimir G. Onipchenko, Christian Rixen, Niels Martin Schmidt, Gaius R. Shaver, Marko J. Spasojevic, Póra Ellen Pórhallsdóttir, Anne Tolvanen, Tiffany Troxler, Craig E. Tweedie, Sandra Villareal, Carl Henrik Wahren, Xanthe Walker, Patrick J. Webber, Jeffrey M. Welker, Sonja Wipf

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

450 Scopus citations

Abstract

Temperature is increasing at unprecedented rates across most of the tundra biome. Remote-sensing data indicate that contemporary climate warming has already resulted in increased productivity over much of the Arctic, but plot-based evidence for vegetation transformation is not widespread. We analysed change in tundra vegetation surveyed between 1980 and 2010 in 158 plant communities spread across 46 locations. We found biome-wide trends of increased height of the plant canopy and maximum observed plant height for most vascular growth forms; increased abundance of litter; increased abundance of evergreen, low-growing and tall shrubs; and decreased abundance of bare ground. Intersite comparisons indicated an association between the degree of summer warming and change in vascular plant abundance, with shrubs, forbs and rushes increasing with warming. However, the association was dependent on the climate zone, the moisture regime and the presence of permafrost. Our data provide plot-scale evidence linking changes in vascular plant abundance to local summer warming in widely dispersed tundra locations across the globe.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	453-457
Number of pages	5
Journal	Nature Climate Change
Volume	2
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1465
State	Published - Jun 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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10.1038/nclimate1465

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Elmendorf, S. C., Henry, G. H. R., Hollister, R. D., Björk, R. G., Boulanger-Lapointe, N., Cooper, E. J., Cornelissen, J. H. C., Day, T., Dorrepaal, E., Elumeeva, T. G., Gill, M., Gould, W. A., Harte, J., Hik, D. S., Hofgaard, A., Johnson, D. R., Johnstone, J. F., Jónsdóttir, I. S., Jorgenson, J. C., ... Wipf, S. (2012). Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming. Nature Climate Change, 2(6), 453-457. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1465

Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming. / Elmendorf, Sarah C.; Henry, Gregory H R; Hollister, Robert D.; Björk, Robert G.; Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie; Cooper, Elisabeth J.; Cornelissen, Johannes H C; Day, Thomas; Dorrepaal, Ellen; Elumeeva, Tatiana G.; Gill, Mike; Gould, William A.; Harte, John; Hik, David S.; Hofgaard, Annika; Johnson, David R.; Johnstone, Jill F.; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Svala; Jorgenson, Janet C.; Klanderud, Kari; Klein, Julia A.; Koh, Saewan; Kudo, Gaku; Lara, Mark; Lévesque, Esther; Magnússon, Borgthor; May, Jeremy L.; Mercado-Díaz, Joel A.; Michelsen, Anders; Molau, Ulf; Myers-Smith, Isla H.; Oberbauer, Steven F.; Onipchenko, Vladimir G.; Rixen, Christian; Martin Schmidt, Niels; Shaver, Gaius R.; Spasojevic, Marko J.; Pórhallsdóttir, Póra Ellen; Tolvanen, Anne; Troxler, Tiffany; Tweedie, Craig E.; Villareal, Sandra; Wahren, Carl Henrik; Walker, Xanthe; Webber, Patrick J.; Welker, Jeffrey M.; Wipf, Sonja.

In: Nature Climate Change, Vol. 2, No. 6, 06.2012, p. 453-457.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Elmendorf, SC, Henry, GHR, Hollister, RD, Björk, RG, Boulanger-Lapointe, N, Cooper, EJ, Cornelissen, JHC, Day, T, Dorrepaal, E, Elumeeva, TG, Gill, M, Gould, WA, Harte, J, Hik, DS, Hofgaard, A, Johnson, DR, Johnstone, JF, Jónsdóttir, IS, Jorgenson, JC, Klanderud, K, Klein, JA, Koh, S, Kudo, G, Lara, M, Lévesque, E, Magnússon, B, May, JL, Mercado-Díaz, JA, Michelsen, A, Molau, U, Myers-Smith, IH, Oberbauer, SF, Onipchenko, VG, Rixen, C, Martin Schmidt, N, Shaver, GR, Spasojevic, MJ, Pórhallsdóttir, PE, Tolvanen, A, Troxler, T, Tweedie, CE, Villareal, S, Wahren, CH, Walker, X, Webber, PJ, Welker, JM & Wipf, S 2012, 'Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming', Nature Climate Change, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 453-457. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1465

Elmendorf, Sarah C. ; Henry, Gregory H R ; Hollister, Robert D. ; Björk, Robert G. ; Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie ; Cooper, Elisabeth J. ; Cornelissen, Johannes H C ; Day, Thomas ; Dorrepaal, Ellen ; Elumeeva, Tatiana G. ; Gill, Mike ; Gould, William A. ; Harte, John ; Hik, David S. ; Hofgaard, Annika ; Johnson, David R. ; Johnstone, Jill F. ; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Svala ; Jorgenson, Janet C. ; Klanderud, Kari ; Klein, Julia A. ; Koh, Saewan ; Kudo, Gaku ; Lara, Mark ; Lévesque, Esther ; Magnússon, Borgthor ; May, Jeremy L. ; Mercado-Díaz, Joel A. ; Michelsen, Anders ; Molau, Ulf ; Myers-Smith, Isla H. ; Oberbauer, Steven F. ; Onipchenko, Vladimir G. ; Rixen, Christian ; Martin Schmidt, Niels ; Shaver, Gaius R. ; Spasojevic, Marko J. ; Pórhallsdóttir, Póra Ellen ; Tolvanen, Anne ; Troxler, Tiffany ; Tweedie, Craig E. ; Villareal, Sandra ; Wahren, Carl Henrik ; Walker, Xanthe ; Webber, Patrick J. ; Welker, Jeffrey M. ; Wipf, Sonja. / Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming. In: Nature Climate Change. 2012 ; Vol. 2, No. 6. pp. 453-457.

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abstract = "Temperature is increasing at unprecedented rates across most of the tundra biome. Remote-sensing data indicate that contemporary climate warming has already resulted in increased productivity over much of the Arctic, but plot-based evidence for vegetation transformation is not widespread. We analysed change in tundra vegetation surveyed between 1980 and 2010 in 158 plant communities spread across 46 locations. We found biome-wide trends of increased height of the plant canopy and maximum observed plant height for most vascular growth forms; increased abundance of litter; increased abundance of evergreen, low-growing and tall shrubs; and decreased abundance of bare ground. Intersite comparisons indicated an association between the degree of summer warming and change in vascular plant abundance, with shrubs, forbs and rushes increasing with warming. However, the association was dependent on the climate zone, the moisture regime and the presence of permafrost. Our data provide plot-scale evidence linking changes in vascular plant abundance to local summer warming in widely dispersed tundra locations across the globe.",

author = "Elmendorf, {Sarah C.} and Henry, {Gregory H R} and Hollister, {Robert D.} and Bj{\"o}rk, {Robert G.} and No{\'e}mie Boulanger-Lapointe and Cooper, {Elisabeth J.} and Cornelissen, {Johannes H C} and Thomas Day and Ellen Dorrepaal and Elumeeva, {Tatiana G.} and Mike Gill and Gould, {William A.} and John Harte and Hik, {David S.} and Annika Hofgaard and Johnson, {David R.} and Johnstone, {Jill F.} and J{\'o}nsd{\'o}ttir, {Ingibj{\"o}rg Svala} and Jorgenson, {Janet C.} and Kari Klanderud and Klein, {Julia A.} and Saewan Koh and Gaku Kudo and Mark Lara and Esther L{\'e}vesque and Borgthor Magn{\'u}sson and May, {Jeremy L.} and Mercado-D{\'i}az, {Joel A.} and Anders Michelsen and Ulf Molau and Myers-Smith, {Isla H.} and Oberbauer, {Steven F.} and Onipchenko, {Vladimir G.} and Christian Rixen and {Martin Schmidt}, Niels and Shaver, {Gaius R.} and Spasojevic, {Marko J.} and P{\'o}rhallsd{\'o}ttir, {P{\'o}ra Ellen} and Anne Tolvanen and Tiffany Troxler and Tweedie, {Craig E.} and Sandra Villareal and Wahren, {Carl Henrik} and Xanthe Walker and Webber, {Patrick J.} and Welker, {Jeffrey M.} and Sonja Wipf",

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AU - Villareal, Sandra

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