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 | |
| State | Published - Jun 2012 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Cite this
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
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming
AU - Elmendorf, Sarah C.
AU - Henry, Gregory H R
AU - Hollister, Robert D.
AU - Björk, Robert G.
AU - Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie
AU - Cooper, Elisabeth J.
AU - Cornelissen, Johannes H C
AU - Day, Thomas
AU - Dorrepaal, Ellen
AU - Elumeeva, Tatiana G.
AU - Gill, Mike
AU - Gould, William A.
AU - Harte, John
AU - Hik, David S.
AU - Hofgaard, Annika
AU - Johnson, David R.
AU - Johnstone, Jill F.
AU - Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Svala
AU - Jorgenson, Janet C.
AU - Klanderud, Kari
AU - Klein, Julia A.
AU - Koh, Saewan
AU - Kudo, Gaku
AU - Lara, Mark
AU - Lévesque, Esther
AU - Magnússon, Borgthor
AU - May, Jeremy L.
AU - Mercado-Díaz, Joel A.
AU - Michelsen, Anders
AU - Molau, Ulf
AU - Myers-Smith, Isla H.
AU - Oberbauer, Steven F.
AU - Onipchenko, Vladimir G.
AU - Rixen, Christian
AU - Martin Schmidt, Niels
AU - Shaver, Gaius R.
AU - Spasojevic, Marko J.
AU - Pórhallsdóttir, Póra Ellen
AU - Tolvanen, Anne
AU - Troxler, Tiffany
AU - Tweedie, Craig E.
AU - Villareal, Sandra
AU - Wahren, Carl Henrik
AU - Walker, Xanthe
AU - Webber, Patrick J.
AU - Welker, Jeffrey M.
AU - Wipf, Sonja
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861638514&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84861638514&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/nclimate1465
DO - 10.1038/nclimate1465
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84861638514
VL - 2
SP - 453
EP - 457
JO - Nature Climate Change
JF - Nature Climate Change
SN - 1758-678X
IS - 6
ER -