Experimental warming interacts with soil moisture to discriminate plant responses in an ombrotrophic peatland

Experimental warming interacts with soil moisture to discriminate plant responses in an ombrotrophic peatland

QUESTION: A better understanding of the response of Sphagnum mosses and associated vascular plants to climate warming is relevant for predicting the carbon balance of peatlands in a warmer world. Open‐top chambers (OTCs) have been used to investigate the effect on soil biogeochemical processes in pe...

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Published in:Journal of vegetation science Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 964 - 974
Main Authors: Buttler, Alexandre, Robroek, Bjorn J.M, Laggoun‐Défarge, Fatima, Jassey, Vincent E.J, Pochelon, Cédric, Bernard, Gregory, Delarue, Frédéric, Gogo, Sébastien, Mariotte, Pierre, Mitchell, Edward A.D, Bragazza, Luca, Morgan, John
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Opulus Press 01-09-2015
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Wiley
Subjects:
Andromeda polifolia
biomass
Bryopsida
carbon
Climate change
Drought
Eriophorum vaginatum
global warming
growing season
microclimate
microhabitats
mosses and liverworts
NDVI
OTC
peatlands
plant communities
plant response
Point-intercept survey
prediction
rooting
Sciences of the Universe
shade
soil water
Sphagnum
Temperature
Vaccinium oxycoccos
Vaccinium oxycoccus
vascular plants
Vegetation
drought
temperature
vegetation
NDVI
point-intercept survey Journal of Vegetation Science
OTC
Sphagnum
climate change
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Summary:QUESTION: A better understanding of the response of Sphagnum mosses and associated vascular plants to climate warming is relevant for predicting the carbon balance of peatlands in a warmer world. Open‐top chambers (OTCs) have been used to investigate the effect on soil biogeochemical processes in peatlands, but little information is available on the effects of OTCs on microclimate conditions and the associated response of the plant community. We aimed to understand how simulated warming and differences in soil moisture affect plant species cover. LOCATION: A Sphagnum‐dominated peatlands in French Jura. METHODS: We used OTCs to measure the effect of a near‐ground temperature increase (+1.5 °C on average) on vegetation dynamics over five growing seasons (2008–2012) in a Sphagnum‐dominated peatland, in two adjacent microhabitats with different hydrological conditions – wet and dry. Microclimatic conditions and plant species abundance were monitored at peak biomass in years 1, 2, 3 and 5 and monthly during the plant growing season in year 5. RESULTS: The response to warming differed between vascular plants and bryophytes, as well as among species within these groups, and also varied in relation to soil moisture. Andromeda polifolia abundance responded positively to warming, while Vaccinium oxycoccus responded negatively, and Eriophorum vaginatum showed a high resistance. CONCLUSION: Depth of rooting of vascular plants appeared to control the response in plant abundance, while moss abundance depended on various other interacting factors, such as shading by the vascular plant community, precipitation and soil moisture.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12296
ANR (French National Agency for Research) - No. ANR-07-VUL-010
Appendix S1. Relationship between point-intercept frequency measures of vegetation and picture frequency analysis from the Forbonnet peatland (French Jura) for (a) total vascular plants (b) litter and (c) total Sphagnum and Polytrichum strictum.
PEATWARM
ark:/67375/WNG-G2CW753R-C
istex:165993431C8D9F1059B1EBA59CAB3D0867DA607E
Swiss National Science Foundation - No. PBELP3 146538
Labex VOLTAIRE - No. ANR-10-LABX-100-01
Swiss contribution to the enlarged European Union - No. PSPB-013/2010
ArticleID:JVS12296
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1100-9233
1654-1103
DOI:10.1111/jvs.12296