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AuthorBaruah, Gaurav
AuthorMolau, Ulf
AuthorBai, Yang
AuthorAlatalo, Juha M.
Available date2020-09-03T08:58:11Z
Publication Date2017
Publication NameScientific Reports
ResourceScopus
ISSN20452322
URIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02595-2
URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/10576/15936
AbstractTo improve understanding of how global warming may affect competitive interactions among plants, information on the responses of plant functional traits across species to long-term warming is needed. Here we report the effect of 23 years of experimental warming on plant traits across four different alpine subarctic plant communities: tussock tundra, Dryas heath, dry heath and wet meadow. Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to passively warm the vegetation by 1.5–3 °C. Changes in leaf width, leaf length and plant height of 22 vascular plant species were measured. Long-term warming significantly affected all plant traits. Overall, plant species were taller, with longer and wider leaves, compared with control plots, indicating an increase in biomass in warmed plots, with 13 species having significant increases in at least one trait and only three species having negative responses. The response varied among species and plant community in which the species was sampled, indicating community-warming interactions. Thus, plant trait responses are both species- and community-specific. Importantly, we show that there is likely to be great variation between plant species in their ability to maintain positive growth responses over the longer term, which might cause shifts in their relative competitive ability.
Languageen
PublisherNature Publishing Group
SubjectAlpine Plants
Warming
Tundra
TitleCommunity and species-specific responses of plant traits to 23 years of experimental warming across subarctic tundra plant communities
TypeArticle
Issue Number1
Volume Number7
dc.accessType Open Access


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