ORCID Profile
0000-0002-7433-0120
Current Organisation
Deakin University
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Ecological Impacts of Climate Change | Evolutionary Impacts of Climate Change | Ecosystem Function | Surfacewater Hydrology | Terrestrial Ecology | Plant Developmental and Reproductive Biology | Ecology | Environmental Science and Management | Ecological Applications | Environmental Management | Conservation and Biodiversity | Evolutionary Biology | Soil Physics | Plant Biology | Community Ecology
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Mountain and High Country Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Mountain and High Country Environments | Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change | Mountain and High Country Land and Water Management | Mountain and High Country Soils | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) | Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Regional or Larger Scales |
Related Links
Publications
Save Australia's ecological research
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 10-08-2017
Increased Soil Frost Versus Summer Drought as Drivers of Plant Biomass Responses to Reduced Precipitation: Results from a Globally Coordinated Field Experiment
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-02-2018
Germination at Extreme Temperatures: Implications for Alpine Shrub Encroachment
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 09-02-2021
Abstract: Worldwide, shrub cover is increasing across alpine and tundra landscapes in response to warming ambient temperatures and declines in snowpack. With a changing climate, shrub encroachment may rely on recruitment from seed occurring outside of the optimum temperature range. We used a temperature gradient plate in order to determine the germination niche of 14 alpine shrub species. We then related the range in laboratory germination temperatures of each species to long-term average temperature conditions at: (1) the location of the seed accession site and (2) across each species geographic distribution. Seven of the species failed to germinate sufficiently to be included in the analyses. For the other species, the germination niche was broad, spanning a range in temperatures of up to 17 °C, despite very low germination rates in some species. Temperatures associated with the highest germination percentages were all above the range of temperatures present at each specific seed accession site. Optimum germination temperatures were consistently within or higher than the range of maximum temperatures modelled across the species’ geographic distribution. Our results indicate that while some shrub species germinate well at high temperatures, others are apparently constrained by an inherent seed dormancy. Shrub encroachment in alpine areas will likely depend on conditions that affect seed germination at the microsite-scale, despite overall conditions becoming more suitable for shrubs at high elevations.
The thermal tolerance of photosynthetic tissues: a global systematic review and agenda for future research
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-12-2020
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.17052
Abstract: Understanding plant thermal tolerance is fundamental to predicting impacts of extreme temperature events that are increasing in frequency and intensity across the globe. Extremes, not averages, drive species evolution, determine survival and increase crop performance. To better prioritize agricultural and natural systems research, it is crucial to evaluate how researchers are assessing the capacity of plants to tolerate extreme events. We conducted a systematic review to determine how plant thermal tolerance research is distributed across wild and domesticated plants, growth forms and biomes, and to identify crucial knowledge gaps. Our review shows that most thermal tolerance research examines cold tolerance of cultivated species c. 5% of articles consider both heat and cold tolerance. Plants of extreme environments are understudied, and techniques widely applied in cultivated systems are largely unused in natural systems. Lastly, we find that lack of standardized methods and metrics compromises the potential for mechanistic insight. Our review provides an entry point for those new to the methods used in plant thermal tolerance research and bridges often disparate ecological and agricultural perspectives for the more experienced. We present a considered agenda of thermal tolerance research priorities to stimulate efficient, reliable and repeatable research across the spectrum of plant thermal tolerance.
Short-term variation in species richness across an altitudinal gradient of alpine summits
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-08-2012
Soil warming increases plant species richness but decreases germination from the alpine soil seed bank
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-02-2013
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.12135
Abstract: Global warming is occurring more rapidly above the treeline than at lower elevations and alpine areas are predicted to experience above average warming in the future. Temperature is a primary factor in stimulating seed germination and regulating changes in seed dormancy status. Thus, plant regeneration from seed will be crucial to the persistence, migration and post disturbance recruitment of alpine plants in future climates. Here, we present the first assessment of the impact of soil warming on germination from the persistent alpine soil seed bank. Contrary to expectations, soil warming lead to reduced overall germination from the soil seed bank. However, germination response to soil temperature was species specific such that total species richness actually increased by nine with soil warming. We further explored the system by assessing the prevalence of seed dormancy and germination response to soil disturbance, the frequency of which is predicted to increase under climate change. Seeds of a significant proportion of species demonstrated physiological dormancy mechanisms and germination of several species appeared to be intrinsically linked to soil disturbance. In addition, we found no evidence of subalpine species and little evidence of exotic weed species in the soil, suggesting that the soil seed bank will not facilitate their invasion of the alpine zone. In conclusion, changes in recruitment via the alpine soil seed bank can be expected under climate change, as a result of altered dormancy alleviation and germination cues. Furthermore, the alpine soil seed bank, and the species richness therein, has the potential to help maintain local species ersity, support species range shift and moderate species dominance. Implications for alpine management and areas for further study are also discussed.
Using a model based fourth-corner analysis to explain vegetation change following an extraordinary fire disturbance
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-08-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-016-3700-8
Abstract: In ecosystems where large-scale disturbances are infrequent, the mode of succession may be difficult to discern and floristic surveys alone cannot be used determine the underlying processes causing vegetation change. To determine the causes of vegetation change in response to a large-scale fire event, we combined traditional floristic survey data, plant functional traits and environmental variables in a model-based solution to the fourth-corner problem. This approach allowed us to describe the trait-environment relationship and provides an intuitive matrix of environment by trait interaction coefficients. We could then quantify the strength and direction of associations between plant traits, species life-forms and environmental factors in two alpine plant communities over nine years post-fire. Initially, the fire drastically reduced vegetation cover and species density to very low levels. The fourth-corner analysis interaction coefficients indicated that over the course of the nine-year study a high abundance of graminoids, a low abundance of shrubs, tall species and those with high leaf dry matter content had the strongest associations with the two plant communities. We also found evidence for functional homogenisation between these two communities using this novel technique. Analysing plant traits and species responses post-fire in this manner can be used to infer the ecological processes driving shifts in vegetation.
Why do alpine plants grow where they do?
Publisher: ANU eView
Date: 21-11-2017
Protein Post-Translational Modification Prediction
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2019
Nitrogen dynamics in alpine soils of south-eastern Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 21-03-2023
DOI: 10.1071/SR22251
Abstract: Context The Australian Alps are recognised by UNESCO as a globally significant mountain range. Soils underpin all of these ecosystem services. However, sparse data exists on alpine soils. Aims and methods We explored nitrogen dynamics of soils from four high mountain sites, using a combination of new and established field and laboratory techniques. Key results Organic and inorganic N were of the same order of magnitude, with around twice as much inorganic N as organic N. Forty three small ( Da) organic N compounds were detected, with concentrations 30 times greater in microbial and salt-extractable pools than free in the soil solution. The net N mineralisation rate decreased four-fold over the growing season. The organic matter decomposition rate was close to the global mean (k = 0.017), while the stabilisation factor was high (0.28) in comparison with other ecosystems globally. Conclusions These results begin to illuminate the complexity of the belowground processes that have formed the high C soils of the Australian Alps. The combination of moderate turnover times and high stabilization of organic matter support Costin’s theory that these mountain soils formed in place as a result of biological activity, rather than reflecting their geological substrata. The pools of organic N adsorbed to mineral soil surfaces and bound up within microbes lend support to a theory of tight N cycling, with little organic or inorganic N free in the soil solution. Implications This new knowledge of soil N dynamics can support land managers to design successful restoration works to preserve alpine soil ecosystem services impacted by climate change, feral animal disturbance, weed invasion and the increase in summer tourism infrastructure.
Evergreen alpine shrubs have high freezing resistance in spring, irrespective of snowmelt timing and exposure to frost: an investigation from the Snowy Mountains, Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-12-2017
Plant functional trait change across a warming tundra biome
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-09-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-018-0563-7
Abstract: The tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better understanding of how environmental factors shape plant structure and function is crucial for predicting the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning. Here we explore the biome-wide relationships between temperature, moisture and seven key plant functional traits both across space and over three decades of warming at 117 tundra locations. Spatial temperature-trait relationships were generally strong but soil moisture had a marked influence on the strength and direction of these relationships, highlighting the potentially important influence of changes in water availability on future trait shifts in tundra plant communities. Community height increased with warming across all sites over the past three decades, but other traits lagged far behind predicted rates of change. Our findings highlight the challenge of using space-for-time substitution to predict the functional consequences of future warming and suggest that functions that are tied closely to plant height will experience the most rapid change. They also reveal the strength with which environmental factors shape biotic communities at the coldest extremes of the planet and will help to improve projections of functional changes in tundra ecosystems with climate warming.
Patterns of variation in Australian alpine soils and their relationships to parent material, vegetation formation, climate and topography
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
Snowmelt timing affects short‐term decomposition rates in an alpine snowbed
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECS2.3393
Ecological Responses to 52 Years of Experimental Snow Manipulation in High-Alpine Cushionfield, Old Man Range, South-Central New Zealand
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-2015
DOI: 10.1657/AAAR0014-098
Foliar freezing resistance of Australian alpine plants over the growing season
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-04-2012
Global plant trait relationships extend to the climatic extremes of the tundra biome
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-04-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-020-15014-4
Abstract: The majority of variation in six traits critical to the growth, survival and reproduction of plant species is thought to be organised along just two dimensions, corresponding to strategies of plant size and resource acquisition. However, it is unknown whether global plant trait relationships extend to climatic extremes, and if these interspecific relationships are confounded by trait variation within species. We test whether trait relationships extend to the cold extremes of life on Earth using the largest database of tundra plant traits yet compiled. We show that tundra plants demonstrate remarkably similar resource economic traits, but not size traits, compared to global distributions, and exhibit the same two dimensions of trait variation. Three quarters of trait variation occurs among species, mirroring global estimates of interspecific trait variation. Plant trait relationships are thus generalizable to the edge of global trait-space, informing prediction of plant community change in a warming world.
Plant traits poorly predict winner and loser shrub species in a warming tundra biome
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-06-2023
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-023-39573-4
Abstract: Climate change is leading to species redistributions. In the tundra biome, shrubs are generally expanding, but not all tundra shrub species will benefit from warming. Winner and loser species, and the characteristics that may determine success or failure, have not yet been fully identified. Here, we investigate whether past abundance changes, current range sizes and projected range shifts derived from species distribution models are related to plant trait values and intraspecific trait variation. We combined 17,921 trait records with observed past and modelled future distributions from 62 tundra shrub species across three continents. We found that species with greater variation in seed mass and specific leaf area had larger projected range shifts, and projected winner species had greater seed mass values. However, trait values and variation were not consistently related to current and projected ranges, nor to past abundance change. Overall, our findings indicate that abundance change and range shifts will not lead to directional modifications in shrub trait composition, since winner and loser species share relatively similar trait spaces.
The seed germination spectrum of alpine plants: a global meta‐analysis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-12-2020
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.17086
Global maps of soil temperature.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-02-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16060
Abstract: Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km
Patterns in alpine seedling emergence and establishment across a stress gradient of mountain summits in south-eastern Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-06-2009
Recent changes in high-mountain plant community functional composition in contrasting climate regimes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.154541
Abstract: High-mountain plant communities are strongly determined by abiotic conditions, especially low temperature, and are therefore susceptible to effects of climate warming. Rising temperatures, however, also lead to increased evapotranspiration, which, together with projected shifts in seasonal precipitation patterns, could lead to prolonged, detrimental water deficiencies. The current study aims at comparing alpine plant communities along elevation and water availability gradients from humid conditions (north-eastern Alps) to a moderate (Central Apennines) and a pronounced dry period during summer (Lefka Ori, Crete) in the Mediterranean area. We do this in order to (1) detect relationships between community-based indices (plant functional leaf and growth traits, thermic vegetation indicator, plant life forms, vegetation cover and ersity) and soil temperature and snow duration and (2) assess if climatic changes have already affected the vegetation, by determining directional changes over time (14-year period 2001-2015) in these indices in the three regions. Plant community indices responded to decreasing temperatures along the elevation gradient in the NE-Alps and the Apennines, but this elevation effect almost disappeared in the summer-dry mountains of Crete. This suggests a shift from low-temperature to drought-dominated ecological filters. Leaf trait (Leaf Dry Matter Content and Specific Leaf Area) responses changed in direction from the Alps to the Apennines, indicating that drought effects already become discernible at the northern margin of the Mediterranean. Over time, a slight increase in vegetation cover was found in all regions, but thermophilisation occurred only in the NE-Alps and Apennines, accompanied by a decline of cold-adapted cushion plants in the Alps. On Crete, xeromorphic shrubs were increasing in abundance. Although critical bio ersity losses have not yet been observed, an intensified monitoring of combined warming-drought impacts will be required in view of threatened alpine plants that are either locally restricted in the south or weakly adapted to drought in the north.
Phytomass and phenology of three alpine snowpatch species across a natural snowmelt gradient
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/BT06003
Abstract: Alpine snowpatch vegetation in Australia is restricted to high mountain areas and occurs in locations where winter snow persists longest into the summer. The timing of annual snowmelt is considered an important determinant of vegetation patterns in alpine areas because it affects the length of the growing season for plant species at landscape scales. There are few studies in Australia that have examined the effects of the date of snowmelt on the performance of plant species at small spatial scales. The phytomass and phenology of three common snowpatch species (Celmisia pugioniformis, Luzula acutifolia, Poa fawcettiae) was examined during one growing season across a natural snowmelt gradient to examine their response to time of snow release. Peak phytomass was significantly higher in early than late-melting zones for L. acutifolia and marginally higher there for C. pugioniformis. P. fawcettiae, however, produced higher mean peak phytomass in late-melting zones where soil was initially wetter in the growing season. Flower buds of L. acutifolia were evident as the snow melted, and flowering occurred at the same time in all areas of the snowpatch. The number of days from the date of snowmelt to the date of the first observed flower bud in C. pugioniformis and P. fawcettiae was 22–25 days shorter in late-melting areas than in early melting areas. For both of these species, flowering and subsequent seed set occurred simultaneously across the snowpatch regardless of the date of the initial snowmelt, suggesting that photoperiod controls flowering in these species. Our study suggests that the predicted declines in snow cover in Australia in coming decades may affect the phytomass of species that are currently constrained by late-lying snow. This, in turn, may affect their long-term patterns of distribution. If plants respond to photoperiod for flowering, as seems to be important here for C. pugioniformis and P. fawcettiae, it is unlikely that the periods following earlier than usual snowmelt will be fully utilised by these species. Any attempts at predicting or modelling future alpine plant distribution on the basis of warming scenarios may therefore need to account for photoperiod constraints on flowering as well changes in phytomass production.
Insect herbivory on snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora, Myrtaceae) saplings near the alpine treeline: the influence of local- and landscape-scale processes
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1071/BT17129
Abstract: The distribution and abundance of plant species in high mountain ecosystems are thought to depend largely on abiotic factors that play out at both landscape scales (e.g. steep environmental gradients affected by increasing elevation) and local scales (e.g. changes in topography, aspect and canopy cover). However, relatively little attention has been paid to biotic interactions, and how these might also change with landscape-wide and local factors. Ecological interactions between plants and insect herbivores are likely to alter species performance and affect local abundance, but their role in the Australian Alps remains largely unexplored. Here, we examine the prediction that the amount of herbivory on saplings of the dominant high elevation tree, snow gum Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. ex Spreng. (Myrtaceae), are lower at higher elevation because of increasing environmental stress. Using a reciprocal transplant experiment, we tested the prediction that origin of seed (low, mid, high elevation) has less effect on insect herbivory than environmentally-driven changes in plant morphology (height, leaf thickness, specific leaf area). Across all mountains studied, herbivory was best explained by a combination of plant height, canopy openness, leaf thickness and elevation, but not seed origin. This study highlights the in iduality of each mountain environment, at landscape and local scales, as well as the complexity of relationships between environmental change, plants and insects. Given the factors that best explain herbivory across mountains, herbivory may decrease with decreasing productivity associated with increasing elevation, a trend in broad agreement with hypotheses associating leaf area loss to the availability of resources and plant vigour.
Alpine plant species have limited capacity for long-distance seed dispersal
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-04-2017
Traditional plant functional groups explain variation in economic but not size‐related traits across the tundra biome
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-11-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12783
Feral horse impacts on threatened plants and animals in sub‐alpine and montane environments in Victoria, Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12352
Seeds and Seedlings in a Changing World: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from High Altitude and High Latitude Ecosystems
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 14-04-2021
Abstract: The early life-history stages of plants, such as germination and seedling establishment, depend on favorable environmental conditions. Changes in the environment at high altitude and high latitude regions, as a consequence of climate change, will significantly affect these life stages and may have profound effects on species recruitment and survival. Here, we synthesize the current knowledge of climate change effects on treeline, tundra, and alpine plants’ early life-history stages. We systematically searched the available literature on this subject up until February 2020 and recovered 835 potential articles that matched our search terms. From these, we found 39 studies that matched our selection criteria. We characterized the studies within our review and performed a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the extracted meta-data regarding the climatic effects likely to change in these regions, including projected warming, early snowmelt, changes in precipitation, nutrient availability and their effects on seed maturation, seed dormancy, germination, seedling emergence and seedling establishment. Although the studies showed high variability in their methods and studied species, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the extracted data allowed us to detect existing patterns and knowledge gaps. For ex le, warming temperatures seemed to favor all studied life stages except seedling establishment, a decrease in precipitation had a strong negative effect on seed stages and, surprisingly, early snowmelt had a neutral effect on seed dormancy and germination but a positive effect on seedling establishment. For some of the studied life stages, data within the literature were too limited to identify a precise effect. There is still a need for investigations that increase our understanding of the climate change impacts on high altitude and high latitude plants’ reproductive processes, as this is crucial for plant conservation and evidence-based management of these environments. Finally, we make recommendations for further research based on the identified knowledge gaps.
Contributions of non-timber forest products to people in mountain ecosystems and impacts of recent climate change
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2021
Predicting species and community responses to global change using structured expert judgement: An Australian mountain ecosystems case study
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15750
Abstract: Conservation managers are under increasing pressure to make decisions about the allocation of finite resources to protect bio ersity under a changing climate. However, the impacts of climate and global change drivers on species are outpacing our capacity to collect the empirical data necessary to inform these decisions. This is particularly the case in the Australian Alps which have already undergone recent changes in climate and experienced more frequent large‐scale bushfires. In lieu of empirical data, we use a structured expert elicitation method (the IDEA protocol) to estimate the change in abundance and distribution of nine vegetation groups and 89 Australian alpine and subalpine species by the year 2050. Experts predicted that most alpine vegetation communities would decline in extent by 2050 only woodlands and heathlands are predicted to increase in extent. Predicted species‐level responses for alpine plants and animals were highly variable and uncertain. In general, alpine plants spanned the range of possible responses, with some expected to increase, decrease or not change in cover. By contrast, almost all animal species are predicted to decline or not change in abundance or elevation range more species with water‐centric life‐cycles are expected to decline in abundance than other species. While long‐term ecological data will always be the gold standard for informing the future of bio ersity, the method and outcomes outlined here provide a pragmatic and coherent basis upon which to start informing conservation policy and management in the face of rapid change and a paucity of data.
Tree-Limit Ribbons in the Snowy Mountains, Australia: Characterization and Recent Seedling Establishment
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2012
Tundra Trait Team: A database of plant traits spanning the tundra biome
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-10-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12821
Warming shortens flowering seasons of tundra plant communities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-12-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-018-0745-6
Abstract: Advancing phenology is one of the most visible effects of climate change on plant communities, and has been especially pronounced in temperature-limited tundra ecosystems. However, phenological responses have been shown to differ greatly between species, with some species shifting phenology more than others. We analysed a database of 42,689 tundra plant phenological observations to show that warmer temperatures are leading to a contraction of community-level flowering seasons in tundra ecosystems due to a greater advancement in the flowering times of late-flowering species than early-flowering species. Shorter flowering seasons with a changing climate have the potential to alter trophic interactions in tundra ecosystems. Interestingly, these findings differ from those of warmer ecosystems, where early-flowering species have been found to be more sensitive to temperature change, suggesting that community-level phenological responses to warming can vary greatly between biomes.
Thermal tolerance and growth responses to in situ soil water reductions among alpine plants
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-12-2022
Soil seedbank composition and dynamics across alpine summits in south-eastern Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1071/BT10058
Abstract: Alpine soil seedbanks are generally regarded as small and unimportant to regeneration. Here, we investigate for the first time the composition of the readily germinable soil seedbank across alpine summits in south-eastern Australia. We aimed to compare the species in the seedbank with the standing vegetation, show seasonal variations in seedbank composition and identify regeneration strategies of alpine seedbank species. By using standard glasshouse and cold-stratification germination techniques, the germinable soil seedbank across the study region was found to comprise 39 species from 25 families, with species from the Asteraceae the most common. Persistent seedbanks were found across all eight alpine summits (1668–1970 m), comparable in seed density (150 ± 27 to 1330 ± 294 per m2) with those of other alpine areas in the northern and southern hemispheres. The density of germinable seeds varied widely among sites and between collection times (autumn, spring) and there were no trends in seed density with altitude. The qualitative and quantitative similarity between the seedbank species and the standing vegetation was low. Correlations between the proportions of species in regeneration categories (from obligate seeders, through to vegetative regenerators) in the standing vegetation and the seedbank were also poor. Our results indicate a ergence between the species in the current standing vegetation and those present in the readily germinable soil seed bank. The current patterns and predominance of seed-regenerating species in the seedbank indicate that these species may have an important role to play in regulating and contributing to future changes in the vegetation assemblage.
Spatial and temporal functional changes in alpine summit vegetation are driven by increases in shrubs and graminoids
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2014
An International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List ecosystems risk assessment for alpine snow patch herbfields, South-Eastern Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12266
Shrub expansion in tundra ecosystems: dynamics, impacts and research priorities
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 12-2011
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/6/4/045509
Abstract: Recent research using repeat photography, long-term ecological monitoring and dendrochronology has documented shrub expansion in arctic, high-latitude and alpine tundra ecosystems. Here, we (1) synthesize these findings, (2) present a conceptual framework that identifies mechanisms and constraints on shrub increase, (3) explore causes, feedbacks and implications of the increased shrub cover in tundra ecosystems, and (4) address potential lines of investigation for future research. Satellite observations from around the circumpolar Arctic, showing increased productivity, measured as changes in ‘greenness’, have coincided with a general rise in high-latitude air temperatures and have been partly attributed to increases in shrub cover. Studies indicate that warming temperatures, changes in snow cover, altered disturbance regimes as a result of permafrost thaw, tundra fires, and anthropogenic activities or changes in herbivory intensity are all contributing to observed changes in shrub abundance. A large-scale increase in shrub cover will change the structure of tundra ecosystems and alter energy fluxes, regional climate, soil–atmosphere exchange of water, carbon and nutrients, and ecological interactions between species. In order to project future rates of shrub expansion and understand the feedbacks to ecosystem and climate processes, future research should investigate the species or trait-specific responses of shrubs to climate change including: (1) the temperature sensitivity of shrub growth, (2) factors controlling the recruitment of new in iduals, and (3) the relative influence of the positive and negative feedbacks involved in shrub expansion.
Alpine treeline ecotone stasis in the face of recent climate change and disturbance by fire
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 10-04-2020
Dataset of non-timber forest products use and impacts of recent climate change in the Upper Madi Watershed, Nepal
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
A resurvey of late-lying snowpatches reveals changes in both species and functional composition across snowmelt zones
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-09-2014
Using plant functional traits to explain community composition across a strong environmental filter in Australian alpine snowpatches
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-04-2011
Impacts of feral horses in the Australian Alps and evidence-based solutions
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12357
Timing of snowmelt affects species composition via plant strategy filtering
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Do Facilitative Interactions with Neighboring Plants Assist the Growth of Seedlings at High Altitudes in Alpine Australia?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2009
Climate change: Alpine shrubs as ecosystem engineers
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-04-2019
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12727
Plant Responses to Changing Water Supply and Availability in High Elevation Ecosystems: A Quantitative Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-10-2021
DOI: 10.3390/LAND10111150
Abstract: Climate change is expected to lead to changes to the amount, frequency, intensity, and timing of precipitation and subsequent water supply and its availability to plants in mountain regions worldwide. This is likely to affect plant growth and physiological performance, with subsequent effects to the functioning of many important high-elevation ecosystems. We conducted a quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of altered water supply on plants from high elevation ecosystems. We found a clear negative response of plants to decreases in water supply (mean Hedges’ g = −0.75, 95% confidence intervals: −1.09 to −0.41), and a neutral response to increases in water supply (mean Hedges’ g = 0.10, 95% confidence intervals: 0.43 to 0.62). Responses to decreases in water supply appear to be related to the magnitude of change in water supply, plant growth form, and to the measured response attribute. Changes to precipitation and water supply are likely to have important consequences for plant growth in high elevation ecosystems, with vegetation change more likely be triggered by reductions than increases in growing season precipitation. High elevation ecosystems that experience future reductions in growing-season precipitation are likely to exhibit plant responses such as reduced growth and higher allocation of carbohydrates to roots.
Related Organisations
Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts And Sport
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Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts And Sport
Location: Australia
Related Funding Activities
Snow, Shrub And Climate Feedbacks: Shrub Expansion In The Australian Alpine Zone
Start Date: 2014
End Date: 2016
Funder: Australian Research Council
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Amount: $1,120,000.00
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View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP200101382
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End Date: 12-2024
Amount: $478,077.00
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View Funded ActivityDiscovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101611
Start Date: 06-2014
End Date: 02-2019
Amount: $379,040.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP190100844
Start Date: 06-2021
End Date: 06-2024
Amount: $380,260.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP170101143
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End Date: 02-2024
Amount: $416,000.00
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