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Tundra in the Rain: Differential Vegetation Responses to Three Years of Experimentally Doubled Summer Precipitation in Siberian Shrub and Swedish Bog Tundra

Author

  • Frida Keuper
  • Frans-Jan Parmentier
  • Daan Blok
  • Peter M. van Bodegom
  • Ellen Dorrepaal
  • Jurgen R. van Hal
  • Richard S. P. van Logtestijn
  • Rien Aerts

Summary, in English

Precipitation amounts and patterns at high latitude sites have been predicted to change as a result of global climatic changes. We addressed vegetation responses to three years of experimentally increased summer precipitation in two previously unaddressed tundra types: Betula nana-dominated shrub tundra (northeast Siberia) and a dry Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog (northern Sweden). Positive responses to approximately doubled ambient precipitation (an increase of 200 mm year(-1)) were observed at the Siberian site, for B. nana (30 % larger length increments), Salix pulchra (leaf size and length increments) and Arctagrostis latifolia (leaf size and specific leaf area), but none were observed at the Swedish site. Total biomass production did not increase at either of the study sites. This study corroborates studies in other tundra vegetation types and shows that despite regional differences at the plant level, total tundra plant productivity is, at least at the short or medium term, largely irresponsive to experimentally increased summer precipitation.

Publishing year

2012

Language

English

Pages

269-280

Publication/Series

Ambio: a Journal of the Human Environment

Volume

41

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Ecology

Keywords

  • Water addition
  • Plant traits
  • Irrigation
  • Primary production
  • Subarctic
  • High latitude

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0044-7447