Consistent trait-environment relationships within and across tundra plant communities Introductory paragraphA fundamental assumption in trait-based ecology is that relationships between traits and environmental conditions are globally consistent. We use field-quantified microclimate and soil data to explore if trait-environment relationships are generalisable across plant communities and spatial scales. We collected data from 6720 plots and 217 species across four distinct tundra regions from both hemispheres. We combine this data with over 76000 database trait records to relate local plant community trait composition to broad gradients of key environmental drivers: soil moisture, soil temperature, soil pH, and potential solar radiation. Results revealed strong, consistent trait-environment relationships across Arctic and Antarctic regions. This indicates that the detected relationships are transferable between tundra plant communities also when finescale environmental heterogeneity is accounted for, and that variation in local conditions heavily influences both structural and leaf economic traits. Our results strengthen the biological and mechanistic basis for climate change impact predictions of vulnerable high-latitude ecosystems.
The effects of temperature and precipitation, and the impacts of changes in these climatic conditions, on plant communities have been investigated extensively. The roles of other climatic factors are, however, comparatively poorly understood, despite potentially also strongly structuring community patterns. Wind, for example, is seldom considered when forecasting species responses to climate change, despite having direct physiological and mechanical impacts on plants. It is, therefore, important to understand the magnitude of potential impacts of changing wind conditions on plant communities, particularly given that wind patterns are shifting globally. Here, we examine the relationship between wind stress (i.e. a combination of wind exposure and wind speed) and species richness, vegetation cover and community composition using fine‐scale, field‐collected data from 1,440 quadrats in a windy sub‐Antarctic environment. Wind stress was consistently a strong predictor of all three community characteristics, even after accounting for other potentially ecophysiologically important variables, including pH, potential direct incident solar radiation, winter and summer soil temperature, soil moisture, soil depth and rock cover. Plant species richness peaked at intermediate wind stress, and vegetation cover was highest in plots with the greatest wind stress. Community composition was also related to wind stress, and, after the influence of soil moisture and pH, had a similar strength of effect as winter soil temperature. Synthesis. Wind conditions are, therefore, clearly related to plant community characteristics in this ecosystem that experiences chronic winds. Based on these findings, wind conditions require greater attention when examining environment–community relationships, and changing wind patterns should be explicitly considered in climate change impact predictions.
Questions Species distribution models have traditionally relied heavily on temperature and precipitation, often ignoring other potentially important variables. However, recent advances have shown other climatic variables, including snow cover and solar radiation, may strongly improve predictions of species occurrence. Wind has long been known to have mechanical and physiological impacts on plants, but has not yet received adequate attention as a driver of species distributions. Location Marion Island, sub‐Antarctic. Methods Using data from 1,440 plots in a chronically windy system, we test if wind stress (a combination of wind exposure and wind speed) improves species distribution models of vascular plant species, examining predictions for both species occurrence and cover. Results Wind stress was a significant predictor of the occurrence of 12 of the 16 species, even after accounting for seven other ecophysiologically important abiotic variables. Species showed differential responses to wind, but wind stress was among the four most important drivers for the majority of species when modelling occurrence patterns (10 of 16) and variation in cover (12 of 16). Further, wind stress was more important than all temperature and precipitation variables in predicting the occurrence of six species (and three species’ cover). Conclusions Wind conditions were most influential for species that are characteristic of open, wet environments and for pteridophyte species, likely due to high wind speeds and exposure increasing the potential for moisture loss. This research highlights the value of incorporating wind metrics into species distribution models, particularly under changing wind patterns.
Several factors may drive bird nest-site selection, including predation risk, resource availability, weather conditions and interaction with other individuals. Understanding the drivers affecting where birds nest is important for conservation planning, especially where environmental change may alter the distribution of suitable nest-sites. This study investigates which environmental variables affect nest-site selection by the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans, the world's largest pelagic bird. Here, wind characteristics are quantitatively investigated as a driver of nest-site selection in surface-nesting birds, in addition to several topographical variables, vegetation and geological characteristics. Nest locations from three different breeding seasons on sub-Antarctic Marion Island were modelled to assess which environmental factors affect nest-site selection. Elevation was the most important determinant of nest-site selection, with Wandering Albatrosses only nesting at low elevations. Distance from the coast and terrain roughness were also important predictors, with nests more generally found close to the coast and in flatter terrain, followed by wind velocity, which showed a hump-shaped relationship with the probability of nest occurrence. Nests occurred more frequently on coastal vegetation types, and were absent from polar desert vegetation (generally above c. 500 m elevation). Of the variables that influence Wandering Albatross nest location, both vegetation type and wind characteristics are likely to be influenced by climate change, and have already changed over the last 50 years. As a result, the availability of suitable nest-sites needs to be considered in light of future climate change, in addition to the impacts that these changes will have on foraging patterns and prey distribution. More broadly, these results provide insights into how a wide range of environmental variables, including wind, can affect nest-site selection of surface-nesting seabirds.
including rangelands cover 45% of the global terrestrial surface, providing food and livelihoods for millions of people while also making available critical habitat for wildlife species (Herrero et al. 2013). The importance of rangelands was recently emphasised by the United Nations (UN) when they declared this the decade (2021-2030) of ecosystem restoration, and placed particular importance on restoration and recognition of African rangelands as important open ecosystems (UN 2019). Here restoration is used in the sense of rehabilitation to a desired state, or where known, a native historical state. The consequences of rangeland mismanagement, often involving livestock, can be seen in rangeland resource degradation (e.g. soil erosion, loss of plant productivity), land use conflicts and decisions that favour short-term, piecemeal responses (UNCCD 2008). Yet in many of the arid and semi-arid rangelands of Africa, livestock are often the only viable production alternative to crops, and play a critical role in the cultural practices of pastoralist communities (Krätli et al. 2013) while partially fulfilling a niche in the absence of wildlife. "Optimal grazing", as one pathway in natural climate solutions, may provide opportunities to restore rather than degrade soil and vegetation (Griscom et al. 2017;Griscom et al. 2020). One overlooked tool in "optimal grazing" and rangeland restoration may be the use of traditional, short duration and overnight kraals. Kraals (corrals or bomas) are barriers used by pastoralists to confine livestock overnight or for longer periods and are made of either natural material (scrub or logs), fencing, or synthetic mobile sheeting (Augustine 2003). Kraaling activity dates to ancient pastoral societies who herded their livestock alongside wild animals, often following similar migration routes and seasonal foraging patterns to wild herbivores (Fynn et al. 2016). Thus, a primary reason for pastoralists to herd and kraal livestock was to protect them from predation, i.e. for favourable animal production. However, these activities may have multi-faceted gains or 'desired effects' for the ecosystem compared to fenced or unattended livestock, e.g. herding and planned grazing may maintain plant biomass production and diversity, while animal confinement during kraaling potentially enables nutrient enrichment for plant growth as well as multiple actions such as animal observation, veterinary treatment, and milking.While very little quantitative and comparative information exists on the effect of herding on ecosystems, more information is available for kraaling. Over the last decade, the concept and implementation of kraaling as an active restoration method has received increased attention in east and southern Africa, e.g. Hawkins et al. (2022);Huruba et al. (2018);Huruba et al. (2022). Kraals have long been known as sites of nutrient enrichment (Porensky and
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