Co‐variation between plant above‐ground biomass and phenology in sub‐alpine grasslands

Duparc, Antoine; Redjadj, Claire; Viard-Crétat, Flore; Lavorel, Sandra; Austrheim, Gunnar; Loison, Anne

doi:10.1111/j.1654-109x.2012.01225.x

Cited by 27 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Rhododendron ferrugineum and Vaccinium sp. ), mountain hay meadows, and screes (Duparc et al 2013). In this site, chamois have no natural predators and are not in sympatry with other wild ungulates (Darmon et al 2014).…”

Section: French Study Sitementioning

confidence: 97%

Age-specific survival and annual variation in survival of female chamois differ between populations

et al. 2015

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In many species, population dynamics are shaped by age-structured demographic parameters, such as survival, which can cause age-specific sensitivity to environmental conditions. Accordingly, we can expect populations with different age-specific survival to be differently affected by environmental variation. However, this hypothesis is rarely tested at the intra-specific level. Using capture-mark-recapture models, we quantified age-specific survival and the extent of annual variations in survival of females of alpine chamois in two sites. In one population, survival was very high (>0.94; Bauges, France) until the onset of senescence at approximately 7 years old, whereas the two other populations (Swiss National Park, SNP) had a later onset (12 years old) and a lower rate of senescence. Senescence patterns are therefore not fixed within species. Annual variation in survival was higher in the Bauges (SD = 0.26) compared to the SNP populations (SD = 0.20). Also, in each population, the age classes with the lowest survival also experienced the largest temporal variation, in accordance with inter-specific comparisons showing a greater impact of environmental variation on these age classes. The large difference between the populations in age-specific survival and variation suggests that environmental variation and climate change will affect these populations differently.

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Section: French Study Sitementioning

confidence: 97%

Age-specific survival and annual variation in survival of female chamois differ between populations

et al. 2015

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“…Chamois are at a high density in subalpine pastures and lower density in forests (Redjadj 2010). Mouflon overlap with chamois in spring and summer in alpine pastures (Darmon et al 2012) and shift to forest during November when snow comes (Duparc et al 2012). Roe deer mostly use forests (Redjadj 2010;Redjadj et al 2014).…”

Section: Study Site and Organismsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Upscaling the niche variation hypothesis from the intra- to the inter-specific level

et al. 2015

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The "niche variation hypothesis" (NVH) predicts that populations with wider niches should display higher among-individual variability. This prediction originally stated at the intra-specific level may be extended to the inter-specific level: individuals of generalist species may differ to a greater extent than individuals of a specialist species. We tested the NVH at intra- and inter-specific levels based on a large diet database of three large herbivore feces collected in the field and analyzed using DNA metabarcoding. The three herbivores (roe deer Capreolus capreolus, chamois Rupicapra rupicapra and mouflon Ovis musimon) are highly contrasted in terms of sociality (solitary to highly gregarious) and diet. The NVH at the intraspecific level was tested by relating, for the same population, diet breadth and inter-individual variation across the four seasons. Compared to null models, our data supported the NVH both at the intra- and inter-specific levels. Inter-individual variation of the diet of solitary species was not larger than in social species, although social individuals feed together and could therefore have more similar diets. Hence, the NVH better explained diet breadth than other factors such as sociality. The expansion of the population niche of the three species was driven by resource availability, and achieved by an increase in inter-individual variation, and the level of inter-individual variability was larger in the generalist species (mouflon) than in the specialist one (roe deer). This mechanism at the base of the NVH appears at play at different levels of biological organization, from populations to communities.

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“…This would indicate that the same biophysical factors that drive the timing that grasslands start their growth (e.g., snow cover, temperature, precipitation) also dictate the seasonal magnitude of biomass and quality [66]. Among these biophysical factors, we speculate that prolonged snow cover is primarily responsible for this co-variation because it delays the timing of growth and promotes forage biomass and quality by increasing the nitrogen content of soils and protecting grasses from early season freeze events [66,67]. Duparc et al [66] similarly found that more productive grasslands reached their peak in forage later in the season than less productive grasslands in the French Alps.…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Variation In Grassland Biomass and Quality Acmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using NDVI and EVI to Map Spatiotemporal Variation in the Biomass and Quality of Forage for Migratory Elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2016

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Abstract:The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) have gained considerable attention in ecological research and management as proxies for landscape-scale vegetation quantity and quality. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), these indices are especially important for mapping spatiotemporal variation in the forage available to migratory elk (Cervus elaphus). Here, we examined how the accuracy of using MODIS-derived NDVI and EVI as proxies for forage biomass and quality differed across elevation-related phenology and land use gradients, determined if polynomial NDVI/EVI, site, and season effects improved these models, and then mapped spatiotemporal variation in the abundance of high quality forage available to elk across the Upper Yellowstone River Basin (UYRB) of the GYE. Models with a polynomial NDVI effect explained 19%-55% more variation in biomass than the linear NDVI and EVI models. Models with linear season effect explained 14%-20% more variation in chlorophyll, 37%-69% more variation in crude protein, and 26%-50% more variation in in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) than the linear NDVI and EVI models. Linear NDVI models explained more variation in biomass and quality across the UYRB than the linear EVI models. The accuracy of these models was lowest in grasslands with late onset of growth, in irrigated agriculture, and after the peak in biomass. Forage biomass and quality varied across the elevation-related phenology and land use gradients in the UYRB throughout the season. At their seasonal peak, the abundance of high quality forage for elk was 50% greater in grasslands with late onset of growth and 200% greater in irrigated agriculture than in all other grasslands, suggesting that these grasslands play an especially important role in the movement and fitness of migratory elk. These results provide novel information on the utility of NDVI and EVI for mapping spatiotemporal patterns of forage biomass and quality.

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Co‐variation between plant above‐ground biomass and phenology in sub‐alpine grasslands

Cited by 27 publications

References 52 publications

Age-specific survival and annual variation in survival of female chamois differ between populations

Age-specific survival and annual variation in survival of female chamois differ between populations

Upscaling the niche variation hypothesis from the intra- to the inter-specific level

Using NDVI and EVI to Map Spatiotemporal Variation in the Biomass and Quality of Forage for Migratory Elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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