Did Debris-Covered Glaciers Serve as Pleistocene Refugia for Plants? A New Hypothesis Derived from Observations of Recent Plant Growth on Glacier Surfaces

Fickert, Thomas; Friend, Donald A.; Grüninger, Friederike; Molnia, Bruce F.; Richter, Michael

doi:10.1657/1523-0430(2007)39[245:ddgsap]2.0.co;2

Cited by 54 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Those species that are able to tolerate warm temperatures will be able to survive in lowland refugial habitats. Others may find refuge on debris-covered glacial tongues at low altitudes (Fickert et al 2007). Secondly, many arctic plants are polyploid and can utilize their large genomes to adapt to changing habitats (Crawford et al 1995).…”

Section: How Will Arctic and Alpine Plants Survive Climate Change In mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Late-Quaternary history of arctic and alpine plants

Birks

2008

Plant Ecology & Diversity

119

107

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The palaeoclimatic importance of fossil arctic plants has been realised since the discovery of sediments containing remains of arctic plants, particularly in lowland Britain, Denmark, and Sweden in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, very far from where arctic plants live today. Arctic and alpine plants characterise treeless habitats above or beyond the tree line. They may be adapted to harsh conditions and intolerant of lowland temperatures or be confined to these habitats through competition from larger, more competitive plants. Much more is known of the history of arctic plants than of alpine plants. In Late-Quaternary glacial periods, arctic plants spread into cold (and often arid) unglaciated areas in central Europe and Eurasia, Siberia, Beringia, and North America. Their effective propagule dispersal allowed them to follow suitable habitats at the fluctuating edges of the ice sheets and beyond. During deglacial warming many species expanded and flourished on freshly deglaciated terrain before larger plants immigrated. In north-west Europe many arctic-alpines were locally exterminated during the warm Allerød-Bølling Interstadial but spread again in the cold Younger Dryas Stadial. Rapid Holocene warming forced species northwards or upwards as trees invaded the landscape. Plants that are tolerant of warm temperatures but intolerant of competition persisted in lowland refugia in open habitats such as sea-shores and cliffs. As global climate warming proceeds today and human impact increases, the area available to arctic and alpine plants will continue to decrease. Species particularly in danger are those with small populations and those that are intolerant of warm temperatures.

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Section: How Will Arctic and Alpine Plants Survive Climate Change In mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Late-Quaternary history of arctic and alpine plants

Birks

2008

Plant Ecology & Diversity

119

107

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“…In terms of land plants (bryophytes and vascular plants), most studies of glacial ecosystems have focused on viable populations restricted to communities on supraglacial debris (e.g., refs. [13][14][15]. Since the 1960s, numerous field studies have also reported emergent subglacial vegetation; however, all have concluded that the exhumed material was dead (4,5,(16)(17)(18).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regeneration of Little Ice Age bryophytes emerging from a polar glacier with implications of totipotency in extreme environments

Farge

Williams

England

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

105

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Across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, widespread ice retreat during the 20th century has sharply accelerated since 2004. In Sverdrup Pass, central Ellesmere Island, rapid glacier retreat is exposing intact plant communities whose radiocarbon dates demonstrate entombment during the Little Ice Age (1550–1850 AD). The exhumed bryophyte assemblages have exceptional structural integrity (i.e., setae, stem structures, leaf hair points) and have remarkable species richness (60 of 144 extant taxa in Sverdrup Pass). Although the populations are often discolored (blackened), some have developed green stem apices or lateral branches suggesting in vivo regrowth. To test their biological viability, Little Ice Age populations emerging from the ice margin were collected for in vitro growth experiments. Our results include a unique successful regeneration of subglacial bryophytes following 400 y of ice entombment. This finding demonstrates the totipotent capacity of bryophytes, the ability of a cell to dedifferentiate into a meristematic state (analogous to stem cells) and develop a new plant. In polar ecosystems, regrowth of bryophyte tissue buried by ice for 400 y significantly expands our understanding of their role in recolonization of polar landscapes (past or present). Regeneration of subglacial bryophytes broadens the concept of Ice Age refugia, traditionally confined to survival of land plants to sites above and beyond glacier margins. Our results emphasize the unrecognized resilience of bryophytes, which are commonly overlooked vis-a-vis their contribution to the establishment, colonization, and maintenance of polar terrestrial ecosystems.

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“…A similar deficiency undoubtedly also applies to plants growing on debris-covered glaciers (Fickert et al, 2007). Thus, fungal and bacterial associations are of great importance in determining nutrient uptake within taiga (Ivarson, 1965;Read et al, 2004).…”

Section: O C Wwwintechopencommentioning

confidence: 99%