Overwintering of <i>Vaccinium vitis-idaea</i> in two sub-Arctic microhabitats: a reciprocal transplantation experiment

Saarinen, Timo; Lundell, Robin

doi:10.1111/j.1751-8369.2010.00152.x

Cited by 23 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…So far, few studies have addressed photosynthetic activity under the snow. It is well established that low‐stature evergreen plants, such as V. vitis‐idaea , that are covered by snow retain their photosynthetic capacity through winter and are able to increase the actual rates of photosynthesis rapidly when exposed to elevated temperatures (Lundell et al , , Saarinen and Lundell , Saarinen et al ). Starr and Oberbauer () found significant photosynthetic activity in four arctic evergreen species under snow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depending on the density and other physical properties of snow, some tens of centimetres of it are sufficient to decouple air and soil temperatures from each other (Kimball et al ). In boreal forests where persistent snow cover is characteristic, the temperature at ground level remains usually near‐freezing and, consequently, the risk of frost damage is low (Havas , Saarinen and Lundell ).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Snow also absorbs solar radiation, and the penetration of PAR usually increases with increasing snow density (Curl et al ). Many evergreen plants maintain their photosynthetic capacity through winter (Starr and Oberbauer , Lütz et al , Lundell et al , , Saarinen and Lundell ), but the rates of photosynthesis are probably limited strongly by the low intensity of PAR under deep snow. However, high rates of plant respiration under deep snow can be expected due to higher temperatures, as is suggested also by the results of Nobrega and Grogan ().…”

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confidence: 99%

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Photosynthetic and phenological responses of dwarf shrubs to the depth and properties of snow

Saarinen

Rasmus

Lundell

et al. 2015

Oikos

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Snow is known to have a major impact on vegetation in arctic ecosystems, but little is known about how snow affects plants in boreal forests, where the snowpack is uneven due to canopy impact. The responses of two dwarf shrubs, the evergreen Vaccinium vitis‐idaea and the deciduous V. myrtillus, to snow conditions were studied in a snow manipulation experiment in southern Finland. The thermal insulation of the snowpack was expected to decrease with partial removal or compression of the snow, while addition of snow was expected to have the opposite effect. The penetration of light was manipulated by partial removal of snow or by formation of an artificial ice layer in the snowpack. CO2 exchange measurements that were carried out at the time of maximum snow depth in late March indicated significant photosynthetic activity in the leaves of V. vitis‐idaea under snow. Net gain of CO2 was observed in the daytime on all the manipulation plots, excluding the snow addition plots, where light intensity was very low. The subnivean photosynthesis compensated for a substantial proportion (up to 80%) of the respiratory CO2 losses. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements indicated reduced potential capacity of photosystem II in the leaves of V. vitis‐idaea on those plots where snow cover was thin. Neither V. vitis‐idaea nor V. myrtillus suffered from frost damage (assessed as electrolyte leakage) when thermal insulation was reduced by means of snow manipulations. No phenological responses were observed in V. vitis‐idaea, but in V. myrtillus bud burst, leaf unfolding and flowering were advanced by 1–3 days on the addition plots. The results of the present study show that dwarf shrubs respond to not only the thickness of snow but also the physical properties of snow, both of which are expected to change due to climatic warming.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Photosynthetic and phenological responses of dwarf shrubs to the depth and properties of snow

Saarinen

Rasmus

Lundell

et al. 2015

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“…Ice encasement had no effect on the maximum quantum yield of PSII ( F v / F m ) for any of the study species, which was consistent with the foliar ethanol results, a shorter‐term icing study (Preece et al . ), and studies showing that photosynthetic capacity can recover within days of a stress being removed (Saarinen & Lundell ; Ensminger et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of early and late winter icing events on sub‐arctic dwarf shrubs

Preece

Phoenix

2013

Plant Biol J

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Polar regions are predicted to undergo large increases in winter temperature and an increased frequency of freeze-thaw cycles, which can cause ice layers in the snow pack and ice encasement of vegetation. Early or late winter timing of ice encasement could, however, modify the extent of damage caused to plants. To determine impacts of the date of ice encasement, a novel field experiment was established in sub-arctic Sweden, with icing events simulated in January and March 2008 and 2009. In the subsequent summers, reproduction, phenology, growth and mortality, as well as physiological indicators of leaf damage were measured in the three dominant dwarf shrubs: Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Empetrum nigrum. It was hypothesised that January icing would be more damaging compared to March icing due to the longer duration of ice encasement. Following 2 years of icing, E. nigrum berry production was 83% lower in January-iced plots compared to controls, and V. vitis-idaea electrolyte leakage was increased by 69%. Conversely, electrolyte leakage of E. nigrum was 25% lower and leaf emergence of V. vitis-idaea commenced 11 days earlier in March-iced plots compared to control plots in 2009. There was no effect of icing on any of the other parameters measured, indicating that overall these study species have moderate to high tolerance to ice encasement. Even much longer exposure under the January icing treatment does not clearly increase damage.

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“…Empetrum nigrum, an evergreen dwarf shrub identified as the dominant species in this study, is regarded as a key species linked to shrub expansion in northern heathlands (Wilson & Nilsson, ). Vaccinium vitis‐idaea , another dwarf evergreen shrub, is prevalent in circumboreal coniferous forests (Saarinen & Lundell, ). Betula glandulosa is a major participant in shrub encroachment in some sub‐arctic regions (Ropars et al, ; Wookey et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive interaction facilitates landscape homogenization by shrub expansion in the forest–tundra ecotone

Kitagawa

Masumoto

Nishizawa

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Changes in vegetation structure, including shrub expansion, occur in forest–tundra ecotones in sub‐arctic regions. However, the community‐level processes driving vegetation change are poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate factors mediating the assembly processes for community initiators of vegetation change and determine the ecological processes driving vegetation changes. Location Kuujjuarapik/Whapmagoostui (55.31 N, 77.75 W), Quebec, Canada. Methods Vegetation was surveyed in eight 100‐m line transects with 16 quadrats (1 m × 1 m) per transect established in both forest and tundra habitats. To elucidate the assembly processes of the initiators of vegetation change and other community components of the forest–tundra ecotone, we evaluated β‐diversity among and within habitats and its causal factors (i.e. spatial and environmental factors). Interspecies interactions were estimated based on the patterns of co‐occurrence between all pairs of species. Results Although environmental and spatial factors significantly affected the community structure of the specific and shared species in the forest habitat, the variation in community structure within and among tundra habitats was not explained by environmental or spatial factors for any community components. Therefore, community assemblages of shared species in tundra habitat were independent from local conditions determined by environment and spatial location. However, we found a positive co‐occurrence pattern among the dominant shared shrubs to be a characteristic of the tundra habitat, and this relationship explained the patterns of community structure within tundra habitats. Conclusions Community assemblages of initiators of vegetation change in tundra habitats are unrestricted by any external factors, such as dispersal limitation or environmental filtering. However, positive relationships in the abundance or occurrence of dominant shrubs may indicate a positive feedback loop between colonizing species and environmental modifications. This positive feedback loop may be a driving process in the expansion of shared species and vegetation change.

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Overwintering of Vaccinium vitis-idaea in two sub-Arctic microhabitats: a reciprocal transplantation experiment

Cited by 23 publications

References 27 publications

Photosynthetic and phenological responses of dwarf shrubs to the depth and properties of snow

Photosynthetic and phenological responses of dwarf shrubs to the depth and properties of snow

Impact of early and late winter icing events on sub‐arctic dwarf shrubs

Positive interaction facilitates landscape homogenization by shrub expansion in the forest–tundra ecotone

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