The role of plant functional groups mediating climate impacts on carbon and biodiversity of alpine grasslands

Abstract

Plant removal experiments allow assessment of the role of biotic interactions among species or functional groups in community assembly and ecosystem functioning. When replicated along climate gradients, they can assess changes in interactions among species or functional groups with climate. Across twelve sites in the Vestland Climate Grid (VCG) spanning 4 °C in growing season temperature and 2000 mm in mean annual precipitation across boreal and alpine regions of Western Norway, we conducted a fully factorial plant functional group removal experiment (graminoids, forbs, bryophytes). Over six years, we recorded biomass removed, soil microclimate, plant community composition and structure, seedling recruitment, ecosystem carbon fluxes, and reflectance in 384 experimental and control plots. The dataset consists of 5,412 biomass records, 360 species-level biomass records, 1,084,970 soil temperature records, 4,771 soil moisture records, 17,181 plant records covering 206 taxa, 16,656 seedling records, 3,696 ecosystem carbon flux measurements, and 1,244 reflectance measurements. The data can be combined with longer-term climate data and plant population, community, ecosystem, and functional trait data collected within the VCG.

Features of Natural Succession of Ex-Arable Forest Steppe Grassland (from Western Romania) under the Influence of Climate

“…The presence of the forbs is an important element of the grassland floristic composition [ 43 , 76 , 77 ]. They are bringing added value by certain valuable species from other botanical families rich in nutritive substances and active compounds (e.g., Achillea millefolium , Cichorium intybus , Plantago sp., Taraxacum officinale , etc.)…”

“…[ 28 , 45 , 63 ]. In a recent research, the hypothesis regarding the interaction between the grassland functional groups of plants and climate, together with other biotic and abiotic data, was used in the development of a modeling code in Norway for alpine grassland with the purpose to be used in the future as a tool in grassland ecosystem analysis [ 77 ].…”

“…The vegetation surveys were conducted with the linear point quadrate method described by Daget-Poissonet [ 87 ]. The considered vegetation features in the present research were the following: floristic composition (grasses, legumes and forbs considered as species number and specific contribution—CS%) [ 3 , 39 , 47 , 48 , 77 , 88 ], biodiversity (as species richness—S, Shannon index—H′ [ 3 , 89 , 90 ] and Simpson index (D) [ 3 , 48 , 91 ]) and pastoral value—VP (0–100 scale) [ 3 , 53 , 87 , 92 ]. The pastoral value characterizes the relative forager value of the grassland sward based on the specific contribution in the grassland cover of the species with the forager value expressed as the Specific Forage Quality Index (SFQi) [ 78 , 87 ].…”

Bryophytes dominate plant regulation of soil microclimate in alpine grasslands

“…In 2015, biomass removal only occurred once at all alpine and two intermediate sites due to unusually late snowmelt. Further methodological details are described in Vandvik et al (2022).…”

Livestock species rather than grazing intensity shape plant guild proportions in interaction with multiple environmental drivers in grassland from the Pyrenees

“…Plant functional diversity refers to those components of biodiversity that affect ecosystem functions (Tilman, 2001). Plant guilds are a good proxy of that functional diversity, since they are classified according to resource use and acquisition strategies (Tilman et al, 1997; Symstad, 2000; Lavorel et al, 2007; Sebastià, 2007; Vandvik et al, 2022). Grassland plant species are often classified as grasses, non‐legume forbs (hereafter ‘forbs’) and legume forbs (hereafter ‘legumes’), a classification that is based on nitrogen and light (and therefore CO 2 ) acquisition and use.…”