scholarly journals High resistance to climatic variability in a dominant tundra shrub species

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria T. González ◽  
Mikel Moriana-Armendariz ◽  
Snorre B. Hagen ◽  
Bente Lindgård ◽  
Rigmor Reiersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Resistance ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Growing Season Length ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Precipitation Regimes

Climate change is modifying temperature and precipitation regimes across all seasons in northern ecosystems. Summer temperatures are higher, growing seasons extend into spring and fall and snow cover conditions are more variable during winter. The resistance of dominant tundra species to these season-specific changes, with each season potentially having contrasting effects on their growth and survival, can determine the future of tundra plant communities under climate change. In our study, we evaluated the effects of several spring/summer and winter climatic variables (i.e., summer temperature, growing season length, growing degree days, and number of winter freezing days) on the resistance of the dwarf shrub Empetrum nigrum. We measured over six years the ability of E. nigrum to keep a stable shoot growth, berry production, and vegetative cover in five E. nigrum dominated tundra heathlands, in a total of 144 plots covering a 200-km gradient from oceanic to continental climate. Overall, E. nigrum displayed high resistance to climatic variation along the gradient, with positive growth and reproductive output during all years and sites. Climatic conditions varied sharply among sites, especially during the winter months, finding that exposure to freezing temperatures during winter was correlated with reduced shoot length and berry production. These negative effects however, could be compensated if the following growing season was warm and long. Our study demonstrates that E. nigrum is a species resistant to fluctuating climatic conditions during the growing season and winter months in both oceanic and continental areas. Overall, E. nigrum appeared frost hardy and its resistance was determined by interactions among different season-specific climatic conditions with contrasting effects.

scholarly journals Evolution of climatic niche specialization: a phylogenetic analysis in amphibians

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1795) ◽  
pp. 20133229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fernanda Bonetti ◽  
John J. Wiens
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Climatic Niche ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Niche Specialization ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Precipitation Regimes

The evolution of climatic niche specialization has important implications for many topics in ecology, evolution and conservation. The climatic niche reflects the set of temperature and precipitation conditions where a species can occur. Thus, specialization to a limited set of climatic conditions can be important for understanding patterns of biogeography, species richness, community structure, allopatric speciation, spread of invasive species and responses to climate change. Nevertheless, the factors that determine climatic niche width (level of specialization) remain poorly explored. Here, we test whether species that occur in more extreme climates are more highly specialized for those conditions, and whether there are trade-offs between niche widths on different climatic niche axes (e.g. do species that tolerate a broad range of temperatures tolerate only a limited range of precipitation regimes?). We test these hypotheses in amphibians, using phylogenetic comparative methods and global-scale datasets, including 2712 species with both climatic and phylogenetic data. Our results do not support either hypothesis. Rather than finding narrower niches in more extreme environments, niches tend to be narrower on one end of a climatic gradient but wider on the other. We also find that temperature and precipitation niche breadths are positively related, rather than showing trade-offs. Finally, our results suggest that most amphibian species occur in relatively warm and dry environments and have relatively narrow climatic niche widths on both of these axes. Thus, they may be especially imperilled by anthropogenic climate change.

scholarly journals Analysis of climate change in Dnipropetrovsk Region

2017 ◽  
pp. 43-51
Author(s):  
V. V. Hrynchak
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Absolute Temperature ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Weather Observations ◽  
Average Annual Temperature

The decision about writing this article was made after familiarization with the "Brief Climatic Essay of Dnepropetrovsk City (prepared based on observations of 1886 – 1937)" written by the Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Weather Department of the Hydrometeorological Service A. N. Mikhailov. The guide has a very interesting fate: in 1943 it was taken by the Nazis from Dnipropetrovsk and in 1948 it returned from Berlin back to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological and Environmental Directorate of the USSR, as evidenced by a respective entry on the Essay's second page. Having these invaluable materials and data of long-term weather observations in Dnipro city we decided to analyze climate changes in Dnipropetrovsk region. The article presents two 50-year periods, 1886-1937 and 1961-2015, as examples. Series of observations have a uniform and representative character because they were conducted using the same methodology and results processing. We compared two main characteristics of climate: air temperature and precipitation. The article describes changes of average annual temperature values and absolute temperature values. It specifies the shift of seasons' dates and change of seasons' duration. We studied the changes of annual precipitation and peculiarities of their seasonable distribution. Apart from that peculiarities of monthly rainfall fluctuations and their heterogeneity were specified. Since Dnipro city is located in the center of the region the identified tendencies mainly reflect changes of climatic conditions within the entire Dnipropetrovsk region.

scholarly journals Different Wood Anatomical and Growth Responses in European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at Three Forest Sites in Slovenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domen Arnič ◽  
Jožica Gričar ◽  
Jernej Jevšenak ◽  
Gregor Božič ◽  
Georg von Arx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Tree Ring Width ◽  
Vessel Area ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) adapts to local growing conditions to enhance its performance. In response to variations in climatic conditions, beech trees adjust leaf phenology, cambial phenology, and wood formation patterns, which result in different tree-ring widths (TRWs) and wood anatomy. Chronologies of tree ring width and vessel features [i.e., mean vessel area (MVA), vessel density (VD), and relative conductive area (RCTA)] were produced for the 1960–2016 period for three sites that differ in climatic regimes and spring leaf phenology (two early- and one late-flushing populations). These data were used to investigate long-term relationships between climatic conditions and anatomical features of four quarters of tree-rings at annual and intra-annual scales. In addition, we investigated how TRW and vessel features adjust in response to extreme weather events (i.e., summer drought). We found significant differences in TRW, VD, and RCTA among the selected sites. Precipitation and maximum temperature before and during the growing season were the most important climatic factors affecting TRW and vessel characteristics. We confirmed differences in climate-growth relationships between the selected sites, late flushing beech population at Idrija showing the least pronounced response to climate. MVA was the only vessel trait that showed no relationship with TRW or other vessel features. The relationship between MVA and climatic factors evaluated at intra-annual scale indicated that vessel area in the first quarter of tree-ring were mainly influenced by climatic conditions in the previous growing season, while vessel area in the second to fourth quarters of tree ring width was mainly influenced by maximum temperature and precipitation in the current growing season. When comparing wet and dry years, beech from all sites showed a similar response, with reduced TRW and changes in intra-annual variation in vessel area. Our findings suggest that changes in temperature and precipitation regimes as predicted by most climate change scenarios will affect tree-ring increments and wood structure in beech, yet the response between sites or populations may differ.

scholarly journals Projections of Climate Suitability for Wine Production for the Cotnari Wine Region (Romania)

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irimia Liviu Mihai ◽  
Patriche Cristian Valeriu ◽  
LeRoux Renan ◽  
Quénol Herve ◽  
Tissot Cyril ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growing Season ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Lower Zone ◽  
Wine Production ◽  
White Wines ◽  
Growing Season Length ◽  
Average Annual Temperature ◽  
Climate Suitability ◽  
Wine Region

Abstract Climate projections have revealed the perspective of changing the climate of the world's wine regions in the coming decades by diversifying heliothermal resources. Research in the Cotnari winegrowing region over the past decade has shown that the local climate has been affected by such developments especially after 1980. This research continues the series of studies on the climate of the Cotnari winegrowing region through projections of the climatic conditions for the 2020-2100 time period based on the RCP 4.5 scenario. Average annual temperature, warmest month temperature, precipitation during the growing season, length of the growing season and the Huglin, IAOe and AvGST bioclimatic indices for the 2020-2050, 2051-2080 and 2081-2100 time periods indicate the evolution of Cotnari area climate towards suitability for red wines and loss of suitability for the white wines. Climatic suitability classes for wine production, shift between 2020-2100 to the higher, cooler zone of the winegrowing region, narrowing down their surface and disappearing successively at the maximum altitude of 315 m asl. They are further replaced from the lower zone by classes specific to warmer climates. The suitability for white wines, specific to wine region, disappears at the maximum altitude of 315 m asl around 2060, being replaced by climate suitability for the red wine production. The average temperature of the growing season will exceed 19.5°C after 2080, becoming unsuitable for the production of red quality wines of Cabernet Sauvingnon variety. After 2050, in the lower zone of the winegrowing region the warm IH5 class, suitable for Mediterranean varieties such as Carignan and Grenache will install, as compared to temperate IH3 class which characterizes today the lower zone and allows the production of white wines of the local Feteasca albă, Grasa de Cotnari, Frâncușa and Tămâioasa românească varieties. The results suggest the need to develop strategies for adapting the viticulture of the Cotnari area to climate change.

scholarly journals Revealing the Fingerprint of Climate Change in Interannual NDVI Variability among Biomes in Inner Mongolia, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linghui Guo ◽  
Liyuan Zuo ◽  
Jiangbo Gao ◽  
Yuan Jiang ◽  
Yongling Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Climate Fluctuations ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Lag Effect

An understanding of the response of interannual vegetation variations to climate change is critical for the future projection of ecosystem processes and developing effective coping strategies. In this study, the spatial pattern of interannual variability in the growing season normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for different biomes and its relationships with climate variables were investigated in Inner Mongolia during 1982–2015 by jointly using linear regression, geographical detector, and geographically weighted regression methodologies. The result showed that the greatest variability of the growing season NDVI occurred in typical steppe and desert steppe, with forest and desert most stable. The interannual variability of NDVI differed monthly among biomes, showing a time gradient of the largest variation from northeast to southwest. NDVI interannual variability was significantly related to that of the corresponding temperature and precipitation for each biome, characterized by an obvious spatial heterogeneity and time lag effect marked in the later period of the growing season. Additionally, the large slope of NDVI variation to temperature for desert implied that desert tended to amplify temperature variations, whereas other biomes displayed a capacity to buffer climate fluctuations. These findings highlight the relationships between vegetation variability and climate variability, which could be used to support the adaptive management of vegetation resources in the context of climate change.

scholarly journals Climatic Variables and Mass Balance Of Alpine Glaciers During A Period Of Climate Fluctuation

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 333-333
Author(s):  
David N. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

Parameterisation of relationships between climate and glacier mass balance is of considerable importance in understanding and modelling how temporal variability in climate affects the quantity of perennial snow and ice stored in glaciers, and the runoff from glacierised areas. Influences of year-to-year variations in air temperatures are pertinent in the absence of long records of measured energy balance and in view of predictions of future climate scenarios in terms of temperature. Measurements of temperature and precipitation from several stations in Alpine valleys in the Rhone basin, Wallis, Switzerland have been analysed to indicate trends in climate from 1930 to 1988. Actual measurements of mass balance of Griesgletscher, ablation calculated from runoff and net accumulation estimated from totalising rain gauges for Findelengletscher and Gornergletscher beginning in the late 1960s, and runoff from Aletschgletscher since 1930, were taken as annual glaciological responses to climatic variation. Variables to represent climatic elements and interactions between precipitation and temperature were selected according to degree of correlation with glacier response variables, and climate-glacier response relationships were assessed by multiple regression. Subsets of the data representing the coolest (1972–81) and warmest (1943–52) decades were also analysed to indicate whether relationships amongst climatic variables and between climate and mass balance remain the same under contrasting climatic conditions.Overall, mean summer air temperature variables for the months May through September and June through August provide the highest levels of explanation of variance of ablation and mass balance respectively (75–82%). Addition of a precipitation variable (winter, spring or summer) in multiple regression increases explanation to a maximum of 91%. Spring and summer precipitation variables are negatively correlated with ablation. Positive degree days and temperature-summer snow functions provide alternatives to temperature. Event-based analysis of the coolest and warmest years selected by rank order invokes high precipitation in May and low May-June temperatures and summer snowfall events as significant variables.Relationships between climatic variables indicate that warmer-than-average winters have higher precipitation, but at summer and annual time scales precipitation is slightly negatively associated with temperature. At the decadal level, warmer periods appear to be influenced by increased frequency of continental anticyclonic conditions, in an area subject to both maritime and continental influences. These analyses of climatic variables indicate that summer energy inputs dominate glacier mass balance. Relationships between precipitation and temperature are complex and were changeable during a fluctuation of about 1° over 40 years. Effects of a potentially warmer future on the form of precipitation in spring, summer and autumn are not clear, so estimates of changes of mass balance have been calculated for contrasting precipitation regimes.

scholarly journals Scientistsʼ Warning on Climate Change and Medicinal Plants

Planta Medica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (01) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy L. Applequist ◽  
Josef A. Brinckmann ◽  
Anthony B. Cunningham ◽  
Robbie E. Hart ◽  
Michael Heinrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Medicinal Species ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Anthropogenic Habitat ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
Chemical Content ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

AbstractThe recent publication of a World Scientistsʼ Warning to Humanity highlighted the fact that climate change, absent strenuous mitigation or adaptation efforts, will have profound negative effects for humanity and other species, affecting numerous aspects of life. In this paper, we call attention to one of these aspects, the effects of climate change on medicinal plants. These plants provide many benefits for human health, particularly in communities where Western medicine is unavailable. As for other species, their populations may be threatened by changing temperature and precipitation regimes, disruption of commensal relationships, and increases in pests and pathogens, combined with anthropogenic habitat fragmentation that impedes migration. Additionally, medicinal species are often harvested unsustainably, and this combination of pressures may push many populations to extinction. A second issue is that some species may respond to increased environmental stresses not only with declines in biomass production but with changes in chemical content, potentially affecting quality or even safety of medicinal products. We therefore recommend actions including conservation and local cultivation of valued plants, sustainability training for harvesters and certification of commercial material, preservation of traditional knowledge, and programs to monitor raw material quality in addition to, of course, efforts to mitigate climate change.

scholarly journals SWAT BASED ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT IN THENPENNAI SUB-BASIN OF SOUTH INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-5 ◽  
pp. 557-562
Author(s):  
K. Nivedita Priyadarshini ◽  
S. A. Rahaman ◽  
S. Nithesh Nirmal ◽  
R. Jegankumar ◽  
P. Masilamani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Soil And Water

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Climate change impacts on watershed ecosystems and hydrologic processes are complex. The key significant parameters responsible for balancing the watershed ecosystems are temperature and rainfall. Though these parameters are uncertain, they play a prime role in the projections of dimensional climate change studies. The impact of climate change is more dependent on temperature and precipitation which contributes at a larger magnitude for characterising global warming issues. This paper aims to forecast the variations of temperature and precipitation during the period of 2020&amp;ndash;2050 for the northern part of Thenpennar sub basin. This study is modelled using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) &amp;ndash; a scale model developed to predict the impact of changes that occurs in land, soil and water over a period of time. This study is validated using the base period from 1980&amp;ndash;2000 which shows the distribution of rainfall and temperature among 38 watersheds. The results from this study show that there is a decrease in the rainfall for a maximum of about 20% in the month of December during the predicted period of 2020 and 2050. This study assesses the possible adverse impact of climate change on temperature and precipitation of Thenpennai sub-basin. This kind of predictions will help the government agencies, rulers and decision makers in policy making and implementing the adaptation strategies for the changing climatic conditions.</p>

scholarly journals Inter-seasonal investigation of coupled C & N greenhouse gas fluxes in pristine northern ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lona van Delden ◽  
Julia Boike ◽  
Eeva-Stiina Tuittila ◽  
Timo Vesala ◽  
Claire Treat
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems

&lt;p&gt;Accurate annual greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets are the crucial baseline for global climate change forecast scenarios. On the other hand, the parameterization of these forecast models requires more than high-quality GHG datasets, but also the constant improvement of the representation of GHG producing and consuming processes. Extensive research efforts are therefore focusing on increasing our knowledge of the main GHG producing carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles, though surprisingly not so much into their direct interaction. Most annual GHG budgets from pristine northern ecosystems are based on interpolated datasets from sampling campaigns mainly taken during the growing season. Within the ERC funded FluxWIN project, we are investigating how soil and pore water C &amp; N interact and their biogeochemical GHG drivers change over seasons. Freeze-thaw events have previously been identified as significant GHG drivers by rapidly changing moisture and oxygen conditions in the soil matrix, but it remains unclear if and how C &amp; N coupling contributes to these non-growing season emissions. Therefore, a fully automated static chamber system is monitoring GHG fluxes in high frequency at a boreal peatland ecosystem in Siikaneva, Finland. Nutrient stocks and biogeochemical dynamics within the soil matrix are compared to GHG soil-atmosphere exchange in the form of carbon dioxide (CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;), methane (CH&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;) and nitrous oxide (N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O) all year-round. We control for climatic variability and isolate differences in non-growing season emissions by using a moisture gradient from well-drained upland soils to adjacent wetland ecosystems. The use of these automated high-frequency GHG measurements in combination with year-round biogeochemical monitoring maximizes the likelihood of capturing episodic emissions and their drivers, which are particularly important during fall freeze and spring thaw periods. The gained information on the coupled C &amp; N biogeochemical cycles will improve feedback estimates of climate change by including non-growing season processes in global-scale process-based models.&lt;/p&gt;

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