SubalpineSubalpine andand alpinealpine vegetationvegetation underunder pressurepressure
ConsequencesConsequences ofof aa changingchanging climateclimate inin aa changingchanging worldworld
Brigitte Klug, BOKU, Vienna ChangingChanging preconditionspreconditions forfor plantplant life…life…
ChemistryChemistry ofof thethe atmosphereatmosphere (CO(CO2,, NONOx,, dustdust,…),…) →→→→→→ ClimateClimate (( temperaturetemperature,, cloudcloud covercover,, distributiondistribution,, amountamount,, andand timetime ofof precipitationprecipitation,, extremeextreme windswinds)) →→→→→→ LandLand useuse (traditional(traditional vs.vs. „„modernmodern““)) ……havehave impactsimpacts onon plantplant life,life, especiallyespecially onon
SoilSoil structurestructure andand chemistrychemistry OrganismsOrganisms atat thethe individualindividual andand speciesspecies levellevel PhytocoenosesPhytocoenoses,, theirtheir compositioncomposition andand stabilitystability …and…and onon ManMan CrucialCrucial changeschanges forfor mountainmountain plantsplants
ElevatedElevated COCO2 levellevel TemperatureTemperature increaseincrease:: →→ →→ →→ GlacierGlacier retreatretreat,, prolongationprolongation ofof thethe vegetationvegetation periodperiod…… ChangingChanging distributiondistribution ofof precipitationprecipitation (time(time andand amountamount)) Calcareous Alps
See Reisigl, H., and Keller, R., 1994: Alpenpflanzen im Lebensraum. Fischer Siliceous Alps and their elevational belts
Siliceous Alps
And their elevational belts
Reisigl, H., and Keller, R., 1994 The „alpine belt“ in the European mountains: Its elevation depends on the geographic position of the mountain range (Ozenda 1988)
Precipitation in the montane belt of the Alps:
Average - summer (1931-1950)
TyroleanTyrolean AlpsAlps inin thethe nineteennineteen fiftiesfifties:: PrecipitationPrecipitation andand temperaturetemperature distributiondistribution inin differentdifferent altitudinalaltitudinal andand latitudinallatitudinal positionspositions inin aa NN--SS--transecttransect TyroleanTyrolean AlpsAlps inin thethe nineteennineteen fiftiesfifties:: PrecipitationPrecipitation andand temperaturetemperature distributiondistribution inin differentdifferent altitudinalaltitudinal andand latitudinallatitudinal positionspositions inin aa NN--SS--transecttransect Long term measurements
show that the
outer southern
ranges reveal
higher
temperatures but
less precipitation
than the northern
ranges; the central areas are
comparably
„warm“ but dry
WindWind-- SnowSnow-- EcogramEcogram
(H. Aulitzky, 1985, CBl. f. ges. Forstwes. 102/2: 55-77) From Klug- Pümpel B., 1982, Vegetatio 48, 249- 254
MorphologicalMorphological traitstraits ofof alpinealpine plantsplants comparedcompared toto theirtheir relativesrelatives inin thethe lowlandslowlands
Valley Alpine bottom pasture Even individuals of the same species look different at different altitudes
See more in : Larcher W., 1995,
Physiological plant ecology
Surface temperatures of Primula minima (Alps) at different times of a summer day
See also: C. Körner 2003, Alpine Plant Life. Springer EspeletiaEspeletia schultziischultzii ((AndesAndes):): SurfaceSurface temperaturetemperature ofof plantplant organsorgans andand soilsoil atat noonnoon EcoEco--physiologicalphysiological traitstraits
PhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis,, respirationrespiration StressStress hardinesshardiness –– avoidanceavoidance PhenologicalPhenological reactionsreactions Körner C. 2001: In: Walther et al.: „Fingerprints“ of climate change; Kluwer New York
Gas exchange of Carex curvula (From C. Körner (1982), Oecologia 53: 98-104)
Carex curvula grassland
Gas exchange in open top chambers under natural and fertilized conditions and at different CO 2 levels
From M. Diemer, 1994, Oecologia 98: 429-435
Stress resistance
Leucanthemopsis alpina
Arabis alpina
Poa alpina Trifolium badium Heat tolerance
TL50 of fertilized and unfertilized alpine plant seedlings grown in the greenhouse
50 45 40 35 unfertilized March 30 fertilized March 25 unfertilized June
TL50(°C) 20 fertilized June 15 10 5 0 Poa alpina Trifolium badium Arabis alpina Leucanthemopsis alpina SPECIES PhenologyPhenology ofof PoaPoa alpinaalpina Reproductive phenology and seed development in Gentianella caucasea
Alpine grassland Sheep pasture
Hay meadow
From M. Akhalkatsi and J. Wagner, 1996, Flora 191:161-168
Diaspore traits and dispersal
ShapeShape DispersalDispersal modemode DispersalDispersal datedate LongevityLongevity ofof seedsseeds Seed shapes
influence Vterm
From: Tackenberg O., Stöcklin,J. 2008:
Wind dispersal of alpine plant species.
J. Veget. Sci. 19:109-118 From: Holzinger B. et al.,
2008 Germination and juvenile development of alpine plants under cool and warm summer temperature conditions (climate chamber experiment)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20
% of seeds with.. seeds of % 10 0 t f t f t f t f t f t f t f o s a o le a o s a o s a t e f o s a o s a o s a o n e o ti e o n e o n e o til a o n e o n e o n e r o l r p l :r o l r o l ro p le r o l :r o l :r o l : d y : o y l. d y d y : o y : d y a d y a d y m le r a e r . le r s: le r a r a le r e le r n le r u y a in l a s y a e y a s le in y a r y i y a i t m p o m s t m t m o o p t m u t ma lp t m d o ri l c ri ri o ri id o ri it c ima l o ri a o ri a o ri a c p a : p a c p o c p p .: r a c p c p c p b : : a a : g .: : in : : s p s : : lla : : is : : m in l .l l. g s s e sp .: i . . i a a b a a m u m o p a u s . a e e c e p s lp lp t re a in n iu i iu P l in v s s id c s p a a n re r p i l d d a p e is s o id ia . e o . . te u u A l lp fo a a a l n r ri a n o s h c m o a a a a ri b o a a a in i in c . e th th P a s b a ile lg g g g s h h n n ill la i is T m P o u lg a a mp e c t a a t il b b iu m P S v u a s s a s n c c n t ra a l liu v S a h D e a u u e n r fo o e e n a c c e e t te A A ri if n n i in s D u L L o o r le g g e e P P T T i ile a a D L S S S S species: organ AlsoAlso inin alpinealpine grasslandsgrasslands,, differentdifferent strategystrategy typestypes andand lifelife traitstraits cancan bebe foundfound
See Grime J.P. 1979, Plant strategies and vegetation processes
StrategyStrategy typestypes ofof plantplant speciesspecies……
C: competitors S: stress tolerators R: ruderals CS, CSR, SR,…: intermediate types
GrowthGrowth formsforms andand lifelife spansspans
PlantPlant functionalfunctional groupsgroups Early, mid, late colonizers,…
Hohe Tauern, Austria: Phytomass harvests in alpine grassland throughout the growing season
Phan.assimil.. Curvuletum Phan. n.ass. Cryptogams Litter PhytomassPhytomass ofof alpinealpine plantplant communitiescommunities isis concentratedconcentrated nearnear thethe Moist hollow groundground
From: B. Pümpel. In: MAB- Hochgebirgsprogramm Hohe Tauern vol.1, 1977, 83-101 Snow bed
Curvuletum Moist hollow Snow bed
Angles of leaves inserted in low plant parts are much smaller than leaf angles in the upper plant parts.
From: B. Pümpel. In: MAB- Hochgebirgsprogramm Hohe Tauern vol.1, 1977, 83-101 ShortShort--termterm reactionsreactions ofof twotwo alpinealpine communitiescommunities toto temperaturetemperature riserise
From T. Kudernatsch et al. 2008: Short-term effects of temperature enhancement on growth and reproduction of alpine grassland species. BAE 9,263-274 (Field experiment with OTC at Berchtesgaden, Germany)
Growth and reproduction of Caricetum cuvulae and Caricetum firmae plants National Park Berchtesgaden, Germany (Kudernatsch 2008) AllAll thesethese factorsfactors contributecontribute toto thethe specificspecific reactionreaction ofof aa plantplant communitycommunity toto environmentalenvironmental conditionsconditions