TY - JOUR

T1 - Tundra in the rain

T2 - differential vegetation responses to three years of experimentally doubled summer precipitation in Siberian shrub and Swedish bog tundra

AU - Keuper, Frida

AU - Parmentier, Frans-Jan

AU - Blok, Daan

AU - van Bodegom, Peter

AU - Dorrepaal, Ellen

AU - Van Hal, Jurgen R.

AU - van Logtestijn, Richard

AU - Aerts, Rien

N1 - CENPERM[2012]

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Precipitation amounts and patterns at high latitudesites have been predicted to change as a result ofglobal climatic changes. We addressed vegetation responsesto three years of experimentally increased summerprecipitation in two previously unaddressed tundra types:Betula nana-dominated shrub tundra (northeast Siberia)and a dry Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog (northernSweden). Positive responses to approximately doubledambient precipitation (an increase of 200 mm year-1) wereobserved at the Siberian site, for B. nana (30 % largerlength increments), Salix pulchra (leaf size and lengthincrements) and Arctagrostis latifolia (leaf size and specificleaf area), but none were observed at the Swedish site.Total biomass production did not increase at either of thestudy sites. This study corroborates studies in other tundravegetation types and shows that despite regional differencesat the plant level, total tundra plant productivity is, atleast at the short or medium term, largely irresponsive toexperimentally increased summer precipitation.

AB - Precipitation amounts and patterns at high latitudesites have been predicted to change as a result ofglobal climatic changes. We addressed vegetation responsesto three years of experimentally increased summerprecipitation in two previously unaddressed tundra types:Betula nana-dominated shrub tundra (northeast Siberia)and a dry Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog (northernSweden). Positive responses to approximately doubledambient precipitation (an increase of 200 mm year-1) wereobserved at the Siberian site, for B. nana (30 % largerlength increments), Salix pulchra (leaf size and lengthincrements) and Arctagrostis latifolia (leaf size and specificleaf area), but none were observed at the Swedish site.Total biomass production did not increase at either of thestudy sites. This study corroborates studies in other tundravegetation types and shows that despite regional differencesat the plant level, total tundra plant productivity is, atleast at the short or medium term, largely irresponsive toexperimentally increased summer precipitation.

U2 - 10.1007/s13280-012-0305-2

DO - 10.1007/s13280-012-0305-2

M3 - Journal article

VL - 41

SP - 269

EP - 280

JO - Ambio

JF - Ambio

SN - 0044-7447

IS - Suppl. 3

ER -