Beyond gradual warming: extreme weather events alter flower phenology of European grassland and heath species

Shifts in the phenology of plant and animal species or in the migratory arrival of birds are seen as ‘fingerprints’ of global warming. However, even if such responses have been documented in large continent‐wide datasets of the northern hemisphere, all studies to date correlate the phenological pattern of various taxa with gradual climatic trends. Here, we report a previously unobserved phenomenon: severe drought and heavy rain events caused phenological shifts in plants of the same magnitude as one decade of gradual warming. We present data from two vegetation periods in an experimental setting containing the first evidence of shifted phenological response of 10 grassland and heath species to simulated 100‐year extreme weather events in Central Europe. Averaged over all species, 32 days of drought significantly advanced the mid‐flowering date by 4 days. The flowering length was significantly extended by 4 days. Heavy rainfall (170 mm over 14 days) had no significant effect on the mid‐flowering date. However, heavy rainfall reduced the flowering length by several days. Observed shifts were species‐specific, (e.g. drought advanced the mid‐flowering date for Holcus lanatus by 1.5 days and delayed the mid‐flowering date for Calluna vulgaris by 5.7 days, heavy rain advanced mid‐flowering date of Lotus corniculatus by 26.6 days and shortened the flowering length of the same species by 36.9 days). Interestingly, the phenological response of individual species was modified by community composition. For example, the mid‐flowering date of C. vulgaris was delayed after drought by 9.3 days in communities composed of grasses and dwarf shrubs compared with communities composed of dwarf shrubs only. This indicates that responses to extreme events are context specific. Additionally, the phenological response of experimental communities to extreme weather events can be modified by the functional diversity of a stand. Future studies on phenological response patterns related to climate change would profit from explicitly addressing the role of extreme weather events.     

Phenological Sensitivity of Early and Late Flowering Species Under Seasonal Warming and Altered Precipitation in a Seminatural Temperate Grassland Ecosystem

Shifts in flowering phenology of plants are indicators of climate change. The great majority of existing phenological studies refer solely to gradual warming. However, knowledge on how flowering phenology responds to changes in seasonal variation of warming and precipitation regimes is missing. We report the onset of 22 early (flowering before/within May) and 23 late flowering (flowering after May) species in response to manipulated seasonal warming (equal to + 1.2°C; last 100-year summer/winter warming), additional winter rainfall, and modified precipitation variability (including a 1000-year extreme drought event followed by heavy rainfall) over the growing season in two consecutive years for a species-rich temperate grassland ecosystem. The average onset of flowering (over 2 years) was significantly advanced 3.1 days by winter warming and 1.5 days by summer warming compared to control. Early flowering species responded to seasonal warming in both years, while late-flowering species responded in only 1 year to summer warming. The average onset of early flowering species was significantly advanced, 4.9 days by winter warming and 2.3 days by summer warming. Species-specific analysis showed that even within the early flowering community there were divergences. A positive correlation between plant height and shift in flowering onset was detected under winter warming (R² = 0.20, p = 0.005). The average onsets of early and late flowering community were affected by neither winter rain nor growing season precipitation variability. Seasonal differences in warming, and particularly winter warming, might alter community dynamics among early and late flowering species which can cause shifts in the seasonal performances of temperate ecosystems.     

Extreme drought alters growth and interactions with exotic grasses,but not survival,for a California annual forb

Climate change will not only alter mean conditions, but increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as severe droughts. Yet the consequences of extreme drought for plant demography are poorly understood. We compared phenology, demographic rates and effects of competition with exotic grasses for the California annual forb Phacelia distans between a year with slightly below average precipitation (2011–2012) and one in extreme drought (2012–2013). We also contrasted these demographic responses with changes in seedling emergence rates and cover in the annual plant community. Early Phacelia mortality actually fell in the extreme drought year, as low October rainfall shifted germination to cooler conditions in November. Survival from mid December to flowering did not change between years. In contrast to expectations, competition with early-emerging exotic annual grasses did not reduce Phacelia spring survival in 2012–2013. A shorter window for fall germination that reduced priority effects may explain this result. Yet the 2012–2013 growing season ended a month earlier than in 2011–2012, significantly reducing Phacelia size at flowering and inflorescence production. Community seedling emergence and cover changed only weakly between the 2 years. Our results demonstrate the importance of within season precipitation patterns in determining whether a climatically extreme year will lead to extreme ecological outcomes. This work also illustrates how annual plant drought responses depend critically on germination behavior and phenology. An important future question is whether seed banks can sustain native forb population persistence through an extended drought with multiple years of low or failed reproduction.     

Recurrent Mild Drought Events Increase Resistance Toward Extreme Drought Stress

The frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events such as drought are expected to increase in the future. At present, plant responses to recurrent extreme events have been sparsely examined and the role of stress history on subsequent stress response has been widely neglected. In a long-term field experiment, we investigated the response of grassland and heath communities to a very severe drought event, which exceeded the duration of projected drought scenarios. During the preceding 6 years, the plant communities experienced scenarios of varying water supply, including annually recurring drought, heavy rain, regular watering, and natural drought periods. Single species and plant communities that were regularly watered in the preceding years revealed the highest tissue die-back under a very severe drought when compared to plants that experienced mild or severe drought stress before. Contrary to expectations, the root to shoot ratio did not increase due to previous recurrent drought occurrences. Furthermore, pre-exposure effects on Vaccinium myrtillus and Plantago lanceolata tissue die-back and reproductive biomass (P. lanceolata) were altered by community composition. Recurrent mild drought stress seems to improve drought resistance of plant communities and species. Potential reasons could be epigenetic changes or soil biotic legacies. Morphological legacies such as altered root to shoot ratio did not play a role in our study. Imprinting events which trigger this ecological stress memory do not have to be extreme themselves. Thresholds, longevity of effects, and the role of biodiversity shown by the importance of community composition require further attention.     

Acacia,climate, and geochemistry in Australia

Background

Nitrogen-fixing legumes are key species in grassland ecosystems, as their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen can facilitate neighboring plants. However, little is known about the fate of this legume effect in the face of extreme weather events, which are increasingly expected to occur.

Methods

Here, we examined experimentally how the presence of a legume modifies above-ground net primary production (ANPP) and nitrogen supply of neighboring non-legumes under annually recurrent pulsed drought and heavy rainfall events by comparing responses of three key species in European grassland versus without legume presence over 4 years.

Results

Legume presence facilitated community productivity of neighboring non-legumes under ambient weather conditions and also under experimental heavy rainfall. However, no facilitation of community productivity by the legume was found under experimental drought. Productivity of the three target species responded species-specifically to legume presence under different weather conditions: Holcus lanatus was facilitated only under control conditions, Plantago lanceolata was facilitated only under heavy rainfall, and Arrhenatherum elatius was facilitated irrespective of climate manipulations. The legume effects on δ ¹⁵N, leaf N concentration, and N uptake were also species-specific, yet irrespective of the climate manipulations. The data suggest that the missing legume effect on community productivity under the pulsed drought was rather caused by reduced N-uptake of the target species than by reduced N-fixation by the legume.

Conclusions

In contrast to heavy rain, the presence of a legume could not effectively buffer community ANPP against the negative effects of extreme drought events in an experimental temperate grassland. Facilitation also depends on the key species that are dominating a grassland community.     

Raised nutrient levels change heathland into grassland

In 1969 N and P fertilizer experiments were carried out on the Westerheide (The Netherlands) to investigate the growth of Calluna vulgaris. In 1981 the floristic composition of the experimental plots was analyzed. Repeated nitrogen treatment of 28 kg · ha^-1 · yr^-1 resulted in dramatic replacement of Calluna vulgaris by Festuca ovina as a dominant. Phosphorus treatments did not result in such a change. The amounts of nitrogen applied in this experiment are similar to those that will be available during the first years following the dying off of Calluna vulgaris as result of a heather beetle infestation. It is hypothesized that a heather beetle infestation alone may result in a similar replacement of Calluna vulgaris by grass species.     

澜沧江流域暴雨干旱灾害与海温异常波动规律的相关性

基于中国气象局国家气象信息中心提供的澜沧江区域1961—2011年50年气象资料,采用EMD(Empirical Mode Decomposition)分解、均生函数逐步回归模型、相关分析等方法,探讨了澜沧江流域极端天气灾害的变化特征,及其区域极端灾害变化和全球海温异常ENSO(El Nio/La Nia-Southern Oscillation)之间的联系。结果表明:(1)该区域降水和暴雨频次存在多尺度特征,降水量存在2a、7a、15a的变化周期,且主周期为准2 a。(2)降水量和暴雨频度序列的IMF1和IMF2周期在2—7 a之间,与ENSO在年际变化上的信号相吻合,NINO(El Nio)指数无论春夏秋冬或年际都与暴雨和干旱灾害频次呈现负相关,而SOI(Southern Oscillation Index)指数则呈现正相关,其中,NINO指数与干旱相关性指数在秋冬和年际接近-0.3。(3)澜沧江流域暴雨和干旱灾害与ENSO有重要联系,且随着气温升高干旱灾害频次明显增加。研究结果显示区域极端气温灾害的变化与全球气候变暖有某种关联,是全球气候变化的区域响应表现形式之一。     

Effects of extreme weather events and legume presence on mycorrhization of Plantago lanceolata and Holcus lanatus in the field

Little is known about direct and indirect effects of extreme weather events on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under field conditions. In a field experiment, we investigated the response of mycorrhization to drought and heavy rain in grassland communities. We quantified AMF biomass in soil, mycorrhization of roots of the grass Holcus lanatus and the forb Plantago lanceolata, as well as plant performance. Plants were grown in four‐species communities with or without a legume. We hypothesised that drought increases and heavy rain decreases mycorrhization, and that higher mycorrhization will be linked to improved stress resistance and higher biomass production. Soil AMF biomass increased under both weather extremes. Heavy rain generally benefitted plants and increased arbuscules in P. lanceolata. Drought neither reduced plant performance nor root mycorrhization. Arbuscules increased in H. lanatus several weeks after drought, and in P. lanceolata several weeks after heavy rain spells. These long‐lasting effects of weather events on mycorrhization highlight the indirect influence of climate on AMF via their host plant. Legume presence increased plant community biomass, but had only minor effects on mycorrhization. Arbuscule colonisation was negatively correlated with senescence during the dry summer. Mycorrhization and biomass production in P. lanceolata were positively related. However, increased mycorrhization was related to less biomass in the grass. AMF mycelium in soil might generally increase under extreme events, root colonisation, however, is host species specific. This might amplify community shifts in grassland under climate change by further increasing stress resistance of species that already benefit from changed precipitation.     

Nitrogen deposition and drought events have non-additive effects on plant growth – Evidence from greenhouse experiments

Climate change and nitrogen deposition affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but interactive effects of these global change drivers are poorly understood. We analysed single and interactive effects of nitrogen (N) fertilisation and drought on the growth performance of Calluna vulgaris. We measured biomass production and allocation, tissue nutrient (N, phosphorus (P) and carbon (C)) concentrations, N allocation patterns (using ¹⁵N tracer) and plant's water status (using δ ¹³C signatures) as response variables in a 2-year greenhouse experiment. N fertilisation increased biomass production and biomass shoot:root ratios. ¹⁵N allocation patterns indicated an increasing aboveground N allocation following N fertilisation. Tissue δ ¹³C signatures were higher in N-fertilised plants. Plant responses to drought were weak. We found strong antagonistic interaction effects of N fertilisation and drought for biomass production. δ ¹³C values peaked when N-fertilised plants were subjected to drought, indicating that N fertilisation increased the evaporative demands of Calluna plants, likely due to increased biomass shoot:root ratios, which in turn resulted in higher drought susceptibility. As an important consequence, even slight drought events may weaken the competitiveness of Calluna when interacting with enhanced airborne N loads. Single-factor studies, thus, need to be complemented by multi-factor analyses to assess conceivable impacts of co-occurring global change drivers.     

Coastal heathland vegetation is surprisingly resistant to experimental drought across successional stages and latitude

In the last decade, several major dwarf-shrub dieback events have occurred in northern European coastal heathlands. These dieback events occur after extended periods with sub-zero temperatures under snow-free conditions and clear skies, suggesting that coastal heathlands have low resistance to winter drought. As climate projections forecast increased drought frequency, intensity, and duration, coastal heathlands are likely to experience more such diebacks in the future. There are, however, few empirical studies of drought impacts and responses on plant communities in humid oceanic ecosystems. We established a drought experiment with two distinct levels of intensified drought to identify responses and thresholds of drought resistance in coastal heathland vegetation. We repeated the experiment in two regions, separated by five degrees latitude, to represent different bioclimatic conditions within the coastal heathlands' wide latitudinal range in Europe. As coastal heathlands are semi-natural habitats managed by prescribed fire, and we repeated the experiment across three post-fire successional phases within each region. Plant community structure, annual primary production, and primary and secondary growth of the dominant dwarf-shrub Calluna vulgaris varied between climate regions. To our surprise, these wide-ranging vegetation- and plant-level response variables were largely unaffected by the drought treatments. Consequently, our results suggest that northern, coastal heathland vegetation is relatively resistant to substantial intensification in drought. This experiment represents the world's wettest (2200 mm year⁻¹) and northernmost (65°8'N) drought experiment to date, thus filling important knowledge gaps on ecological drought responses in high-precipitation and high-latitude ecosystems across multiple phases of plant community succession.     

Dendrochronological analysis of urban trees: climatic response and impact of drought on frequently used tree species

Key message

Distinct species-specific differences were found in the response to temperature, precipitation and the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index that are confirmed by pointer year analyzes and superposed epoch analyzes.

Abstract

Trees in urban environments are exposed to heat stress, low air humidity and soil drought. The increasing temperatures and the more frequent heat and drought events will intensify the stress level of urban trees. We applied a dendrochronological approach to evaluate the species-specific suitability under increasing risk of drought of five tree species at highly sealed urban sites in the city of Dresden (Germany). Climate-growth correlation analyses show that temperatures and water availability from April to July in the current year and in summer and autumn of the previous year are the main determining factors for radial growth. However, distinct species-specific differences were found in the response to temperature, precipitation and the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index. During the study period, the influence of temperature and drought on radial growth during summer months increases for Acer platanoides and Acer pseudoplatanus, whereas no changes occurred for Quercus petraea, Quercus rubra, and P. × hispanica. Pointer year analysis and superposed epoch analyses revealed a species-specific response to extreme climatic events. While for A. platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus a higher number of negative pointer years and significant growth declines in drought years were found, Q. petraea and Q. rubra showed more frequent positive pointer years but no significant growth reductions during drought. Based on these response patterns we classified the studied tree species according to their suitability and drought tolerance for urban sites.     

Experimental icing affects growth,mortality, and flowering in a high Arctic dwarf shrub

Effects of climate change are predicted to be greatest at high latitudes, with more pronounced warming in winter than summer. Extreme mid‐winter warm spells and heavy rain‐on‐snow events are already increasing in frequency in the Arctic, with implications for snow‐pack and ground‐ice formation. These may in turn affect key components of Arctic ecosystems. However, the fitness consequences of extreme winter weather events for tundra plants are not well understood, especially in the high Arctic. We simulated an extreme mid‐winter rain‐on‐snow event at a field site in high Arctic Svalbard (78°N) by experimentally encasing tundra vegetation in ice. After the subsequent growing season, we measured the effects of icing on growth and fitness indices in the common tundra plant, Arctic bell‐heather (Cassiope tetragona). The suitability of this species for retrospective growth analysis enabled us to compare shoot growth in pre and postmanipulation years in icing treatment and control plants, as well as shoot survival and flowering. Plants from icing treatment plots had higher shoot mortality and lower flowering success than controls. At the individual sample level, heavily flowering plants invested less in shoot growth than nonflowering plants, while shoot growth was positively related to the degree of shoot mortality. Therefore, contrary to expectation, undamaged shoots showed enhanced growth in ice treatment plants. This suggests that following damage, aboveground resources were allocated to the few remaining undamaged meristems. The enhanced shoot growth measured in our icing treatment plants has implications for climate studies based on retrospective analyses of Cassiope. As shoot growth in this species responds positively to summer warming, it also highlights a potentially complex interaction between summer and winter conditions. By documenting strong effects of icing on growth and reproduction of a widespread tundra plant, our study contributes to an understanding of Arctic plant responses to projected changes in winter climatic conditions.     

The age of managed heathland communities: implications for carbon storage?

Background and aims

Shrublands are ecosystems vulnerable to climate changes, with key functions such as carbon storage likely to be affected. In dwarf shrublands dominated by Calluna vulgaris, the aboveground carbon allocation is associated with community age and phase of development. As the Calluna community grows older, a shift to net biomass loss occurs and it was hypothesized this would result in carbon stock increases within the soil.

Methods

The interaction of community age with ecosystem carbon stocks was investigated through a chronosequence study on three Calluna communities, aged 11, 18 and 27 years.

Results

Aboveground Calluna carbon stock increased significantly from the 11 year community (0.73 kg C m^?2) to the 18 year community (1.11 kg C m^?2) but did not significantly change from 18 to 27 years (1.0 kg C m^?2), indicating a net carbon gain that corresponded with the growth phase of the Calluna plants. Moss was also found to be a relatively large contributor to aboveground carbon stock (e.g. 30 % in the Young community). Moss has often been excluded in aboveground assessments on Calluna heathlands which may have led to previous stock underestimation. Belowground carbon stocks to 25 cm were six to nine times greater than in the aboveground pools. For example in the Young community, 8 % of the carbon stock was located aboveground, 35 % in the organic layer and 55 % in the mineral soil.

Conclusions

Increased heathland age resulted in increased aboveground carbon stock until peak production was reached at approximately 18 years of age. However, the proportionally large belowground carbon stock eclipsed any aboveground effect when total carbon stocks were considered. The investigation emphasized both the importance of including the mineral soil in sampling programs and of consider all major species, such as bryophytes, and vegetation age in carbon stock assessments.     

Precipitation-dependent flowering of Globularia alypum and Erica multiflora in Mediterranean shrubland under experimental drought and warming, and its inter-annual variability

Background and Aims

Relationships between autumn flowering, precipitation and temperature of plant species of Mediterranean coastal shrublands have been described, but not analysed experimentally. These relationships were analysed for two species of co-occurring, dominant, autumn-flowering shrubs, Globularia alypum and Erica multiflora, over 4 years and in experimentally generated drought and warming conditions. The aim was to improve predictions about the responses and adaptations of flowering of Mediterranean vegetation to climate change.

Methods

Beginning of anthesis and date of maximum flowering intensity (‘peak date’) were monitored over 4 years (2001–2004) on a garrigue land type in the noth-east of the Iberian Peninsula. Two experimental treatments were applied, increased temperature (+0·73°C) and reduced soil moisture (–17%) relative to untreated plots.

Key Results

Flowering of Globularia alypum and Erica multiflora differed greatly between years depending on the precipitation of the previous months and the date of the last substantial rainfall (>10 mm). Globularia alypum flowered once or twice (unimodal or bimodal) as the result of differences in the distribution and magnitude of precipitation in late-spring and summer (when floral buds develop). The drought treatment delayed and decreased flowering of Globularia alypum in 2001 and delayed flowering in 2002. Warming extended the period between the beginning of flowering and the end of the second peak for autumn flowering in 2001 and also increased peak intensity in 2002. Flowering of Erica multiflora was unaffected by either treatment.

Conclusions

Autumn flowering of Globularia alypum and Erica multiflora is more dependent on water availability than on temperature. Considerable inter-annual plasticity in the beginning of anthesis and peak date and on unimodal or bimodal flowering constitutes a ‘safe strategy’ for both species in relation to varying precipitation and temperature. However, severe changes in precipitation in spring and summer may severely affect flowering of Globularia alypum but not Erica multiflora, thus affecting development/structure of the ecosystem if such conditions persist.Key words: Globularia alypum, Erica multiflora, autumn flowering, drought, global warming, Mediterranean     

The effect of heavy metals on microbial community structure of a sulfidogenic consortium in anaerobic semi-continuous stirred tank reactors

The effect of heavy metals on community structure of a heavy metal tolerant sulfidogenic consortium was evaluated by using a combination of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene and dissimilatory sulfite reductase (dsrB) gene fragments, 16S rRNA gene cloning analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). For this purpose, four anaerobic semi-continuous stirred tank reactors (referred as R1–R4) were run in parallel for 12 weeks at heavy metal loading rates of 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 7.5 mg l^?1 d^?1 each of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cr⁶⁺, respectively. The abundance ratio of Desulfovibrio vulgaris detected by FISH to total cell counts was consistent with the obtained results of cloning and DGGE. This indicated that D. vulgaris was dominant in all analyzed samples and played a key role in heavy metal removal in R1, R2, and R3. In contrast, after 4 weeks of operation of R4, a distinct biomass loss was observed and no positive hybridized cells were detected by specific probes for the domain Bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria and D. vulgris. High removal efficiencies of heavy metals were achieved in R1, R2 and R3 after 12 weeks, whereas the precipitation of heavy metals in R4 was significantly decreased after 4 weeks and almost not observed after 6 weeks of operation. In addition, the anaerobic bacteria, such as Pertrimonas sulfuriphila, Clostridium sp., Citrobacter amalonaticus, and Klebsiella sp., identified from DGGE bands and clone library were hypothesized as heavy metal resistant bacteria at a loading rate of 1.5 mg l^?1 d^?1 of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cr^6+.     

Extreme weather events and plant–plant interactions: shifts between competition and facilitation among grassland species in the face of drought and heavy rainfall

Biotic interactions play an important role in ecosystem function and structure in the face of global climate change. We tested how plant–plant interactions, namely competition and facilitation among grassland species, respond to extreme drought and heavy rainfall events. We also examined how the functional composition (grasses, forbs, legumes) of grassland communities influenced the competition intensity for grass species when facing extreme events. We exposed experimental grassland communities of different functional compositions to either an extreme single drought event or to a prolonged heavy rainfall event. Relative neighbour effect, relative crowding and interaction strength were calculated for five widespread European grassland species to quantify competition. Single climatic extremes caused species specific shifts in plant–plant interactions from facilitation to competition or vice versa but the nature of the shifts varied depending on the community composition. Facilitation by neighbouring plants was observed for Arrhenatherum elatius when subjected to drought. Contrarily, the facilitative effect of neighbours on Lotus corniculatus was transformed into competition. Heavy rainfall increased the competitive effect of neighbours on Holcus lanatus and Lotus corniculatus in communities composed of three functional groups. Competitive pressure on Geranium pratense and Plantago lanceolata was not affected by extreme weather events. Neither heavy rainfall nor extreme drought altered the overall productivity of the grassland communities. The complementary responses in competition intensity experienced by grassland species under drought suggest biotic interactions as one stabilizing mechanism for overall community performance. Understanding competitive dynamics under fluctuating resources is important for assessing plant community shifts and degree of stability of ecosystem functions.     

The endemic Genista versicolor from Sierra Nevada National Park in Spain is nodulated by putative new Bradyrhizobium species and a novel symbiovar (sierranevadense)

Genista versicolor is an endemic legume from Sierra Nevada National Park which constitutes one of the UNESCO-recognized Biosphere Reserves. In the present study, a collection of strains nodulating this legume was analysed in characteristic soils of this ecosystem. Most strains nodulating G. versicolor belonged to rrs group I within the genus Bradyrhizobium and only one strain, named GV137, belonged to rrs group II from which only a single species, B. retamae, has been described in Europe to date. Strain GV137, and some strains from rrs group I, belonged to putative new species of Bradyrhizobium, although most strains from group I belonged to B. canariense, according to the ITS fragment and atpD gene analysis. This result contrasted with those obtained in Genista tinctoria in Northeast Europe whose endosymbionts were identified as B. japonicum. The analysis of the symbiotic nodC and nifH genes carried by G. versicolor-nodulating strains showed that most of them belonged to symbiovar genistearum, as did those isolated from G. tinctoria. Nevertheless, strain GV137, belonging to rrs group II, formed a divergent lineage that constituted a novel symbiovar within the genus Bradyrhizobium for which the name sierranevadense is proposed. This finding showed that the Genisteae are not restrictive legumes only nodulated by symbiovar genistearum, since Genista is a promiscuous legume nodulated by at least two symbiovars of Bradyrhizobium, as occurs in Retama species.     

Effect of vegetation data collection strategies on estimates of relevant source area of pollen (RSAP) and relative pollen productivity estimates (relative PPE) for non-arboreal taxa

Thirteen surface moss samples were collected for pollen analysis from an area of heathland in western Norway. Vegetation composition at different distances around the sampling locations was measured using three different survey methods; rooted frequency within a sub-divided 1 m × 1 m quadrat, visual estimates of cover within a 1 m × 1 m quadrat and a modified form of the ‘circle-walking method’. Extended R-value analysis was used to explore the pollen–vegetation relationships for five main taxa, Calluna vulgaris, Vaccinium-type, Cyperaceae, Poaceae and Potentilla-type. The estimates of relevant source area of pollen obtained were similar regardless of the vegetation survey method. Values obtained were always under 4 m. However, estimates of relative pollen productivity and the background pollen component (proportion of pollen coming from vegetation growing beyond the relevant source area of pollen) differ markedly depending on the method of vegetation survey chosen. This has important implications for the quantitative reconstruction of past vegetation cover.     

Phenological and reproductive responses of a semiarid shrub to pulsed watering

Climate models forecast the decrease in annual precipitation and more extreme events (i.e. fewer rainy days and longer drought periods between rainfall events) in Mediterranean ecosystems which may have important consequences for plant community dynamics. Water availability is the most limiting factor for plant performance in arid environments, where it is often highly pulsed, and discrete rainfall events interspersed with drought periods are the important components of the annual water supply. Therefore, relatively small changes in rainfall frequency can have strong effects on the plant communities. We tested the effects of fewer rain events on inflorescence and fruit phenology, and reproductive success of a Mediterranean shrub species from semiarid SE Spain in a glasshouse trial. We found that by changing patterns of water supply, we strongly altered soil drying cycles with consequences for Phagnalon saxatile life history. Inflorescence and fruit phenology were not affected, and no changes in the number of inflorescences, fruits or fruit set were recorded. However, individuals growing under lower rainfall frequency produced bigger shoots, and heavier fruits and seeds. Bigger fruits produced a higher number of seeds that were heavier and more viable and, therefore, produced more seedlings than plants growing in the control treatment. Higher reproductive success achieved by Phagnalon individuals under low watering frequency may have important consequences for community dynamics if larger but less frequent rain events lead to an increase in soil water availability: natural selection favours individuals making the greatest contribution to the next generation. Such advantages could change community composition, the spatial distribution of species and their interactions.