Range shifts in a foundation sedge potentially induce large Arctic ecosystem carbon losses and gains
Foundation species have disproportionately large impacts on ecosystem structure and function. As a result, future changes to their distribution may be important determinants of ecosystem carbon (C) cycling in a warmer world. We assessed the role of a foundation tussock sedge ( Eriophorum vaginatum )...
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| Vydané v: | Environmental research letters Ročník 17; číslo 4; s. 45024 - 45036 |
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| Hlavní autori: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Médium: | Journal Article |
| Jazyk: | English |
| Vydavateľské údaje: |
Bristol
IOP Publishing
01.04.2022
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| Predmet: | |
| ISSN: | 1748-9326, 1748-9326 |
| On-line prístup: | Získať plný text |
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| Shrnutí: | Foundation species have disproportionately large impacts on ecosystem structure and function. As a result, future changes to their distribution may be important determinants of ecosystem carbon (C) cycling in a warmer world. We assessed the role of a foundation tussock sedge (
Eriophorum vaginatum
) as a climatically vulnerable C stock using field data, a machine learning ecological niche model, and an ensemble of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs). Field data indicated that tussock density has decreased by ∼0.97 tussocks per m
2
over the past ∼38 years on Alaska’s North Slope from ∼1981 to 2019. This declining trend is concerning because tussocks are a large Arctic C stock, which enhances soil organic layer C stocks by 6.9% on average and represents 745 Tg C across our study area. By 2100, we project that changes in tussock density may decrease the tussock C stock by 41% in regions where tussocks are currently abundant (e.g. −0.8 tussocks per m
2
and −85 Tg C on the North Slope) and may increase the tussock C stock by 46% in regions where tussocks are currently scarce (e.g. +0.9 tussocks per m
2
and +81 Tg C on Victoria Island). These climate-induced changes to the tussock C stock were comparable to, but sometimes opposite in sign, to vegetation C stock changes predicted by an ensemble of TBMs. Our results illustrate the important role of tussocks as a foundation species in determining future Arctic C stocks and highlight the need for better representation of this species in TBMs. |
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| Bibliografia: | ERL-112516.R2 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 14 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council National Science Foundation (NSF) National Geographic AC05-00OR22725; DEB-1556772; DEB-2103539; DGE-1841556; PLR-1418010; NE/M016323/1 National Environment Research Council USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) |
| ISSN: | 1748-9326 1748-9326 |
| DOI: | 10.1088/1748-9326/ac6005 |