Shrub expansion modulates belowground impacts of changing snow conditions in alpine grasslands

Broadbent, Arthur A.D.; Bahn, Michael; Pritchard, William J.; Newbold, Lindsay K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8895-1406; Goodall, Tim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1526-4071; Guinta, Andrew; Snell, Helen S.K.; Cordero, Irene; Michas, Antonios; Grant, Helen K.; Soto, David X. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4210-293X; Kaufmann, Rüdiger; Schloter, Michael; Griffiths, Robert I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3341-4547; Bardgett, Richard D.. 2022 Shrub expansion modulates belowground impacts of changing snow conditions in alpine grasslands. Ecology Letters, 25 (1). 52-64. 10.1111/ele.13903

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Abstract/Summary

Climate change is disproportionately impacting mountain ecosystems, leading to large reductions in winter snow cover, earlier spring snowmelt and widespread shrub expansion into alpine grasslands. Yet, the combined effects of shrub expansion and changing snow conditions on abiotic and biotic soil properties remains poorly understood. We used complementary field experiments to show that reduced snow cover and earlier snowmelt have effects on soil microbial communities and functioning that persist into summer. However, ericaceous shrub expansion modulates a number of these impacts and has stronger belowground effects than changing snow conditions. Ericaceous shrub expansion did not alter snow depth or snowmelt timing but did increase the abundance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi and oligotrophic bacteria, which was linked to decreased soil respiration and nitrogen availability. Our findings suggest that changing winter snow conditions have cross-seasonal impacts on soil properties, but shifts in vegetation can modulate belowground effects of future alpine climate change.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1111/ele.13903
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Pollution (Science Area 2017-) Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	1461-023X
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	alpine vegetation, belowground ecosystem functioning, biogeochemical cycles, ericaceous, microbial community, snow cover, soil microbiome, winter climate change
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	15 Dec 2021 13:00 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531581

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