Tundra vegetation community type, not microclimate, controls asynchrony of above- and below-ground phenology

Gallois, Elise C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9402-1931; Myers‐Smith, Isla H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8417-6112; Iversen, Colleen M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8293-3450; Salmon, Verity G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2188-551X; Turner, Laura L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5254-2106; An, Ruby ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5339-2242; Elmendorf, Sarah C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1085-8521; Collins, Courtney G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5455-172X; Anderson, Madelaine J.R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6571-9620; Young, Amanda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3580-8603; Pilkinton, Lisa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3737-3943; Blume‐Werry, Gesche ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0909-670X; Grenier, Maude ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3153-0616; Fälthammar‐de Jong, Geerte ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3774-1059; Althuizen, Inge H.J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3485-9609; Christiansen, Casper T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4526-614X; Lang, Simone I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6812-2528; Elphinstone, Cassandra ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2968-1431; Henry, Greg H.R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2606-9650; Rammell, Nicola ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3536-298X; Mack, Michelle C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1279-4242; See, Craig ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4154-8307; Rixen, Christian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2486-9988; Hollister, Robert D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4764-7691. 2025 Tundra vegetation community type, not microclimate, controls asynchrony of above- and below-ground phenology. Global Change Biology, 31 (4), e70153. 15, pp. 10.1111/gcb.70153

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Abstract/Summary

The below‐ground growing season often extends beyond the above‐ground growing season in tundra ecosystems and as the climate warms, shifts in growing seasons are expected. However, we do not yet know to what extent, when and where asynchrony in above‐ and below‐ground phenology occurs and whether variation is driven by local vegetation communities or spatial variation in microclimate. Here, we combined above‐ and below‐ground plant phenology metrics to compare the relative timings and magnitudes of leaf and fine‐root growth and senescence across microclimates and plant communities at five sites across the Arctic and alpine tundra biome. We observed asynchronous growth between above‐ and below‐ground plant tissue, with the below‐ground season extending up to 74% (~56 days) beyond the onset of above‐ground leaf senescence. Plant community type, rather than microclimate, was a key factor controlling the timing, productivity, and growth rates of fine roots, with graminoid roots exhibiting a distinct ‘pulse’ of growth later into the growing season than shrub roots. Our findings indicate the potential of vegetation change to influence below‐ground carbon storage as the climate warms and roots remain active in unfrozen soils for longer. Taken together, our findings of increased root growth in soils that remain thawed later into the growing season, in combination with ongoing tundra vegetation change including increased shrub and graminoid abundance, indicate increased below‐ground productivity and altered carbon cycling in the tundra biome.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1111/gcb.70153
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Environmental Pressures and Responses (2025-) Land-Atmosphere Interactions (2025-)
ISSN:	1354-1013
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	below-ground, carbon cycling, climate change, permafrost thaw, phenology, root dynamics, root phenology, tundra ecology
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Related URLs:	Dataset Code
Date made live:	04 Apr 2025 14:32 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539221

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