By Tara K. Miller
Springs are important
ecosystems to support biodiversity. They are fed by groundwater and maintain
more stable temperature and water conditions throughout the year than the
surrounding landscape. These factors support a wide variety of plant species.
However, springs are isolated – aquatic islands in a terrestrial landscape –
which makes it harder for plants to disperse and move to find more suitable
conditions as the climate changes.
As climate change
progresses, the Subarctic mainland of Norway is expected to experience
increased temperatures and precipitation, thus changing the suitability of
spring habitats for different plant species.
A spring in Kvannfjellet in Balsfjord county, Norway.
Photo credit: Jutta Kapfer.
We expect that the
species composition of plant communities in springs will change due to climate
change. In order to measure the extent of the effects of climate change on these
communities and to predict future risk, it is important to study which species
are currently present in springs, and which conditions support the presence of
different species. We recorded which species were present at 49 spring sites in
northern Norway. We also recorded the conditions at the springs, including water
quality conditions (water temperature, pH, and the pace of the water flowing from
the spring), climatic conditions (air temperature and precipitation), and the
spatial location of the spring (altitude and geographical coordinates).
 |
| A spring in Bentsjordskaret in Tromsø county, Norway, with Tara recording species data. Photo credit: Jutta Kapfer. |
We found that both
climatic and water quality conditions were important for determining which
species were present in which springs, indicating that as these conditions
change with climate change, species may be forced to move to new springs with suitable
conditions, or their numbers may decline.
Altitude was also important
in determining where species were present. Therefore, altitude may be a
limiting factor for plant species in adapting to climate change. For example,
if a species is already located at the highest-altitude spring location or if
there are no suitable spring sites located at nearby higher altitudes, it may
be unable to disperse and migrate to a new, suitable habitat.
 |
| Identifying moss species requires a close look under the microscope |
Our research gives us a
new understanding of the conditions that are important for supporting the presence
of different species in Subarctic springs.
Read the full paper here: PDF
No comments:
Post a Comment