image: Field measurement of Arctic snow cover. view more
Credit: Image credit: Pekka Niittynen.
A study examines shifts in the diversity and distribution of functional traits of tundra plants in a warming climate. Arctic tundra faces some of the most rapid climate change, with corresponding consequences for ecosystems. Climate change alters the diversity and distribution of functional traits in ecosystems, but the role of snow cover in functional trait diversity has not been extensively studied. Pekka Niittynen and colleagues observed snow cover and plant diversity in 5,300 Arctic tundra plots of one square meter each from satellite imagery. The authors also compiled the functional traits expressed by the plants in the plots and applied machine learning methods to determine the effects of snow cover and temperature on plant functional diversity. Many of the plants' traits were sensitive to both snow cover and summer temperature; some traits, including leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content and seed mass, were driven by snow cover, whereas others, including leaf area, were driven by temperature. Based on the findings, the authors projected that in a warm climate with long snow-free seasons, tundra plants may become taller and develop bigger leaves than current tundra plants and develop rapid resource-acquisition traits. According to the authors, future modeling of ecosystem function should include the role of snow cover in Arctic tundra biomes.
Article #20-01254: "Decreasing snow cover alters functional composition and diversity of Arctic tundra," by Pekka Niittynen, Risto K. Heikkinen, and Miska Luoto.
MEDIA CONTACT: Pekka Niittynen, University of Helsinki, FINLAND; tel: +358406576888; e-mail: pekka.niittynen@helsinki.fi
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences