Abstract
Climate change can alter ecosystems and thereby trigger feedback effects that can either enhance or retard the climate change (Lashof et al. 1997). Such feedbacks are especially likely in montane and high-latitude ecosystems where soils are carbon-rich (Whittaker 1975; Schlesinger 1997), ecotones are prevalent as a result of topographic variability, vegetation is sensitive to climatic variables such as snowmelt date and length of growing season (Körner 1992; Harte and Shaw 1995; Goulden et al. 1998), and climate change is expected to be large due to snow-albedo feedback (Groisman et al. 1994). Predicting the chronology and magnitude of such feedbacks is a major challenge in ecology today, as well as an important issue both for global climate change science and policy and, locally, for people whose livelihood is dependent upon montane climatic and ecological regimes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
de Valpine, P., and Harte, J. (2001). Plant responses to experimental warming in a montane meadow. Ecology 82, 637–648.
Dunne, J. A., Taylor, K., and Harte, J. (2003). Subalpine meadow flowering phenology responses to climate change: Integrating experimental and gradient approaches. Ecological Monographs 73, 69–86.
Goulden, M. L., Wolfsy, S. C., Harden, J. W., Trumbore, S. E., Crill, P. M., Gower, S. T., Fries, T., Daube, B. C., Fan S. M, Sutton, D. J., Bazzaz, A., and Munger, J. W. (1998). Sensitivity of boreal forest carbon balance to soil thaw. Science 279, 214–217.
Groisman, P. Y., Karl, T. R., and Knight, R. W. (1994). Observed impact of snow cover on the heat-balance and the rise of continental spring temperatures. Science 263, 198–200.
Harte, J., and Shaw, R. (1995). Shirting dominance within a montane vegetation community-results of a climate-warming experiment. Science 267, 876–880.
Harte, J., Torn, M. S., Chang, F., Feifarek, B., Kinzig, A. P., Shaw, R., and Shen, K. (1995). Global warming and soil microclimate: Results from a meadow warming experiment. Ecological Applications 5, 132–150.
Körner, C. (1992). Response of alpine vegetation to global climate change. In “Greenhouse impact on cold-climate ecosystems and landscapes.” (M. Boer, and E. Koster, Eds.), pp. 85–96. Catena supplement 22, Catena Verlag, Cremlingen-Destedt, Germany.
Lashof, D. A., DeAngelo, B. J., Saleska, S. R., and Harte, J. (1997). Terrestrial ecosystem feedbacks to global climate change. Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 22, 75–118.
Loik, M. E., and Harte, J. (1997). Changes in water relations for leaves exposed to a climate warming manipulation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Environmental and Experimental Botany 37, 115–123.
Loik, M., and Harte, J. (1996). High temperature tolerance fox Artemisia tridentata and Potentilla gracilis under a climate change manipulation. Oecologia 108, 224–231.
Loik, M., Redar, S., and Harte J. (2000). Photosynthetic responses to a climate-warming manipulation for contrasting meadow species in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA. Functional Ecology 14, 166–175.
Perfors, T., Harte, J., and Alter, S. (2003). Enhanced growth of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in response to manipulated ecosystem warming. Global Change Biology (in press).
Saleska, S. R., Harte, J., and Torn, M. S. (1999). The effect of experimental ecosystem warming on CO2 fluxes in a montane meadow. Global Change Biology 5, 125–141.
Saleska, S., Shaw, M., Fischer, M., Dunne, J., Holman, M., Still, C., and Harte, J. (2002). Plant community composition mediates both large transient decline and predicted long-term recovery of soil carbon under climate warming. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16, 1055 (doi: 10.1029/2001GB001573).
Schlesinger, W. H. (1997). “Biogeochemistry: An analysis of global change.” Academic Press, San Diego.
Shaw, M. R., Loik, M. E., and Harte, J. (2000). Gas exchange and water relations of two Rocky Mountain shrub species exposed to a climate change manipulation. Plant Ecology 146, 197–206.
Shaw, M. R., and Harte, J. (2001a). Response of nitrogen cycling to simulated climate change: Differential responses along a subalpine ecotone. Global Change Biology 7, 193–210.
Shaw, M. R., and Harte, J. (2001b). Control of litter decomposition in a subalpine meadow-sagebrush steppe ecotone under climate change. Ecological Applications 11, 1206–1223.
Whittaker, R. H. (1975). “Communities and ecosystems.” Macmillan, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Harte, J. (2005). Climate Interactions in Montane Meadow Ecosystems. In: Huber, U.M., Bugmann, H.K.M., Reasoner, M.A. (eds) Global Change and Mountain Regions. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3508-X_42
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3508-X_42
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3507-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3508-1
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)