Search

Our knowledge of the diversity and distribution of many groups of lichens remains poor due to unclear species boundaries and challenging species identification. We have studied the medium sized to large foliose lichen Nephroma parile, which is known to be heterogeneous in chemistry and genetics. Our aim has been to assess the potential presence of evolutionary significant units within the Nephroma parile species complex that may be worthy of recognition at species level. Using phylogenetic analysis of the fungal DNA-barcode marker (ITS) in combination with studies of morphology and chemistry, we discover two distinct lineages in the N. parile species complex. For the strongly supported clade that corresponds to chemotype II, we describe the new species Nephroma orvoi. The new species is known from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Canada (Alberta and British Columbia), USA (Washington), and Greenland. publishedVersion

Motivation: The Tundra Trait Team (TTT) database includes field-based measurements of key traits related to plant form and function at multiple sites across the tundra biome. This dataset can be used to address theoretical questions about plant strategy and trade-offs, trait environment relationships and environmental filtering, and trait variation across spatial scales, to validate satellite data, and to inform Earth system model parameters. Main types of variable contained: The database contains 91,970 measurements of 18 plant traits. The most frequently measured traits (>1,000 observations each) include plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf fresh and dry mass, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus content, leaf C:N and N:P, seed mass, and stem specific density. Spatial location and grain: Measurements were collected in tundra habitats in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, including Arctic sites in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Fennoscandia and Siberia, alpine sites in the European Alps, Colorado Rockies, Caucasus, Ural Mountains, Pyrenees, Australian Alps, and Central Otago Mountains (New Zealand), and sub-Antarctic Marion Island. More than 99% of observations are georeferenced. Time period and grain: All data were collected between 1964 and 2018. A small number of sites have repeated trait measurements at two or more time periods. Major taxa and level of measurement: Trait measurements were made on 978 terrestrial vascular plant species growing in tundra habitats. Most observations are on individuals (86%), while the remainder represent plot or site means or maximums per species. Software format: csv file and GitHub repository with data cleaning scripts in R; contribution to TRY plant trait database (www.try-db.org) to be included in the next version release. 2Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark 3Senckenberg Gesellschaft fD?r Naturforschung, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK?F), Frankfurt, Germany 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 5National Ecological Observatory Network, Boulder, Colorado 6Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 7Arctic Research Center, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark 8Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark 9Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar 10Department of Forestry, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Mississippi 11Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain 12Biodiversity Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain 13Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Greifswald, Germany 14Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, China 15Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 16Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Ume� University, Ume�, Sweden 17Environmental Sciences, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands 18School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 19Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden 20Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, GD?teborg, Sweden 21Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden 22Martin Luther University Halle?Wittenberg, Institute of Biology / Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Halle (Saale), Germany 23German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle?Jena?Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 24Adam Mickiewicz University, Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Poznan, Poland 25University of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Biological Sciences, Anchorage, Alaska 26Technische Universit�t MD?nchen, Freising, Germany 27Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy 28The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, Alaska 29Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John�s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 30Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT? The Arctic University of Norway, Troms�, Norway 31Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 32Department of Botany, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 33Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria 34Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark 35Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ? UFZ, Leipzig, Germany 36Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland 37Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland 38Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland 39Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 40Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia 41Global Ecology Unit, CREAF?CSIC?UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain 42CREAF, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vall�s, Catalonia, Spain 43Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia 44Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa 45Department of Biology, Queen�s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada Scopus

Motivation The Tundra Trait Team (TTT) database includes field-based measurements of key traits related to plant form and function at multiple sites across the tundra biome. This dataset can be used to address theoretical questions about plant strategy and trade-offs, trait?environment relationships and environmental filtering, and trait variation across spatial scales, to validate satellite data, and to inform Earth system model parameters. Main types of variable contained The database contains 91,970 measurements of 18 plant traits. The most frequently measured traits (> 1,000 observations each) include plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf fresh and dry mass, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus content, leaf C:N and N:P, seed mass, and stem specific density. Spatial location and grain Measurements were collected in tundra habitats in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, including Arctic sites in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Fennoscandia and Siberia, alpine sites in the European Alps, Colorado Rockies, Caucasus, Ural Mountains, Pyrenees, Australian Alps, and Central Otago Mountains (New Zealand), and sub-Antarctic Marion Island. More than 99% of observations are georeferenced. Time period and grain All data were collected between 1964 and 2018. A small number of sites have repeated trait measurements at two or more time periods. Major taxa and level of measurement Trait measurements were made on 978 terrestrial vascular plant species growing in tundra habitats. Most observations are on individuals (86%), while the remainder represent plot or site means or maximums per species. Software format csv file and GitHub repository with data cleaning scripts in R; contribution to TRY plant trait database (www.try-db.org) to be included in the next version release.

Solberg, E.J., Myking, T., Austrheim, G., Bøhler, F., Eriksen, R., Speed, J. & Astrup, R. 2011. Rogn, osp og selje – Har de en framtid i norsk natur? - NINA Rapport 806. 29 s. Rogn, osp og selje finnes i alle deler av landet, men med varierende tettheter. Ospa er mest vanlig i kystnære områder i sørøst-Norge, mens rogn og selje er mere jevnt fordelt over hele landet. Artene er særmerket av kort levealder, og for rogn og selje en lav høyde og sympodialt vekstmønster (forgreining ved akselskudd). Dette er faktorer som gjør dem utsatt for beiting. Samtidig har de høy juvenil vekstrate, noe som gjør at de raskt kan vokse utenfor beiterekkevidde for elg, rådyr og hjort. Selje og osp er delvis avhengig av lysåpne områder for å kunne etablere seg, for eksempel etter hogst, stormfelling eller erosjon, mens rogna er mer skyggetolerang. Selja har også mer spesifikke krav til jordforhold enn hva som er tilfelle for rogn og osp. Dette kan kanskje forklare den lavere frekvensen av selje på Landsskogtakseringens prøveflater. Genetisk er artene særmerket av høy genetisk variasjon innen bestander. Den genetiske variasjonen mellom bestandene er lavere som følge av effektiv frøspredning, enten via vind (osp og selje) eller via frø som fordøyes og spres av fugl og pattedyr (rogn). Ospa kan i utstrakt grad også formere seg vegetativt, og mange trær innen bestander kan tilhøre samme klon. Nyere studier viser imidlertid at den genetiske variasjonen innen bestander er høy, noe som innebærer at en større andel trær er utviklet fra frø enn tidligere antatt. Alle tre artene beites intensivt av elg, rådyr og hjort, noe som kan føre til at artene synker i frekvens når beitetrykket blir for høyt. I så fall kan det også påvirke epifyttisk lav og andre organismer som lever på disse artene, og for rognas del — dyr som lever av bærene. Alle de tre artene har imidlertid utviklet seg i nærvær av større planteetere og kan således antas å være relativt tolerante til beiting. Rogn, osp og selje har lav dødelighet som følge av beiting og høy juvenil vekstrate. De kan derfor raskt vokse seg utenfor beiterekkevidde for hjortedyr og andre større planteetere (husdyr) i perioder med lavt beitetrykk. På sikt kan det være at intensiv beiting vil medføre økt dødelighet, forsinket kjønnsmodning og redusert rekruttering hos alle de tre artene, med påfølgende reduserte bestandsstørrelser. Landsskogtakseringens data antyder en viss nedgang i de minste størrelsesklassene av osp i løpet av de siste 25 årene, men det er uklart hvorvidt dette skyldes beiting. For rogn og selje var det ingen tilsvarende utvikling. For alle tre artene er det imidlertid viktig å merke seg at trærne først registreres etter at de har nådd en brysthøydediameter på 50 millimeter, noe som introduserer en tidsforsinkelse i forhold til når trærne er mest utsatt for beiting. Det er derfor fortsatt for tidlig å trekke bastante slutninger med hensyn betydningen av de siste årenes høye beitetrykk på rekrutteringen av rogn, osp og selje i Norge. Flere studier antyder at skogbruket er av større betydning for utviklingen til ROS-artene enn hva som er tilfelle for hjorteviltbeiting. Ungskogspleie – i form av tynning og rydding – og kjemisk ugraskontroll var tidligere vanlig, men er i mindre grad praktisert de siste 20 årene. I økende grad fokuseres det også på de positive sidene av ROS-artene og andre lauvtrearter. Basert på nye standarder (Levende Skog) er det ønskelig å opprettholde en større andel lauv trær og eldre individer i skogen, noe som på sikt kan virke positivt på gjenveksten av rogn, osp og selje i norske skoger.

Sheep (Ovis aries) are the main large herbivore in Norwegian mountains during summer and these herbivores have shaped alpine plant communities over a long land-use history. Sheep are selective feeders, and increased livestock densities increases the pressure on some plant species and growth form groups while others benefit from grazing. Cessation of grazing also alters the competitive relationship among plants, but how plant species respond to shifts in grazing pressure along an elevational gradient in the long term is less known. I used a large-scale enclosure experiment, located in the low- to mid-alpine zone, with fixed sheep densities (0, 25 (maintained density) and 80 sheep km-2). Frequency changes of plant species (n = 37) and growth form groups were studied in permanent vegetation plots during 12 years of experimental grazing. Few effects were detected in response to changes in grazing intensity in general, except for the tall herbs, which increased in response to cessation of grazing. More responses appeared, both on growth form- and species level, when considering the effects along the elevational gradient, where low herbs increased at low elevations in response to enhanced grazing and dwarf shrubs moved upward along the elevational gradient in response to cessation of grazing. This study demonstrates that elevation is an important factor when assessing responses of plant species to changes in grazing pressure, and that varying responses are found among species with same growth form. These results are valuable in terms of understanding indirect effects of the current climate- and land-use driven changes in sub-alpine and alpine ecosystems.

During the past century there have been vast changes in land use, which have led to succession processes in outlying lands. As a consequence, species-rich semi-natural grasslands are disappearing and many of their associated species have become threatened with extinction. For targeted and successful conservation of these species, it is important to identify the ecological factors determining their distribution and abundance. The aim of this study was to reveal effects of different management types on the distribution and abundance of rare low-herb species, while controlling for vegetation type, moisture and pH. A case study was performed at Brekken, an upland outlying landscape in Norway. Seven study species were chosen; three Botrychium species (B. lunaria, B. boreale, B. lanceolatum), three gentian species (Gentiana nivalis, Gentianella campestris, Gentianella amarella) and one orchid (Nigritella nigra). Species observations were obtained by distance transect sampling. Within transects, present vegetation was recorded as intervals of distinct types, and moisture and pH was measured and used in characterization of vegetation types. Using generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models, density and probability of occurrence was modeled in response to management (mowing, grazing and abandonment) and vegetation types. For all species in total, both the density and the probability of occurrence is higher in grazed areas than in mown and abandoned areas, and their habitat ranges are wider in the grazed area. From models fit per species, the gentian species show higher density or probability of occurrence in mown areas. Most of the studied species were shown to be at highest density and/or have highest probability of occurrence in low-grown grassland vegetation. Such grasslands are products of land use, and therefore management effects are in some species analyses assumed to be masked within significant effects of vegetation types. In restoration and conservation, type of management should be determined specifically for each site, based on local land use history and the overall conservation aim.