Arctic Greening Caused by Warming Contributes to Compositional Changes of Mycobiota at the Polar Urals

Anton G Shiryaev,Nadezhda M Devi,Ursula Peintner,Pavel A Moiseev,Vladimir V Kukarskih,Vladimir V Elsakov

doi:10.3390/f10121112

Abstract

The long-term influence of climate change on spatio-temporal dynamics of the Polar mycobiota was analyzed on the eastern macro slope of the Polar Urals (Sob River valley and Mountain Slantsevaya) over a period of 60 years. The anthropogenic impact is minimal in the study area. Effects of environmental warming were addressed as changes in treeline and forest communities (greening of the vegetation). With warming, permafrost is beginning to thaw, and as it thaws, it decomposes. Therefore, we also included depth of soil thawing and litter decomposition in our study. Particular attention was paid to the reaction of aphyllophoroid fungal communities concerning these factors. Our results provide evidence for drastic changes in the mycobiota due to global warming. Fungal community composition followed changes of the vegetation, which was transforming from forest-tundra to northern boreal type forests during the last 60 years. Key fungal groups of the ongoing borealization and important indicator species are discussed. Increased economic activity in the area may lead to deforestation, destruction of swamps, and meadows. However, this special environment provides important services such as carbon sequestration, soil formation, protecting against flood risks, and filtering of air. In this regard, we propose to include the studied territory in the Polarnouralsky Natural Park.

Highlights

Arctic greening is one of the world’s most significant large-scale environmental responses to global climate change [1]
We addressed the following questions: (1) How big the impact of climate change the last 60 years on treelinegroups position,of forest areas, groups ofis macromycetes were mostoccurring affectedduring by warming?
We found a distinct increase in normalized differencevegetation index (NDVI) for most plant communities addressed: e.g., the maximum increase in NDVI

Summary

Introduction

Arctic greening is one of the world’s most significant large-scale environmental responses to global climate change [1]. Numerous studies have reported rising average temperatures over the past century, with the most noticeable and rapid changes occurring at high latitudes [2]. Earth-derived satellite imagery indicates a global increase of the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI, average value), over the past decades [5]. This value reflects the degree of Forests 2019, 10, 1112; doi:10.3390/f10121112 www.mdpi.com/journal/forests ‘greening’ in high-latitudes areas, due to an increase of above ground phytomass production during the growing season [6]. Satellite imagery data from high latitudes of the Canadian Arctic, northern

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