Long-term vegetation dynamic in the Northwestern Caucasus: which communities are more affected by upward shifts of plant species?

Abstract

We studied long-term (25–31 years) dynamics of alpine communities at the Teberda Reserve, NW Caucasus, Russia, to test the following hypotheses: (1) lower altitude species increase and high altitude species decrease their abundance as a consequence of climate warming; (2) such changes in abundance are more significant in communities with short growth season (due to persistent snow cover) compared to exposed communities; (3) species with similar changes in abundance have similar functional traits. Four alpine communities with different positions in relief were considered in order of winter snow cover: alpine lichen heaths (ALH), Festuca varia grasslands (FVG), Geranium-Hedysarum meadows (GHM), and snowbed communities (SBC).