Abstract
ABSTRACT Temperature is commonly assumed to act as the primary constraint on the timing of plant growth, and strong advances in plant phenology have been seen with recent atmospheric warming. The influence of temperature on the timing of root growth, however, is less clear, and controls on root phenology are not well understood. The influence of temperature on above- and belowground phenology is particularly important in the Arctic, where most plant biomass is belowground and warming is occurring at a higher rate than in other ecosystems. We examined the influence of experimental warming on graminoid and shrub communities in the Arctic in southern west Greenland. We found that warming since 2012 did not advance the timing of aboveground seasonal dynamics during two years or belowground seasonal dynamics during three years. We suggest that growing-season temperature may no longer be the primary constraint on plant phenology at this site, and plant phenological responses to future warming at the site may consequently be weaker.
Highlights
Climate change has significantly advanced the timing of seasonal events, or phenology (Parmesan and Yohe 2003), and plant phenology is one of the strongest indicators of global warming (IPCC 2014)
The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX), which seeks to examine the influence of warming across the Arctic by using passive open-top warming chambers, found that short-term experimental warming advanced aboveground plant phenology (Arft et al 1999)
Most terrestrial biosphere models assume that aboveand belowground phenology are synchronous and roots will respond to warming in the same way as shoots (Abramoff and Finzi 2015)
Summary
Climate change has significantly advanced the timing of seasonal events, or phenology (Parmesan and Yohe 2003), and plant phenology is one of the strongest indicators of global warming (IPCC 2014). Temperature is often cited as a primary factor controlling the timing of aboveground growth (Wielgolaski 1999), and it is credited with an advanced spring phenology of 2.5 days per decade in Europe (Menzel et al 2006). These impacts may be strong in the Arctic, where temperatures are increasing at twice the global rate (Anisimov et al 2007; McBean et al 2005; Post et al 2009). We hypothesized that (1) warmer air temperatures would cause both leaves and roots to grow earlier in the year and (2) shrubs would be more responsive to warming than grasses
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