Changes In Functional Diversity Research Articles

Nutrient contents and microbial communities as mediators of the effects of land-use in ecosystem functioning in alpine ecosystems from Central Mexico

Abstract Purpose The interplay between microbial taxonomy, functional diversity, and land-use changes across diverse ecosystems must be better understood. This study explores, through a statistical modeling approach, the intricate relationships between microbial communities, soil properties (nutrient contents and physicochemical parameters), and land-use changes, using stable isotopes ratio (δ13C/δ15N) as ecosystem function indicator. Methods Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) this study aims to investigate how soil microbial communities, soil properties and ecosystem function are interconnected in three ecosystems undergoing land-use change in Nevado de Toluca, Mexico. Results Multivariate analyses of microbial communities and soil parameters for the different land-uses reveal significant variation in both microbial composition and soil properties (i.e. nutrient contents) mainly explained by the land-use history of the studied ecosystems. Through the SEM approach, it was possible to disentangle the relative contribution of land-use change, microbial community composition and nutrient contents to the ecosystem function defined as the δ13C/δ15N ratio. Conclusions Microbial communities are the main drivers of soil ecosystem functioning. However, through SEM approach it is possible to formally test direct and indirect relationships impacting microbial communities and the resulting functional consequences, contributing to a mechanistic understanding of the ecological implications of land-use change, aiding in sustainable land-use decision-making.

Functional reorganization of North American wintering avifauna.

Wintering birds serve as vital climate sentinels, yet they are often overlooked in studies of avian diversity change. Here, we provide a continental-scale characterization of change in multifaceted wintering avifauna and examine the effects of climate change on these dynamics. We reveal a strong functional reorganization of wintering bird communities marked by a north-south gradient in functional diversity change, along with a superimposed mild east-west gradient in trait composition change. Assemblages in the northern United States saw contractions of the functional space and increases in functional evenness and originality, while the southern United States saw smaller contractions of the functional space and stasis in evenness and originality. Shifts in functional diversity were underlined by significant reshuffling in trait composition, particularly pronounced in the western and northern United States. Finally, we find strong contributions of climate change to this functional reorganization, underscoring the importance of wintering birds in tracking climate change impacts on biodiversity.

Developing plant functional groups to identify changes in functional composition and diversity in a dryland river experiencing artificially sustained flows

Land use and climate changes are driving significant shifts in the magnitude and persistence of dryland stream surface flows. The impact of these shifts on ecological functioning is largely unknown, particularly where streams have become wetter rather than drier. This study investigated relationships between hydrologic regime (including surface water persistence, differences in groundwater depth and altered flooding dynamics) with plant traits and riverine vegetation functional composition. Our study system was a previously ephemeral creek in semi-arid northwest Australia that has received groundwater discharge from nearby mining operations for >15 years; surface flows are now persistent for ~27 km downstream of the discharge point. We aimed to (i) identify plant functional groups (FGs) associated with the creek and adjacent floodplain; and (ii) assess their distribution across hydrological gradients to predict shifts in ecological functioning in response to changing flow regimes. Seven FGs were identified using hierarchical clustering of 40 woody perennial plant species based on morphometric, phenological and physiologic traits. We then investigated how FG abundance (projective foliar cover), functional composition, and functional and taxonomic richness varied along a 14 km gradient from persistent to ephemeral flows, varying groundwater depths, and distances from the stream channel. Dominant FGs were (i) drought avoidant mesic trees that are fluvial stress tolerant, or (ii) drought tolerant xeric tall shrubs that are fluvial stress intolerant. The drought avoidant mesic tree FG was associated with shallow groundwater but exhibited lower cover in riparian areas closer to the discharge (persistent surface flows). However, there were more FGs and higher species richness closer to the discharge point, particularly on the floodplain. Our findings demonstrate that quantifying FG distribution and diversity is a significant step in both assessing the impacts of mine water discharge on riverine ecosystems and for planning for post-mining restoration.

How fish populations in Lake Bafa (Western Anatolia) respond to ecological shifts

Abstract Long‐term biodiversity monitoring is crucial for freshwater ecosystems as it enables the detection of even subtle changes and biodiversity trends, guiding conservation efforts and ensuring the sustainability of these vital habitats. Despite becoming more commonly considered in the field of freshwater ecology and biological invasions, studies using long‐term time series from Türkiye's freshwater resources have remained scarce. To assess the availability of data and ultimately present a baseline for future efforts, we combined published museum records and samples from recent field studies from the highly anthropogenically‐altered Lake Bafa in Western Anatolia covering the period 1958–2019. Lake Bafa has a very diverse aquatic ecosystem, providing habitat for both freshwater and saltwater species, and is one of the allottees in Türkiye's inland fish production. In the current study, we investigated how fish populations in Lake Bafa were affected by environmental changes and examined changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of non‐native species over time. The analyses revealed—concomitant to an increase in native marine and freshwater species richness—an increase in non‐native species richness over time. Non‐native species did not interfere with native species' niche space, whereas applied models indicate that in this highly altered ecosystem, foremost temperature and salinity shaped the fish community over time, limiting the impacts of non‐native species. These results have implications for the fishery of the lake, which includes highly valuable catadromous fish species, highlighting the value and importance of collecting long‐term data in Türkiye to better understand both invasion dynamics and changes in the naturality of Turkish ecosystems. These findings further underline the importance of long‐term data to create new management strategies for the lake and to start restoration processes, thus improving fisheries management.

Biogeographic response of marine plankton to Cenozoic environmental changes.

In palaeontological studies, groups with consistent ecological and morphological traits across a clade's history (functional groups)1 afford different perspectives on biodiversity dynamics than do species and genera2,3, which are evolutionarily ephemeral. Here we analyse Triton, a global dataset of Cenozoic macroperforate planktonic foraminiferal occurrences4, to contextualize changes in latitudinal equitability gradients1, functional diversity, palaeolatitudinal specialization and community equitability. We identify: global morphological communities becoming less specialized preceding the richness increase after the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction; ecological specialization during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, suggesting inhibitive equatorial temperatures during the peak of the Cenozoic hothouse; increased specialization due to circulation changes across the Eocene-Oligocene transition, preceding the loss of morphological diversity; changes in morphological specialization and richness about 19 million years ago, coeval with pelagic shark extinctions5; delayed onset of changing functional group richness and specialization between hemispheres during the mid-Miocene plankton diversification. The detailed nature of the Triton dataset permits a unique spatiotemporal view of Cenozoic pelagic macroevolution, in which global biogeographic responses of functional communities and richness are decoupled during Cenozoic climate events. The global response of functional groups to similar abiotic selection pressures may depend on the background climatic state (greenhouse or icehouse) to which a group is adapted.

Microbial response to Nature-Based Solutions in urban soils: A comprehensive analysis using Biolog® EcoPlates™

The study presents a comprehensive examination of changes in soil microbial functional diversity (hereafter called microbial activity) following the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban areas. Utilizing the Biolog® EcoPlates™ technique, the study explored variations in microbial diversity in urban soil under NBSs implementation across timespan of two years.Significant differences in microbial activity were observed between control location and those with NBS implementations, with seasonal variations playing a crucial role. NBS positively impacted soil microbial activity especially at two locations: infiltration basin and wild flower meadow showing the most substantial increase after NBS implementation. The study links rainfall levels to microbial functional diversity, highlighting the influence of climatic conditions on soil microbiome. The research investigates also the utilization of different carbon sources by soil microorganisms, shedding light on the specificity of substrate utilization across seasons and locations. The results demonstrate that NBSs implementations lead to changes in substrate utilization patterns, emphasizing the positive influence of NBS on soil microbial communities. Likewise, biodiversity indices, such as Shannon-Weaver diversity (H′), Shannon Evenness Index (E), and substrate richness index (S), exhibit significant variations in response to NBS. Notably, NBS implementation positively impacted H′ and E indexes, especially in infiltration basin and wild flower meadow, underlining the benefits of NBS for enhancing microbial diversity.The obtained results demonstrated valuable insight into the dynamic interactions between NBS implementation and soil microbial activity. The findings underscore the potential of NBS to positively influence soil microbial diversity in urban environments, contributing to urban sustainability and soil health. The study emphasizes the importance of monitoring soil microbial activity to assess the effectiveness of NBS interventions and guides sustainable urban development practices.

Functional convergence underground? The scale‐dependency of community assembly processes in European cave spiders

AbstractAimQuantifying the relative contribution of environmental filtering versus limiting similarity in shaping communities is challenging because these processes often act simultaneously and their effect is scale‐dependent. Focusing on caves, island‐like natural laboratories with limited environmental variability and species diversity, we tested: (i) the relative contribution of environmental filtering and limiting similarity in determining community assembly in caves; (ii) how the relative contribution of these driving forces changes along environmental gradients.LocationEurope.Time periodPresent.Major taxa studiedSubterranean spiders.MethodsWe used data on distribution and traits for European cave spiders (n = 475 communities). We estimated the trait space of each community using probabilistic hypervolumes, and obtained estimations of functional richness independent of the species richness of each community via null modelling. We model functional diversity change along environmental gradients using generalized dissimilarity modelling.ResultsSixty‐three percent of subterranean spider communities exhibited a prevalence of trait underdispersion. However, most communities displayed trait dispersion that did not depart significantly from random, suggesting that environmental filtering and limiting similarity were both exerting equally weak or strong, yet opposing influences. Overdispersed communities were primarily concentrated in southern latitudes, particularly in the Dinaric karst, where there is greater subterranean habitat availability. Pairwise comparisons of functional richness across caves revealed these effects to be strongly scale‐dependent, largely varying across gradients of cave development, elevation, precipitation, entrance size and annual temperature range. Conversely, geographical distance weakly affected trait composition, suggesting convergence in traits among communities that are far apart.Main conclusionsEven systems with stringent environmental conditions maintain the potential for trait differentiation, especially in areas of greater habitat availability. Yet, the relative influence of environmental filtering and limiting similarity change with scale, along clear environmental gradients. The interplay of these processes may explain the assembly of species‐poor subterranean communities displaying high functional specialization.

Effects of ant nests on soil CH4 emissions from Syzygium oblatum communities of a secondary tropical forest.

Exploring the effects of ant nests on soil CH4 emissions in the secondary tropical forests is of great scientific significance to understand the contribution of soil faunal activities to greenhouse gas emissions. With static chamber-gas chromatography method, we measured the dry-wet seasonal dynamics of CH4 emissions from ant nests and control soils in the secondary forest of Syzygium oblatum communities in Xishuangbanna. We also examined the linkages of ant-mediated changes in functional microbial diversity and soil physicochemical properties with CH4 emissions. The results showed that: 1) Ant nests significantly accelerated soil CH4 emissions, with average CH4 emissions in the ant nests being 2.6-fold of that in the control soils. 2) The CH4 emissions had significant dry-wet seasonal variations, which was a carbon sink in the dry seasons (from -0.29±0.03 to -0.53±0.02 μg·m-2·h-1) and a carbon source in the wet seasons (from 0.098±0.02 to 0.041±0.009 μg·m-2·h-1). The CH4 emissions were significantly higher in ant nests than in control soils. The CH4 emissions from the ant nests had smaller dry-wet seasonal variation (from -0.38±0.01 to 0.12±0.02 μg·m-2·h-1) than those in the control soils (from -0.65±0.04 to 0.058±0.006 μg·m-2·h-1). 3) Ant nests significantly increased the values (6.2%-37.8%) of soil methanogen diversity (i.e., Ace and Shannon indices), temperature and humidity, carbon pools (i.e., total, easily oxidizable, and microbial carbon), and nitrogen pools (i.e., total, hydrolyzed, ammonium, and microbial biomass nitrogen), but decreased the diversity (i.e., Ace and Chao1 indices) of methane-oxidizing bacteria by 21.9%-23.8%. 4) Results of the structural equation modeling showed that CH4 emissions were promoted by soil methanogen diversity, temperature and humidity, and C and N pools, but inhibited by soil methane-oxidizing bacterial diversity. The explained extents of soil temperature, humidity, carbon pool, nitrogen pool, methanogen diversity, and methane-oxidizing bacterial diversity for the CH4 emission changes were 6.9%, 21.6%, 18.4%, 15.2%, 14.0%, and 10.8%, respectively. Therefore, ant nests regulated soil CH4 emission dynamics through altering soil functional bacterial diversities, micro-habitat, and carbon and nitrogen pools in the secondary tropical forests.

The impacts of different seasons on macroinvertebrate community structure and functional diversity in the Jingui River, China

Species diversity and functional diversity indices reflect the variations of community structure and their responses to environmental stress. This study clarifies the biodiversity of macroinvertebrates in the Jingui River of Shenzhen and their response to the aquatic environment across different seasons. Utilizing ten functional traits, we conducted a seasonal survey at ten sampling points to examine changes in macroinvertebrate species and functional diversity, along with their relationships with environmental variables in the JGR. The results of the study demonstrated that the species and functional diversity of macroinvertebrates were significantly affected by season. Redundancy analysis indicated that water velocity, hydrogen ion concentration, turbidity, water depth, and total nitrogen were the most important factors for macroinvertebrate functional diversity. Moreover, structural equation modeling demonstrated that seasonal variations in total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, conductivity, water velocity, and hydrogen ion concentration directly or indirectly impacted the species diversity and functional diversity of macroinvertebrates. This study provides valuable information into the seasonal variation characteristics of macroinvertebrate communities, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity crucial for maintaining river ecosystem functioning and stability.

Changes in functional diversity of aquatic invertebrates across urbanization levels in a coastal island, Brazil

Changes in functional diversity of aquatic invertebrates across urbanization levels in a coastal island, Brazil

Taxonomic and functional avian diversity vary with cattle management practices in humid Chaco forests of Argentina

AbstractBirds play key roles in forest dynamics, favoring the resilience of forests to cattle ranching. Generalist species may benefit from changes in the vegetation structure caused by cattle grazing while specialist species are usually negatively affected. Therefore, studying changes in taxonomic and functional bird diversity can provide valuable information in order to propose the sustainable cattle management practices. Here, we study the influence of different cattle management practices (Cattle Exclusion: FCE; Continuous grazing: FCG; Rotational grazing: FRG; Seasonal grazing: FSG) on the understory vegetation structure, and the bird taxonomic and functional diversity in humid Chaco forests of Argentina. Forests under grazing had an open (FCG) or semi‐open (FRG and FSG) understory, whereas FCE presented a closed understory with higher plant richness. Generalized linear models revealed a decrease in bird richness and abundance under most cattle management practices compared to FCE. However, FRG was most similar to FCE in terms of vegetation structure and showed no differences in bird richness. FCE presented the lowest values of functional diversity while FCG and FRG showed the highest values. A fourth‐corner analysis showed that FCE was associated with insectivorous species which forage and nest in the shrub layer, reflecting a possible loss of ecosystem services in forests with cattle grazing. We propose FRG as the most appropriate cattle management option and the least detrimental to bird assemblages. However, maintaining protected areas that exclude cattle ranching activities will be key to strike a balance between the conservation of most specialist species and beef production.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

From tropical forest to agroecosystems: changes in functional and species diversity of lizards in Mexican Caribbean

From tropical forest to agroecosystems: changes in functional and species diversity of lizards in Mexican Caribbean

Selective logging intensity and time since logging drive tropical bird and dung beetle diversity: a case study from Amazonia

SummaryUnderstanding how selective logging affects biodiversity is crucial to planning cost-effective conservation strategies in tropical forests, yet there is limited understanding of its impacts on fauna functional diversity in the tropical Americas. We assessed how selective logging intensification and time since logging influence multiple metrics of fauna functional integrity in the Brazilian Amazon by collecting bird and dung beetle data within 48 logging management units that had experienced varying exploitation intensities between 1.5–2.0 and 5.0–6.0 years before the faunal surveys. We investigated assemblage responses and used functional attributes to assess changes in functional diversity, specialization, originality and species rarity. Using point counts and pitfall traps, we collected 5081 records of 182 bird species and 7892 dung beetles from 45 species. Logging intensification led to significant declines in most dung beetle responses and bird body mass, whereas time since logging was a key driver of dung beetle and bird functional and taxonomic diversity. Our study presents novel empirical evidence of how logging intensification effects vary across taxa, ecological metrics and time since logging, which is key to informing forest conservation and further investigating environmental degradation impacts on tropical biodiversity.

Changes of species, taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages in the Xiangjiaba Reservoir of the lower Jinsha River after impoundment

Changes of species, taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages in the Xiangjiaba Reservoir of the lower Jinsha River after impoundment

Seasonal changes of soil microbiota and its association with environmental factors in coal mining subsidence area

As a special type of wetland, the new wetland in the coal mining subsidence area is highly sensitive to environmental changes. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the studies of soil microbial diversity in newly born wetlands in coal mining subsidence areas. However, there are few reports on the seasonal variation of soil microbial diversity and its relationship with soil physical and chemical properties. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to analyze the seasonal changes of soil microbial composition and functional diversity in newly formed wetlands in coal mining subsidence areas, and to determine the seasonal changes of soil nutrient elements and physical and chemical properties in coal mining subsidence areas, so as to analyze the correlation between soil microbial diversity and soil nutrient elements and physical and chemical properties in newly formed wetlands in coal mining subsidence areas. A total of 16,050 OTUs were obtained after sample gene noise reduction. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota and Bacteroidota were the highest abundance in the coal mining subsidence area of Jining. The two seasons gathered separately, and temperature (Temp), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), total organic carbon (TOC) and dry matter content (DMC) were the key factors for the seasonal change of soil microbial community in the wetland of the coal mining subsidence area of Jining. The contents of Temp, AP and TP were significantly correlated with the abundance of soil microorganisms in summer subsidence area, while the contents of DMC and TOC were significantly correlated with the abundance of soil microorganisms in winter subsidence area. Soil microbial diversity in coal mining subsidence area was correlated with the seasons. Temp, TP, AP, TOC and DMC were the key factors for the seasonal change of soil microbial community in the wetland of the coal mining subsidence area of Jining.

Bridging the Gaps: Exploring Aquatic–Terrestrial Connectivity through the Trait-Based Ecology of Riparian Predatory Arthropods

Riparian predatory arthropods represent one of the main trophic links between lotic and terrestrial ecosystems along riverine landscapes. The use of the trait-based approach promises to enhance our understanding of how these predatory communities interact with their environment through their response to various drivers of change and through their trophic interactions. We reviewed the scientific literature focused on the interaction between drivers of community change (natural and anthropogenic) and the functional traits and functional diversity components that characterize riparian ground beetles and spiders and, ultimately, on their role as cross-ecosystem trophic links. We highlight land use changes and river regulations as the strongest drivers that change the communities we study, often through various interacting mechanisms that favor the replacement of riparian specialists with generalist species, thus altering aquatic–terrestrial connectivity and the resilience of riverine arthropod consumers. Tropical regions and traits related to community responses to extreme climatic events (e.g., submersion tolerance and desiccation resistance) are less studied, while inconsistent patterns are noticed for well-studied traits, especially for spiders (e.g., their feeding preference response to aquatic subsidy availability and their body size response to flooding and bank hydrological connectivity). Future research should focus on the aforementioned drivers and knowledge gaps, along with the functional diversity changes in predatory arthropod communities along environmental and anthropogenic impact gradients, in order to improve riparian conservation.

Urbanization drives divergence in functional diversity and composition of woody plant communities in remnant forest patches

Urbanization has a profound impact on the ecological processes and plant diversity of remnant forests. To understand the relationship between urbanization and woody plant communities in remnant forests, we conducted a study in Guiyang, China, where we sampled 120 plots in 15 remnant forest patches along an urbanization gradient. We evaluated the functional diversity of woody plants based on four functional diversity indices and nine functional traits. We compared the functional diversity among different types of woody plants and between interior and edge communities, and analyzed the changes in functional diversity and individual functional traits along the urbanization gradient. Our results indicate that urbanization significantly decreases the functional diversity of woody plant communities. Additionally, urbanization leads to shifts in functional composition, particularly in shrub species, with an increase in leaf N content and a decrease in leaf C content, leaf C/N ratio, seed germination rate and seed mass. These findings suggest that increasing urbanization reduces the values of high resource-conserving traits of woody plants in remnant forests. Therefore, it is crucial to limit additional urban expansion around remnant forest patches to protect the functional diversity and crucial plant species with strong resource-conserving traits.

Promoting effects of soil C and N and limiting effect of soil P jointly determine the plant diversity during the aerial seeding restoration process in Mu Us sandy land, China.

Exploring the change and maintaining mechanism of plant diversity is of great significance for guiding the restoration of degraded ecosystems. However, how plant taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity change during long-term ecosystem restoration process and their driving factors remain unclear. Based on the 35-year time gradient of aerial seeding restoration in Mu Us sandy land, this study explored the changes in plant taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity and the driving factors. The results showed that plant taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity showed consistent response with the aerial seeding restoration, all of which increased first and then tended to a saturation state in the middle of restoration (14 years). TN, TOC, and NO3 --N increased with aerial seeding restoration and showed a significant positive correlation with plant diversity of the three dimensions, while AP showed a negative correlation. Soil nitrogen and carbon promoted the increase of diversity of three dimensions in the early restoration period, while phosphorus limited the increase of diversity of three dimensions in the middle and late restoration periods. The diversity of three dimensions was mainly affected by restoration time, soil nutrients, and climate factors, and the coupling effect of restoration time and soil nutrients was dominant. These findings indicate that the plant diversity in different dimensions and soil nutrients are improved by aerial seeding restoration. Our study highlights that aerial seeding restoration mainly improves plant diversity by increasing soil nutrients, and the relative effects of different soil nutrients on plant diversity during restoration are inconsistent.

Plant footprint decreases the functional diversity of molecules in topsoil organic matter after millions of years of ecosystem development

AbstractAimTheory suggests that the diversity of molecules in soil organic matter (SOM functional diversity) provides key insights on multiple ecosystem services. We aimed to investigate how and why SOM functional diversity and composition change as topsoils develop, and its implications for key soil functions (e.g., from nutrient pool to water regulation).LocationWe reported data on 16 soil chronosequences globally distributed in nine countries from six continents.Time Period2016–2017.Major Taxa StudiedSoil microbes (bacteria and fungi) and vascular plants.MethodsSOM functional diversity and composition without mineral interference were measured using diffuse reflectance mid‐infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT). We aimed to characterize the main environmental factors related to SOM functional diversity and composition. Also, we calculated the links among SOM functional diversity and key soil functions.ResultsWe found that SOM functional diversity declines after millions of years of soil formation (pedogenesis). We further showed that increases in plant cover and productivity led to a higher ratio of reduced (e.g., alkanes) over oxidized carbon forms (i.e., C: O‐functional groups ratio), which was positively correlated to SOM functional diversity as soils age. Our findings indicated that the plant footprint (i.e., the accumulation of plant‐derived material promoting the C: O‐functional group ratio) would explain the reduction of SOM functional diversity as ecosystems develop. Moreover, the dissimilarity in SOM composition consistently increased with soil age, with the soil development stage emerging as the main predictor of SOM dissimilarity across contrasting biomes.Main ConclusionsOur global survey contextualized the natural history of SOM functional diversity and composition during long‐term soil development. Together, we showed how plant footprint drives the losses of SOM functional diversity with increasing age, which might provide a novel mechanism to explain typically reported losses in ecosystem functions during ecosystem retrogression.

Early-melting snowpatch plant communities are transitioning into novel states

Snowpatch plant community distribution and composition are strongly tied to the duration of long-lasting snow cover in alpine areas; they are vulnerable to global climatic changes that result in warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons. We used a revisitation study to quantify early-melting snowpatch floristic and functional diversity change in southern Australia, and document shrub size-class distributions over time to detect evidence for their encroachment into snowpatches, a key prediction with climatic change. Early-melting snowpatch vegetation has declined in areal extent, changed in species composition, and shrub and tussock grass cover has increased, but changes in functional trait diversity were less clear. Species gains, particularly by non-clonal species, accounted for most of the floristic change observed. Shrub recruitment was ongoing by most shrub species. Biotic differentiation is occurring; many early-melting snowpatches are transitioning to a novel state with changed composition and taller vegetation structure, but there is little evidence for species loss having occurred. Given enough time, however, the long-term loss of species is likely (i.e. biotic homogenisation) if taller shrubs outcompete short-statured snowpatch species. Our results provide evidence that this alpine ecosystem is forming a novel community with an uncertain future.