Alpine Biodiversity in Europe: an Introduction (original) (raw)

Non-equilibrium in Alpine Plant Assemblages: Shifts in Europe’s Summit Floras

Advances in Global Change Research, 2017

Climate warming has been more pronounced in Arctic and alpine areas, and changes in the mountain flora can be expected as the temperature envelope moves upslope. On the one hand, alpine habitats will shrink due to upward migration of species from lower areas, such as trees and tall plants. On the other hand, extinctions of summit plants may be slowed down considerably by the high diversity of microhabitats, the longevity of alpine plants and positive plant-plant interactions in extreme environments. This review chapter attempts to document and monitor vegetation changes on mountain summits. Vegetation surveys that repeat century-old historical vegetation records show considerable upward migration and subsequent increases in species on summits. This trend apparently has accelerated in recent decades. Detailed monitoring of the last decade in European mountain ranges, however, shows that this vegetation change may be at the cost of rare endemic species and alpine specialists in drier Mediterranean regions. This chapter furthermore reviews other factors than temperature influencing alpine vegetation, namely precipitation and snow, nutrients, atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and land use. A subsequent question is how threatened mountain flora is by the ongoing environmental changes. Finally, this chapter discusses options for conservation and land use in high-alpine areas.

Alpine plant communities in the Picos de Europa calcareous massif (Northern Spain)

Lazaroa, 2014

Mountains of Southern Europe are important refuges for cold-adapted plants, and the characterization of vegetation diversity in these areas is a relevant topic for biodiversity conservation. Here we report a comprehensive classification of plant communities in the highest altitudinal belt of the Picos de Europa, a biodiversity hotspot of Northern Iberian Peninsula. We compiled vegetation plot data sampled in the three calcareous massifs from 1800 to 2600 m.a.s.l., and analysed species composition by using cluster analyses and Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS). Optimal classification and the interpretation of multivariate analyses allowed us to recognize two major vegetation types and six clusters that were characterized by their floristic composition, altitudinal range and phytosociological classification. The first vegetation type (alliance Festucion burnatii, class Festuco hystricis-Ononidetea) corresponds to stripped habitats subjected to cryoturbation and represented by two community types (Helianthemo cantabrici-Festucetum hystricis ass. nova and Jasiono cavanillesii-Helictotrichetum sedenensis ass. nova). A second vegetation type includes alpine-like communities with higher biomass (alliance Armerion cantabricae, class Festuco-Seslerietea) represented by snow-bed (Ranunculo carinthiaco-Poetum alpinae ass. nova), mesophilous (ass. Pediculari fallacis-Armerietum cantabricae) and scree (Saxifrago coniferae-Helianthemetum urrielensis ass. nova) grasslands; and relict wind-edge swards (alliance Oxytropido-Elynion, class Carici rupestris-Kobresietea myosuroides) represented by relict alpine communities (ass. Oxytropido neglectae-Kobresietum myosuriodis). Our results highlight the Picos de Europa as a unique refuge for alpine vegetation and demonstrate historical relationships with both Alpine-Pyrenean and Iberian mountain ranges.

Patterns of plant traits in Pyrenean alpine vegetation

Flora, 2006

Here we studied the adaptation of plant communities to environment in the alpine belt of the Catalan Pyrenees through comparative analysis of plant traits. The starting point consisted of about 800 phytocoenological releve´s from the Banc de Dades de Biodiversitat de Catalunya, which corresponded to 47 communities (associations and subassociations) and included 683 taxa. Eleven attributes were examined in each community. Some of these traits are directly referred to the community level (averages of cover, species richness or diversity of life forms) and others to species level, but expressed as the relative cover in the communities (percentages of life forms, succulence, evergreeness, woodiness, lateral spread ability, dissemination type). Alpine landscape is mainly made up of hemicryptophytes, of which graminoids dominate in terms of cover and non-graminoids in species number. Strong persistence via plurennial stocks or dense turfs, entire above-ground renewal over winter, lateral spreading over short distances and generalistic diaspore dissemination complete the main attributes of the High Pyrenees and most alpine floras. Nevertheless, considerable percentages of particular plant types (like therophytes, various kinds of chamaephytes, succulents, evergreens and berry-producers) give a highly diversified alpine belt.