Arctic-Alpine Plants Decline over Two Decades in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.
Lesica P. 2014. Arctic-Alpine Plants Decline over Two Decades in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 46(2):327–332
Climate-based models predict global warming will cause mountain plants to migrate upward with local extirpation of species currently restricted to the highest elevations. Alpine monitoring studies have generally documented changes in alpine plant distributions consistent with these predictions. Canopy cover in 71 permanent microplots at two alpine moist-turf sites in Glacier National Park, Montana,was estimated three times between 1988 and 2011. Mean annual and summer temperatures were approximately 0.6 and 0.7 °C higher than the previous four decades, respectively. Plants more restricted to high elevations declined more than species with a broader elevational amplitude during this time. Dicots were more likely to have declined than monocots. These data support predictions and provide information that may help refine climate-envelope models.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Lesica, Peter
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- Alpine, Biogeography, Climate Change, Global Warming, Monitoring, Montana, Peripheral population, Tundra, Vegetation
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Weather and Climate | Weather and Climate , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Sparsely Vegetated Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex