Download Vegetation ecology

Vegetation ecology
Communities and dynamics
Pascal Vittoz
MER
Winter excursion, 19.01.2015
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Plant communities
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Community: a part of the vegetation consisting
of interacting populations, growing in a uniform
environment, within a distinguishable time unit
van der Maarel 2005 Vegetation Ecology
Plant communities are the result of a succession of
filters
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Lortie et al. 2004 Oikos
When filters change, vegetation changes 
Vegetation dynamics
Vegetation
ecology
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Lortie et al. 2004 Oikos
Vegetation dynamics
or 1948 ?
W. Lüdi or J.-L. Richard
P. Vittoz
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Drivers of the changes
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Climate change
www.meteoswiss.ch
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Nitrogen deposition
Jordi 2004 OFEFP
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Land use changes
P. Vittoz
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Biotic exchange
A. Elsig
Permanent plots
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Areas marked in the field to monitor plant
composition
Historical permanent plots
140
Nbre of species
120
Increase of species
richness on alpine
summits in 20th century
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1st inventory (~1900)
Recent inventory (~2000)
100
80
60
40
20
0
2700
2800
2900
3000
3100
3200
Altitude [m]
3300
3400
3500
Vittoz et al. 2009
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Permanent.Plot.ch – a data bank for Swiss
permanent vegetation plots
Available permanent plots
in Permanent.Plot.ch
project
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www.unil.ch/ppch
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120 new plots along elevational transects
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5 transects (Jura, Outer Alps, Inner Alps)
Forests and dry grasslands
Distribution of the
plots along the
transect of
Salgesch (Valais)
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Forests
Dry grasslands
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Semi-permanent plots: relocalisation as precisely
as possible of old plant inventories
PhD Magalì Matteodo
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Map and field book of
J.-L. Richard (1921-2008)
Shift in plant composition of subalpine grasslands in
Vallon de Nant from 1970 to 2006
Calcareous grasslands in
Vallon de Nant (1370-1815 m)
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Vittoz et al. 2009 Global Change Biol.
Biological traits
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Characteristics of a plant associated to its growth,
morphology, reproduction, life span, dispersal ability or
resistance
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Plant height
Clonal growth
Seed weight
…
Ecological preferences
Related to the plant ability to go through the
environemental and biotic filters
Interpretation of the observed changes in species
composition
Understanding of the common characteristics of the most
reactive species to the changes
Species with efficient diaspores for wind dispersal are more
prone to colonize new alpine summits under climate change
Diaspore appendage
Proportion of species [%]
100
80
None
60
Fleshy
Awn
Wings
40
Pappus
20
0
Colonizers
Stables
p=0.041
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Vittoz et al. 2009 Bas. Appl. Ecol.
Species ecology and
conservation
R. Keller
Keller & Vittoz In press Alp Bot
P. Vittoz
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Ecological conditions for a species can be
assessed by
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In situ measurements
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Long-term climatic data
Soil descriptions and laboratory measurements
Models based on available data
Experiments in different conditions
Description of plant communities for which most of the
species are already known
Combinations of methods
Species distribution models based on GIS data document
ecology at the regional scale
Importance of topo-climatic
variables in the species
distribution models of
Leontopodium alpinum
Potential distribution of
L. alpinum in Switzerland
according to models
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Ischer et al. 2014 Folia Geobot
(7.4% de variance)
PCA based on 249 inventories of plant communities containing
Leontopodium alpinum
3. Drabion
hoppeanae
6. Artemisio-Festucetum
Seslerion
7. Astragalo-Seslerietum
Seslerion
2. Elynion
1. Seslerio-Caricetum
Seslerion
8. Caricion firmae
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(10.1% de variance)
Ischer et al. 2014 Folia Geobot
Perspectives
M. Matteodo
L. Liberati
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G. Perret
From plants to soil
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Relationships between plant communities and
soil composition
Dynamics of organic matter in soil
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Incorporation of organic matter in soil
Humus changes under changing conditions
Humus as indicator of the changes
PhD Magalì Matteodo
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A or OH
E
E-BPh
BPh
BPs
C1
C2
C3
M. Matteodo
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Evolution of subalpine-alpine
vegetation under the influence of
climate change and relationships
with soil humus
Aims
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How did subalpine-alpine vegetation
change in the last 40 years ?
Incorporation of organic matter in soils
What are the main causes of changes?
Swamp forests in Grande Cariçaie
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Biodiversity of the swamp
forests in Grande Cariçaie:
past and future dynamics
of vegetation and soils
Buts
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C. Clerc
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Excursion BGS
Forest dynamics of primary
swamp forests
Soil dynamics
Relationships between
vegetation and soil
development
Thank you!
F. Dessimoz, A. Dubuis, B. Fournier, A. Guisan,
M. Ischer, S. Jutzeler, R. Keller, M. Matteodo,
S. Maire, L. Pellissier, C. Randin, E. Verrecchia
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