Snow, fire and drought: how alpine and treeline soil seed banks are affected by simulated climate change.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Seed persistence in soil depends on environmental factors that affect seed dormancy and germination, such as temperature and water availability. In high-elevation ecosystems, rapid changes in these environmental factors because of climate change can impact future plant recruitment. To date, our knowledge on how soil seed banks from high-elevation environments will respond to climate change and extreme climate-related events is limited. Here, using the seedling emergence method, we investigated the effects of reduced snow cover, fire and drought on the density and diversity of germinants from soil seed banks of two high-elevation plant communities: a tall alpine herbfield and a treeline ecotone.

Methods

In Autumn 2020, we collected soil samples and charact

SUBMITTER: Vazquez-Ramirez J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11805938 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature